Battle of the Bangs

I read an article on The Pros and Cons of Having Bangs which made me think about my love of bangs and the constant struggle for upkeep.

I remember how desperately I wanted a fringe when I was younger. Cutting your hair back in the day as a coloured girl was almost unacceptable to a lot of people in our community and especially unacceptable to my parents. Any time I wanted my hair cut I would get a long speech about how my body is a temple and I shouldn't tamper with it. Talk about conservative! I always remembered thinking to myself that if that were true, what could be so bad about decorating my temple?

I wanted bangs so desperately that I would section off the front pieces of my hair, loop it back and pin it so it looked like I had a fringe. In truth, all it probably looked like was a hot mess but I was determined to express my style however against it my parents were. Just thinking about it now makes me giggle!




Then one day,  my prayers had finally been answered. My mom let my older sister get her fringe cut! Hooray! I knew if I just nagged enough she would cut my fringe too.
It was probably one of the most awesome style days of my life, so much so that I remember it with much detail and happiness even now. I finally had bangs!

Now, if you know anything about coloured people you also know that there is a lot of emphasis placed on hair. Nowadays, it may not be as hectic as it was then, but it's still present.
We would sit for hours while my mother washed, rolled in, blew out, and swirled our hair so that it always looked it's best. What's swirling your hair you ask? Well, it's when you take the foot part of an old stocking and swirl or turn it around your hair that has been sectioned and combed around your head like a dome. It was done to keep it straight and looking sleek (obviously this was before we owned a straighter!) While sleeping it would move or slip off so you had to lay still and in the morning you always had an indent in your forehead from the stocking that you desperately tried to get out before leaving the house! Walking around with curly or kroes hair did not make the cut!
Generally, coloured people have a courser strand of hair that usually needs to be blow dried or ironed into submission.

For this reason, a fringe was not the easiest thing to maintain in the early 90's. The most we had we hairdryers and old school techniques of doing hair. No GHD, no blogs, just you and your hairdryer. A fringe is always maintenance. After playing or sleeping that fringe just wasn't that easy to style and it never looked as good as it did just after doing your hair. But, I was determined to make it work. I remember working on my hair for ages before going to school (in Grade 2), carefully clipping it back and holding it in place so that the Cape Town wind wouldn't blow all my hard work away, and only once I got to school would I let my bangs down. I would also  avoid being out in rainy or humid weather at all costs and dreaded pool parties where I would have to go all natural till my mom fetched me. (Again, giggling as I think back!)

Despite all of that,  I've loved having a fringe. Even now I always go through a constant struggle of deciding whether to cut my bangs or growth them out and when they grow out I start to contemplate cutting them again. But, I always go back to bangs.

Considering my hair type and my long struggle with my lovely bangs, I have a few pros and cons of my own.

Pros:

• I love the look. You can try so many different lengths and styles with it which makes having a different look nice and easy.
• I love a good 70's or vintage look and there are so many ways a fringe can help you achieve that
• Its an easy statement style that you can work with easily. Shaving your hair or A symmetrical cuts have a much longer recovery time, where bangs are easy and versatile and you're less likely to get over the style than these others.

Cons:

• Prepare for maintenance! Bangs take some work. Especially, if your hair isn't naturally straight and sleek. You need to be ready for daily styling and looking after.
• This is not a wake up and go look. If you are camping, at a festival, or going from beach to lunch in a restaurant and you have stubborn or curly hair, you best pack in a clip or bobby pin because a fringe will go where it wants to. I always have a clip in my bag for a situation where it just won't lay still or behave itself.
• Much like when I was younger and playing or being kid would get in the way of my fringe, outdoor activity or sweating can also cause your fringe to crimp! Again, pack a clip!

Happy Styling!

M

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