How Francisca's Big Chop is Helping Revolutionize How Latinas See their Curly Tresses
This past Monday, Despierta America's Francisca inspired curly-haired Latinas by committing to her rizos while on-air.
In a touching moment during the morning show, the former Nuestra Belleza Latina winner announced she would be cutting her hair in an effort to heal her inner child.
"One of my biggest fears and insecurities has always been my hair," she shared.
"At 11 years old, I asked my mom to get me a hair straightener for my birthday. I told her that I wanted to get rid of my hair, that I had heard many people say that it was ugly, that it was bad hair," she explains.
For Latinas with naturally curly hair, especially Afro-Latinas, the phrase Francisca used, "pelo malo," has deep ties to insecurity, self-confidence and even discrimination.
Pelo malo is rooted in anti-blackness.
For generations, eurocentric beauty standards that uphold straight hair as the ideal have been passed down through our culture, especially in the Caribbean.
Many women throughout the Latino world spend countless hours straightening their hair, with heat or chemical treatments, in an attempt to separate themselves from the label of unruly and unmanageable tresses, and sometimes in an attempt to be in line with eurocentric standards.
Apart from the psychological scars this thinking can leave, we're now more aware than ever of the health risks associated with chemical straighteners, as studies show women who use these products may be at higher risk of uterine cancer.
Thankfully, brave women like Francisca are now being empowered to challenge the stigma and put themselves first by embracing their natural curls.
"I want to make peace with my hair. Today, I am free," she proudly stated.
With the help of celebrity hairdresser, Jomari Goyso, we saw the host chop off the remainder of her chemically straightened hair, leaving her with a short pixie cut.
Getty Images / John Parra Francisca on "Despierta America"
Upon seeing the finished look, Goyso reflected on the impact the transformation would have on those who, like Francisca, felt they had to straighten their hair from a young age.
"The girls who look at you today are finally going to understand that they don't have to straighten their hair to get to where you are. They don't have to change anything about themselves," he said.
Francisca and other Latinas like her will serve as a new alternative to the traditional beauty standard, reminding younger generations that natural hair is just as beautiful, professional and worth taking care of.
