Pelo Bueno

Status
Not open for further replies.

RProch

New member
Nov 17, 2012
15
0
0
I have always been boggled by the Dominican hair culture. These gorgeous women with insanely beautifully wild curls whipping their hair into submission every saturday at the salon and wrapping their hair around their head a million times and pinning it flat so they dont mess it up at night. Dont get me wrong! I love getting my hair washed and dried and what woman does not like getting pampered, really? I respect that Dominican women present themselves well even if they are not "wealthy." That is something that I feel my culture lacks. It is the root of this tendency, however that saddens me.

I have had so many little girls with wicked beautiful curls stop me on the street and touching my hair saying, "quiero tener pelo bueno como tu!" When I first heard this I was so confused! I could not understand why these beautiful girls kept saying their hair was "malo." It didnt stop there... I continued to hear women wish they had straight blonde hair, skinny little bodies, whiter skin, expensive clothes and a white man.

Today I watched "Good Hair" on netflix and it gave me such a better perspective on this tendency. If you have time, watch this video of educated Dominican women speaking out against this cultural tendency of wishing away the natural beauty of dominican women.
Pelo Bueno vs Pelo Malo/Good Hair vs. Bad Hair - YouTube

(Im not against straightening or dying hair.... I do it! but the motivation cannot be to reject the natural beauty of our heritage)

OWN IT GIRLS!!! We've all got pelo bueno!
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
dominicans get very surprised i do not go to the salon or pay any attention to my hair. good hair. eh. maybe i never had to think about it as much as they do? maybe because it is not a statement? maybe because where i lived everyone had the same kind of hair and it was never a big deal?

a black girl i used to work with in london told me she did not get any decent job until she had her hair relaxed, straightened and tamed. so maybe here it does matter more that you think?

i often say if it was not for miesposo i would just shave my head. no more washing, brushing, combing. no more listening to my mother in law constantly complain i should wear my hair down because "it is so pretty". it ain't pretty. i gets into my face and eyes and feels like a woolen cape on a summer day. :)

once i tried to explain to my workers that women in europe make their hair permanently curly (perm). they did not want to believe me. why would some do something this stupid, they said :) :) :)
 

RProch

New member
Nov 17, 2012
15
0
0
dominicans get very surprised i do not go to the salon or pay any attention to my hair. good hair. eh. maybe i never had to think about it as much as they do? maybe because it is not a statement? maybe because where i lived everyone had the same kind of hair and it was never a big deal?

a black girl i used to work with in london told me she did not get any decent job until she had her hair relaxed, straightened and tamed. so maybe here it does matter more that you think?

i often say if it was not for miesposo i would just shave my head. no more washing, brushing, combing. no more listening to my mother in law constantly complain i should wear my hair down because "it is so pretty". it ain't pretty. i gets into my face and eyes and feels like a woolen cape on a summer day. :)

once i tried to explain to my workers that women in europe make their hair permanently curly (perm). they did not want to believe me. why would some do something this stupid, they said :) :) :)

Of course it matters! That is the whole point. it is sad that if a woman has straight hair she is more respected in the Dominican culture.... that is what that video talks about. It's unfortunate that people jump to the conclusion about a woman's social status and education based on how relaxed her hair is.
 

RProch

New member
Nov 17, 2012
15
0
0
There are plenty of Dominican women and girls that wear heir hair naturally.

That is awesome! I guess I only speak of Jarabacoa as that is the culture I know... it is incredibly rare for a respectable Dominican woman to wear her hair naturally. its not about the hair as much as it is about the image of the wealthy, respectable woman and the conclusions we jump to based on image.
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
It's fashion too, I've seen old photos of Dominican friends with wavy and curly hairstyles.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SmgS2twz4lo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Last edited:

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
32,504
5,932
113
dr1.com
That is awesome! I guess I only speak of Jarabacoa as that is the culture I know... it is incredibly rare for a respectable Dominican woman to wear her hair naturally. its not about the hair as much as it is about the image of the wealthy, respectable woman and the conclusions we jump to based on image.

Since Jarabacoa is where you are familiar with you must also be aware that many people in Jarabacoa have naturally straight or wavy hair and do not require much in the way of relaxers....etc to straighten it. You'll note that Michelle Obama doesn't wear her hair naturally either. My wife has combination hair, wavy and curly; where as her mother and aunts have either wavy or naturally straight hair.
 

Aguaita29

Silver
Jul 27, 2011
2,618
271
83
I have had so many little girls with wicked beautiful curls stop me on the street and touching my hair saying, "quiero tener pelo bueno como tu!" When I first heard this I was so confused! I could not understand why these beautiful girls kept saying their hair was "malo." It didnt stop there... I continued to hear women wish they had straight blonde hair, skinny little bodies, whiter skin, expensive clothes and a white man.
OWN IT GIRLS!!! We've all got pelo bueno!

You know what tortured me during my teen years? My boobs! Small breasts were considered "elegant", models and Soap opera actresses had small breasts, men liked small breasts, my sisters and most of my friends had small ones too. I saved for a while and bought a very expensive breast reducing bra but it was soo freaking painful to wear I had to drop it.
The first time I heard women in other countries had breast implants I thought that was totally crazy. We all thought that Pamela Anderson was disgusting! lol
 

bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
5,341
1,246
113
Of course it matters! That is the whole point. it is sad that if a woman has straight hair she is more respected in the Dominican culture.... that is what that video talks about. It's unfortunate that people jump to the conclusion about a woman's social status and education based on how relaxed her hair is.

This is not a Dominican matter only, I see AA women trying to look like white woman painting of yellow, relaxing their hair and wearing wigs...

Ridiculous!

JJ
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
rproch: when i said it does not matter in europe and it matters here this is exactly what i mean. who cared about hair back home? no one did. we all had "good" hair. no one paid attention to it because it had no weight. to people here it means something: good hair, bad hair, relaxed, au naturel. women are judged by this.

and yes, i think it is the same in USA too. there are so many black female stars, how many have natural hair? rihanna? no. nicky minaj? hell no. halle berry? nah. beyonce? wigs and weaves, and she DARES to be the face (or hair) or l'oreal hair products? really? michelle obama? not even her...

before i came to live in london i have never seen a black person. i thought beyonce hair was normal and afro style was a wig. funny that, in cold poland i lived under the impression that all this fake, relaxed and dyed pelo was the REAL deal. this is how even foreigners are tricked to believe that fake is good and natural is nothing but a funny party accessory...
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
I have three daughters, one has pelo malo, one has pelo bueno, and one has pelo entre los dos. I love their hair and them too. :)
 

bronzeallspice

Live everyday like it's your last
Mar 26, 2012
11,009
2
38
Women with bad hair straighten their hair to look good,plus it's easier to manage.Try putting a comb
through kinky hair.What woman wants to walk around looking like a Chia pet.

On my part,I have never heard a Dominican woman say she wishes she had whiter skin,straight blonde
hair,skinny little body and a white man.I live in the DR and I'm a Dominican woman.
 
Last edited:

Africaida

Gold
Jun 19, 2009
7,775
1,341
113
Women with bad hair straighten their hair to look good,plus it's easier to manage.Try putting a comb
through kinky hair.What woman wants to walk around looking like a Chia pet.

On my part,I have never heard a Dominican woman say she wishes she had whiter skin,straight blonde
hair,skinny little body and a white man.I live in the DR and I'm a Dominican woman.

And it shows...
 

Africaida

Gold
Jun 19, 2009
7,775
1,341
113
You know what tortured me during my teen years? My boobs! Small breasts were considered "elegant", models and Soap opera actresses had small breasts, men liked small breasts, my sisters and most of my friends had small ones too. I saved for a while and bought a very expensive breast reducing bra but it was soo freaking painful to wear I had to drop it.
The first time I heard women in other countries had breast implants I thought that was totally crazy. We all thought that Pamela Anderson was disgusting! lol

Sounds like me, replace small breasts with big ass, lol :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.