Lisa's Bookshelf

I've related to many of Melina Marchetta characters but none more so than Josephine Alibrandi from her debut novel.  Like Josephine, I was raised by a strong-willed single mother, though she had a lot of extended family while I did not.  Her insecurities also resonated with me in particular with regards to her curly hair.  People with straight hair just don't understand what we curly/wavy haired people go through, not just in the upkeep of our hair, but also the way Hollywood puts us down.  Case in point, when Looking for Alibrandi was made into a movie, the actress who played Josephine had straight hair.  Same with Harry Potter and Jenny Humphrey from Gossip Girl.  In the case of Harry Potter and Josephine their curly/wavy hair was one of their defining physical characterisitcs.  Then, of course, there was the Princess Diaries where Anne Hathaway's character, Mia, was considered unattractive until her hair was straightened.  And lets not forget the original Beverly Hills, 90210 television show where the three popular, pretty girls (Kelly, Brenda, and Donna) all had straight hair, while the only ugly, nerdy girl (Andrea) had curly hair.  In college, after Andrea straightened her hair, she became more confident and attractive.  

With all these implicit messages from movies and TV that curly/wavy hair is unattractive, it's no wonder we non-straight haired people have a complex, and I always relate to characters who have insecurities over it.

(Sorry to go off topic but this is something that really bothers me and has been a source of great difficulty for me throughout my life.)