It was hard having curly hair when I was younger. Everyone around me had straight hair, plus there were no hair products apart from Brylcreem/Vitalis for men and Suave/hairspray for women. Brushing curly hair just makes it hugely bushy, and trying fancy cuts just ended in disaster because it tends to end up looking like a sheep, a thatched hut, or a mushroom. During the 1970s, the first male hairdresser in my small town looked at the inspiration picture I had taken to him of Lady Diana and said to me ‘lady, I may be a fairy but this comb is not a wand’.
Wild curls were (and probably still are in some places) considered untidy and unprofessional. I spent most of my life trying to tame them rather than giving in to them and letting them do their own thing.
When Pearl Jam broke through in the early 1990s, I had the most almighty crush on Eddie Vedder’s hair. It was long and thick and curly, and the most glorious rich chocolatey colour. It was also not too ‘big’ on him, even though he is short with a small frame.
It took a while of admiring his hair before I realised his curls were almost exactly like mine. I had hated my hair for so long. Seeing what they looked like on another person, and loving them, made me realise what other people saw when they looked at my hair. He was the same age as me, and the same size (5ft 7in/small frame) so I could identify with him. I changed to a long curly bob after that realisation, and my hair has been more or less the same style and length ever since. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, but always with no bangs/fringe, and below my shoulders.
Vedder cut his hair long ago, but mine remains the same. I found a style that is easy to maintain and suits my hair. Thank you Eddie.
Two other singers of my youth with gorgeous curly hair were Robert Plant and the hugely amazing Chris Cornell. At the time, Robert Plant’s hair was way thicker and curlier than mine, and Chris Cornell’s was much longer and finer in texture. Both men were well over 6ft tall too so they could carry off bigger hair than I can.
Chris Cornell was incredibly beautiful and, like Eddie Vedder, cut his hair way shorter as he got older. It may be my age and that I was a teenager in the 1970s, but I really like long hair on men.
Your hair is stunning. I always wanted long hair. I’ve had it a few times. My hair is wavy, straight, and curly. I finally made peace with the fact that my hair looks much better short and I am much happier with it!
Aw thank you. It’s not always so great but I have made my peace with it over the years!
As someone with eternally straight hair, I keep people who have either wavy or curly hair. Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder are absolutely very handsome men with gorgeous hair. You found yourself some superb hair models. Mine are Cher and Morticia Addams with their dark long straight hair…
I love Cher’s hair! Eddie Vedder has an uneven curl patten like mine, though Chris Cornell is Curl Goals!
They are both beyond gorgeous. I imagine you don’t need to do too much with your hair and that it always looks beautiful. With mine, one hair out of order and it’s really obvious!… Cherish your gorgeous hair!