Hair What I'm Saying
“Hair What I’m Saying” is where healing, beauty, and honest storytelling meet. Hosted by Kinetra, a licensed hair expert, deep thinker, and truth-teller, this show has earned a spot in the top 5% of podcasts worldwide, on Listen Notes. It goes beyond the surface to explore the emotional, spiritual, and personal layers behind hair, identity, and growth.
Whether it’s uncovering the science of hair loss, breaking generational cycles, or reflecting on real-life relationships, each episode holds space for vulnerable conversations, self-discovery, and unapologetic truth. If you’ve ever found power in your pain or beauty in your becoming, this podcast is for you.
Hair What I'm Saying
When the Dance Team Excluded Curly Hair: Sydney Bresnahan's Story
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When the Dance Team Excluded Curly Hair: Sydney Bresnahan's Story explores what happens when appearance standards unintentionally leave textured hair out of the picture. In this episode of the Hair What I'm Saying Podcast, host Kinetra Stewart sits down with former high school dancer Sydney Bresnahan to discuss the reality of navigating dance team hair expectations with naturally curly hair.
Sydney shares how being in uniform often meant straightening her natural curls or wearing straight wigs to meet team standards, the financial and emotional costs of maintaining that look, and the moment she witnessed a teammate being told to straighten a synthetic curly wig before a performance. Together, they examine the difference between uniformity and inclusion, asking an important question: Can a team truly be inclusive if everyone has to look the same?
This conversation isn't about criticizing one school or one coach. It's about exploring how beauty standards, performance expectations, and institutional norms can disproportionately affect dancers with textured hair.
Whether you're a dancer, coach, educator, parent, or someone who's ever felt pressured to change your natural hair to fit in, this episode invites you to rethink what inclusion really looks like.
Connect with Sydney by following her on Instagram!
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Don't forget to follow Kinetra on Instagram @_hairwhatimsaying_ and check out her website Hair What I'm Saying for more.
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When Uniformity Becomes Exclusion
SPEAKER_02Today, we're talking about something that often goes unnoticed because it's hidden behind words like professional, neat, and uniform. For many dance teams, cheer squads, drill teams, and other organizations, having everyone look the same is considered part of the performance. But what happens when looking the same requires someone to completely change the way their natural hair exists. Today's guest, Sidney Bresnahan, lived that experience throughout high school. As a dancer with naturally curly hair, being in uniform often meant wearing her hair straight or relying on straight widths to meet expectations. This conversation isn't about criticizing one school or one dance program. It's about exploring a much bigger question. When does uniformity unintentionally become exclusion? Let's get into it. Welcome to the Hair What I'm Saying podcast. I'm your host, Kenitra Stewart. Today we have Sydney Bresenhan joining us today to talk about a topic I have been itching and burning to talk about since she dropped this bomb on me about six years ago when I was doing our hair. Welcome to the show, Sydney. How are you?
SPEAKER_05Why, hello. I'm just fantastic today. And you look fantastic too, may I add? Ladder me.
SPEAKER_02You don't want to take me do this, Buns. It don't make me late. I love the space buns. But we're here on time. That's why I had to tell you, I said, you know what? I want to leave at 12:15. That get us there like 15 minutes early. I was like, but I'm gonna tell her to be here at 12 just in case she may not make it on time.
SPEAKER_03I wouldn't even be offended if you told me to come 50 to 30 minutes earlier because I'd be just about on time. I'm always gonna run about like 30, 15 minutes late, and that's just time blindness. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Not by choice. Yeah, it's it's like that for some people, you know.
SPEAKER_03Unfortunately. Yeah. I didn't ask for the debuff, but yeah, it's all good.
SPEAKER_02You still good. We're still good. We're rolling. We're only three minutes into the show. We're good to go.
unknownYeah. Okay.
Burner Questions And Dance Talk
SPEAKER_02So before we get into the flow and the groove of the podcast, I want to start off with some burner questions, you know, just to get us all loose and warmed up before we flow into the real context of the discussion questions. So choreography or freestyle when it comes to dance?
SPEAKER_03I so funny enough, um, I you would think how I'm structured, I'd prefer choreography. But I've learned I've understood and learned dance better when pro doing freestyle. Freestyle. So why?
SPEAKER_02What do you mean like you understood it better freestyling?
SPEAKER_03Because you learn better self-express, how I feel at least. You are able to express yourself better when you're able to practice performing forming it on the fly, like improv. Oh. So that's how I feel about it. Choreography um is in place and you know, it's structured. So yeah, you get to learn the same thing over and be able to perform it a bit better. I think with that's why I like why I like freestyle more is simply improving self-expression.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah. And I mean, it is an art of expression at the end of the day. And then how you broke that down made me understand the correlation of what you mean by that, you know, especially when you inserted the improv example. I'm like, oh yeah, now it's clicking, now I get it.
SPEAKER_03Because a lot of people like to see dance as it like um just being like, you learn a dance, you just show it off. But once again, like you said, dance is an art form. So a lot of people also use the art form to express their art. Yeah. Which I think it can be sucked on sometimes when you're like first introduced to the sport of dance, even though I've been out of it so long.
SPEAKER_02But let me tell you something. I never seen you dance, and one day your mom uploaded a clip of you on Facebook, and I was like, oh my gosh. I was like, this girl has sat in my chair, and we have so many political lifestyles, so many, we we have so many different conversations, but we never talked about how well you could dance. So when I saw that, I was thoroughly impressed. I was like, no, that girl can really dance. Like she can dance like what I see on TikTok.
SPEAKER_03She can dance. If there's one thing you could never tell me back when I was a high schooler on the dance team, is that I could not dance. Because listen, if we had to do an art of expression, I would express my butt out. Yeah, I have to censor myself a little hoops. Yeah. But um, yeah, oh my god.
SPEAKER_05Mom would always upload those videos and be like, look at look at my daughter.
SPEAKER_01I'd be like, oh it was, I think you were in the living room, if I'm not mistaken.
SPEAKER_02But I I was just I was a living room video. I was I watched it so many times, Sydney. I was so impressed.
SPEAKER_05That was for an assignment. I'm so embarrassed.
SPEAKER_02It was mom. I'm sorry. What's something you're irrationally competitive about?
SPEAKER_03That's a hard one for me because I'm always like, hmm, so many. I guess you can say what I'm irrationally competitive about. It's just hard for me to think about decorating, I guess. I love I've grown to learn about myself at my current big age of 23. That's okay. Hopping out 24.
SPEAKER_02You will keep learning about yourself as you get older. I mean, I'm 40 and I'm still learning. I'm still learning. It's okay. As long as you are all about elevating and growing, it's all good.
SPEAKER_05I still can't believe you're 40. I'm sorry. Point is, well, thank you.
SPEAKER_03I um I guess you can say I'm rationally passionate about irrationally competitive of delivering a very concise product, I guess. By product, I mean like, for example, if someone's like, if I'm putting in someone else and it's like, make a diagram with this information talking about clouds or something. Younger me, specific now. Why I sound specific is I did this back in aquatic science. Oh, I put that little Fonto app to use and made the best visually appealing design project I ever made with visuals and everything.
SPEAKER_02I forgot all about Ponto.
SPEAKER_03I love that app. That app carry me. I used that app down since I was a child. Graphic design was my passion, is my favorite. Really? Funny, funny line because I literally would you know how they put it in like comic sans and it's like graphic design is my passion? Yeah. I make that joke about myself a lot because back then, like on my phone, which is like all I had, I would abuse that.
SPEAKER_04Do I wish I'd abuse it more? Yes. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I still do, and I still got my old stuff like filed in like Google somewhere. Of how good I was of just putting together, like it would be really simple, but it also would be really like visually appealing.
SPEAKER_00I think I was good at that.
SPEAKER_03I didn't hold on that as hard as I did, but you could say, I'll say that is what I'm rationally competitive about on a smaller scale, not on like a ginormous scale.
SPEAKER_02Okay. What about ginormous dude?
SPEAKER_03Ginormous scale? Yeah. Games, but I don't like I don't like to talk about that. Okay. Well, we won't talk about that. But I do know that about you though. Unfortunately, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yes. If you could describe your personality in three words, what would they be? Silly. Mm-hmm. Whimsical. Definitely.
SPEAKER_03Yes. My third word is always what I chop up on because I'm like, hmm. Silly, whimsical, empathetic. Empathetic. I'm gonna say that. Because there's so many more. But I'm like, if I did them down to three, let me just say what I could say on the fly.
SPEAKER_02That's so crazy. I like quirky too. Like, you give me quirky vibes too.
SPEAKER_03Quirky or quirky? Uh quirky. Quirky. Yeah, quirky. I'm sorry. Quirky. No, quirky.
SPEAKER_02Like, excuse me, y'all have my retainers, so I have to like really annonciate my words. I'm so sorry. It's okay. And so it's so hard for me. I'm like, what, day five in my retainers, and it's harder to talk. I'm scared for when I get them. Than braces. I had I had I could talk with my braces, but with these retainers, it's taken a lot for me to uh like completely pronunciate the words.
SPEAKER_03Lisp not by choice. I have a lisp.
SPEAKER_02I have a lisp now. I hate it though. But I'm like, you would be having a podcast with a lisp. And it's so bad. It's so bad. I started to like not even wear them. I was like, forget it. I'm not taking these things in and out to record. It is what it is. Y'all are going to go on a journey with me. Yeah, so quirky, not quirky. Even though quirky's not bad either. Quirky's not bad either.
SPEAKER_03I feel it's funny. But I like to clarify that because I also like, I feel like I mishear things not by choice.
SPEAKER_05So I'm like quirky, like or like goofy or like quirky as in like uh style and aesthetic.
SPEAKER_02For sure. Yeah. On that I can agree. Yeah, that's where that's where we are. Okay. You feeling warmed up? You ready to get into the question? Okay, I've always been ready. Okay, that's true.
Meet Sydney And Her Hair
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_02So not to not to tee myself a little bit. Okay, so tell everyone a little bit about yourself.
SPEAKER_03Well, I'm looking at Well, my name is Sydney. Um, I'm currently 23. I'm hopping on 24 in October. I have oh it, I guess you could say, by growing up nomadic, I blame it on the military. Um, so yeah. But you could say I've always been in my head good and bad ways because of being all over the place. Um, I uh like nerdy passions. Yes, I watch anime, I play games. I uh also have been trying to get more in with beauty in my hair care. Now, um, yeah. That's pretty much it for the most part. I'm a little silly person, I like to have a good time. You want to make a good time out of a bad time, you know.
SPEAKER_02Uh, you know, with you when you told me that you were, you know, thinking about pursuing beauty as a profession, I'm like, well, you already in the industry.
SPEAKER_03I've seen the background of it for the most part. So I was just like, you know, since I pretty much have that access and the privilege to do so, I probably should take advantage of it because I already made the mistake once. The worst thing I can be is pull a J. Cole and be like, fall for it once twice. I can't put the blame on anyone else but me. I say J. Cole because I remember the song. Sorry.
SPEAKER_01You know, J. Cole is my dude. It's like my favorite rap artist out right now.
SPEAKER_02So when you say it, I'm like, hmm, okay, I know where that came from. How would you describe your natural hair? Thick.
SPEAKER_03I don't know if I can say it as hell. It's thick as hell. It is. I can't stand like literally when I explain anytime I'm growing up and I have hair talks with girls, whether it be a teenager, even to this day, I think my one of my closest friends is the only other girl that I can I can actually have like a curly hair to talk hair care talk about, and she'd be like, I get you 100%. Even if we don't have the same type of hair types, hair texture, like thickness-wise, curl pattern-wise, management-wise, all that, like, oh my god. She's the only person I can 100% get that because growing up, like, I couldn't just do a casual two-ponytail with them dropping, they would puff up. You know, I'd look like you know, it's it'd be it. I'm also used to those being used as an insult against me, is why, but we'll get into that later. The point is, if it's just thick, it can get coil, it can get like lumpy curlies. It can get lumpy curl. It can go in a proper curl pattern. The hard part is getting it because I I've never distinguished if it's at high or low because it's hard for me to tell. Only because I literally cannot reach my roots. Every time, like I would try to wash my hair, like it's so hard for me to reach and get the product to properly clean my root. Even when growing up, I didn't know I had to wash it multiple times. Obviously, I'm not nasty, but I never did because I thought you only had to wash it once, and then I'd go into the US. I can learn to style it and do all that, and obviously I cut it by myself.
SPEAKER_02But even when I shampoo your hair, I have to like open your hair and apply the shampoo on your scalp. You know the movie Over the Hedge. I never watched that movie. Watch that movie now. I'm not the watching now just because you mentioned I'm not sure.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's like when people go into the hedge, when the when the animals go into the hedge to the other side, which is the suburban neighborhood, you're gonna find that out. Okay. Literally, my hair feels like that. Oh my god. Every time I try to reach, I gotta reach in into my scalp to do it. Like I have to open it. I feel like I'm opening the hedge. Yeah. And it's so butt. Yeah. Can't stand it, bruh.
SPEAKER_02Uh when I first done your hair, because I did Morgan's hair first. So when I done your hair, and you know, you know, uh in a very ignorant way, you know, siblings, same parents, and even with that, hair is different. Skin is everything is different. So when you came to me after I done Morgan's hair, because Morgan's hair is it's not as thick as yours. It's thick, but it's not as thick as yours. And when I done your hair, I was like, oh my gosh, this girl got a ton of hair on her head. Because I think I first did your hair when you was a hair model for me. Your mom was like, uh, yeah, my daughter could be a hair model for you. And so now yeah, I was like, you know why she said that?
SPEAKER_03I was like, I love her, but why did she say it? No, I don't know. I need to know why. No, maybe, maybe because I'm saying it from a place of she wants to find someone to do her dog. Because I've I've grown up being the children. Well, yeah, it's like a an opportunity to get it done for free. Girl, yes. Because not even just that, I was always like the most expensive head on my sisters. Yeah, because you have all that hair. I think we went to a Dominican stylist once. I was but a teeny meeting baby. Morgan was probably smaller, and then there's like she's obviously taller. They were like what $60, $70, and I was like $80, 90. Yeah. And when they were doing like the consultation, the rundown of like hair types, and I was like, oh. Now, me hearing those numbers in a young age, I wouldn't think anything. But yeah. For reason I still remember them to this day, I was like, oh, oh.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. No, you do, girl. And it was so healthy, and it it every strand was just be it was just I know it can come with a certain level of inconvenience, you know. Certain level.
SPEAKER_03I do appreciate the good sides on the other side.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but at the end of the day, oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_03I cannot just put it up in a bag.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And you can't. Yeah, I gotta work for that.
SPEAKER_02Looking for that convenience.
unknownI know.
SPEAKER_02And then to be able to, you know, even when you remember, like you wanted to cut it. I think we talked about you wanting to cut your hair the first time I even done your hair. And, you know, of course, you know, with your mom, she was like, no, we're not cutting our hair. I mean, eventually we cut it, but learning why, I understood why you wanted to cut it. But when we cut it, the next time I saw you, it was like we never cut it. I was like, this girl hair, it's always the ones whose hair just grow the quickest that can retain.
SPEAKER_03And it grew back within a year.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it grew back so fast. It was like I never cut it. But I'm like, these are the ones who want to just chop all their hair off. And y'all, today we're chopping her out her hair off today because she is done with her hair again.
SPEAKER_01After we leave the podcast, I am going to her house to cut her hair.
SPEAKER_03Don't worry, the reason why it's getting deeply cleaned is because mother have remits of me. You'll need it. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Oh my gosh. I just have to share my joy. So give me one word how you would describe your relationship with your curls now. One word, if you could.
SPEAKER_03Oh, this is where I really would take advantage of my vocabulary book. I did not have that. I can say, like, I don't have a more accurate detailed word. Okay. But what I probably would say is now where did it go?
SPEAKER_02This is so irritating. This is so irritating. Okay. Let's just if it ain't one word. I know the last guest I had, she said she has a love, it's love hate or did have.
SPEAKER_03I wouldn't say love, hate, love, dislike, because I've grown to not really hate my hair. Hate I feel can go more a down traumatic area. And I think feeds something that already affects a lot of girls everywhere when it comes to having curly texture, which is like, you know, racial and self-esteem. But mine's just more so just like exotic. Now exotic in a exotic in a way of just like, you know, oh, one day I can just be like, wow, you're working with me today. Yeah. I'm consistent. It's working with me. I'm loving life. And the next thing you know, my roots are dry as hell. And then the ends want to curl up, but then I'm puffed at my roots. And then my roots are just like, yeah, I just can't absorb anything. Yeah. Because you ain't able to get to them. Or it's like, my scalp. Oh no. Recently, for example, like I came out of having literally month and a half of having like knotless what are they called? Brays? Yes. Uh-huh. But the ones with the strand out, uh, boho. Boho. Knotless boho. But I had to have the protective braid down on my head. I got a picture somewhere when I tell you. Keep in mind, my mom is probably wasn't even trying to raid me that hard when she was doing it. But I felt every single thing. When I tension, like it was tight. It was 10 times tender than it was when I felt like I was like 15. I was just like, wow.
SPEAKER_02And then trying to check, like what the check I like to do to see if my hair's too tight, I'd like squint my eyebrows and like do like my ears. You gotta be like clenching my ears together, like, ooh, if I feel that pull a little bit at the scalp when I'm like twitching like that, that means my hair is too tight. I know I can't be the only one that does.
SPEAKER_03My scalp is red, I might be as good as dead.
SPEAKER_05Like Morgan was just like that. I don't want to get too distracted, but yeah, anytime Morgan would get her hair printed down and it seemed too tight. You can see it. And it looked like too funny.
SPEAKER_01But I love her. I've actually seen it because your mom sent me a fresh picture of Morgan's hair after she finished, and I was like, Yeah, that's tight.
SPEAKER_04That hair is tight. She was like, you know, Tyler, like Advil Tylenol, A sap, bro. Like sleep that off A S A P.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Oh man.
Biracial Identity And Hair Belonging
SPEAKER_02As someone who is biracial, did you ever feel like your hair affected where you felt like you belonged?
SPEAKER_03Yes. Because if let's say my hair like didn't have a curly texture, none of these people knew where I would know that I'm like black. They would not know. Um, I say that I can probably prove the point better with Morgan, my youngest, because she's like 10 times lighter than us, unless she goes out to the sun and gets a mega tan, healthily. Point is if she said if she had like silky straight hair and interact with other people, they'd probably assume she's Latina or something. Yeah. Versus like, no, my mom is Caribbean and my dad is white. But um, no, yeah, if I didn't have the kinky, coily, healthy hair that I did, I probably would have had a harder struggle growing up of distinguishing my identity and feeling confident in my identity versus like if I had straight hair, I'd probably be trying to conform with being a white girl or something. No, I don't say that in a really negative way, but like that's just the reality of what the experience could have been. Could have felt like as growing up biracial.
SPEAKER_02That's true. Yeah. So did you mostly wear your hair curly or straight when you were growing up or in ponytails? Like, how would you wear your hair?
SPEAKER_03When we were, I could probably say when we were like baby, hitting like the age of like, you know, toddler to you know preteen. We definitely, my mom, because there's a lot of different hair textures, and that's one mom who knows how to do hair for the most part, at least learned it herself because that's how she got over here. Right. So we had those, you know, those cute little bead styles, the four, the two, the pigtails, or whatever. Right. I was aren't you? Now we did get a lot of silk presses growing up because um, for my mom, it's just for the sake of convenience. Um, it was just more convenient for us to have that now. Because it's like three girls, three girls, three kinky heads, all of them not chopped short. And then we have to figure out how to learn to manage it short while we are out playing at dirt and mud in on the field.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01So the silk presses, I understand.
SPEAKER_03Exactly. Um but um, yeah, we we've had the four ones. Now, obviously, when I got preteen to like teenager, we did predominantly have more silk presses. I love the damn. One, I felt my best in now. Obviously, because it's convenient, I just got it so I feel pretty, but then when I have to maintain it, I'm like, oh, yeah. This is so bad.
SPEAKER_02Maintaining a silk press is a lot. It's just restrictive.
SPEAKER_03Pull it up a certain way, pull the bonnet off, but then the bonnet slips off during the night. So you're like, Did I just ruin my silk? You have no volume keeping that bonnet on your head and I and the and the bonnet is loose in the edges? What am I?
SPEAKER_00Oh man.
SPEAKER_03Literally, my mom would be like, Why are your braids white? My why are you little plaits and twists fuzzy? It slips off my head at night. So now I have to put it in a band.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And put my head and get my edges waxed.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. What?
SPEAKER_03Well, not waxed. I say that. Wrong, wrong statement. I wax as in, like, I get the edge wax and I put my edges in a wax. Oh, girl. There we go. You never wax my edges as they are pretty much a line man. I'd be like, I receive a hairline.
SPEAKER_02I was about to say, because I mean they don't look waxed now where they done grew back in, but I got you now. You're using edge wax to control the edges.
SPEAKER_03Yay.
SPEAKER_02Got you.
SPEAKER_03Girl, I was like, wait a minute. So verbiages, sometimes my superpower, but also my downfall.
SPEAKER_02So no, it ain't. No, it's not. It's who you are. All right.
Dance Team Hair Rules Get Real
SPEAKER_02So let's move into you joining the dance team, the segment where we want to talk about that. When did you first learn there were expectations around how your hair needed to look?
SPEAKER_03Um, you could I uh I can give myself kind of benefit of the doubt. You could probably say around when I would was doing dance recreation recreationally outside before in high school, I auditioned is when I kind of learned there was an expectation. But also I was still really young when I first competed, like actual for a specific time. But when getting older, being able to actually understand the format a bit more, that's when I understood, like when we had to learn the f foundations of like ballet, what was uniform, dance uniform, all that stuff. That's when I was kind of like, oh damn. Like ballet, you have to be up and about. Right. No matter what. Yep. You sure do. But you know, at least with that, you can be terribly get away with that.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_03Right. But when I went on a dance team, practice no specific uniform. At the end of your pulling up, you gotta go to school. First, it's first thing in the morning. I'm sweating first thing in the morning.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02I I don't understand that over here. Uh you know, like the sports, like the practices are in the morning. Like when I sometimes even night. They were in the evening, honey. We didn't, they were after school. Strictly after school? Strictly after school. I never when I was on a dance team, the trailing team, even the basketball team, practices were during PE hour, or they were, and that was always at the that was their the last class for the day. Or it was and it was immediately following after PE. We never practiced in the morning until I moved here and then, you know, Magic and Deuce are practicing at 6:30 in the morning across country. I'm like And that's middle school, by the way.
SPEAKER_03They gotta get their butt up early. And I remember that because uh obviously when you played like a sport in school, volleyball, I once remember me and this girl at this door first thing at like end of five, six a.m. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's ridiculous.
SPEAKER_03I don't miss that. Yeah. Now and I'm a person that can't even get up at time in the morning. So I hate anymore.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we do talk a little bit. Okay, so uh getting up early in the morning, and um, you know, we're pretty much just talking about um what were we talking about? Because I threw myself out when you said it about it. Because I'm still stuck on that.
SPEAKER_03We're talking about on the dance team when I when yeah, how to do expectations around how you need to look.
SPEAKER_02We were graduating to that from the time that you were a kid, and then we were talking about that. I'm so sorry.
SPEAKER_03We'd be up first thing in the morning. Now, obviously, when it came to actual events like pep rallies, uh drill season, when you have to be on the football field in uniform, whether it be the jazz or it be the actual like, you know, signature hat and everything, specific drill trill drill season uniform, that's when there's an expected like hair you needed to have. Okay. Now, from what I understood during the time being on the team when I was first on the team in high school, um, had to be straight. Our silhouette was like that, you know, for for the team that we were on. And that is what we were explaining when we were sat down and we would go over um all that stuff. Now, obviously, she had to give a leeway for some of the girls on the team because our team at the time was always known for being the biggest in district. But because of that, we're also I say very diverse on a small scale, not small scales if like like half of the team was predominantly like white or you can say Hispanic, but and all that stuff, but then you have the other half where you're coming from different Caribbean backgrounds, just black in general, um African-American, uh all that. And we have different ways, even even the girls who weren't extremely like coily, wavy curls still exist, girls. That's right. So, you know, you still have people of different patterns, you have people's hair who literally cannot be straight in that street. Right. So our only gray area were were braids specifically, from what I understood. Um, so we would always make sure, sorry, we want to make sure to get that clarified. I know one of the girls probably did at the time because literally she could not, she had to rely on braids. But um, from my understanding, um, it was mainly um straight hair.
SPEAKER_02Mainly straight hair.
SPEAKER_03When you're in that, the only exception we had was homecoming. And if you had to wear the jazz dress, wearing the jazz uniform, I call it jazz uniform because I don't remember the specific one today, but it's a dress essentially. And we wear jazz shoes with it. Obviously with tights. So um that we can make a pass because the hairstyle for that, a slick bag. Gotcha. Simple enough. So I Weasley, we could be curly in a slick back button. I'm slicking it back. Why would I slick this back in a slick press? Okay, or a low ponytail. We can get away with that too. So curly for low ponytail, we can get we would be approved, gray area approved. Okay. But if we had the hat on, if it's not homecoming, or let's say I think maybe like a breast cancer game, the game that lands on like breast cancer awareness week or like that week. So the only way I could think of is homecoming essentially. Right. If we weren't approved to go curly that game, mainly straight.
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm. So did anyone ever ask, could they wear their hair curly during those events that they that wear was like just required it to be straight, like down and curly. That wasn't acceptable either.
SPEAKER_03Um what no. I think it's because coming from a context, we've already told that it had to be curl that it had to be straight. No, but the expectation is to be straight. Um, I remember an incident like this before, but it goes more into the wig category.
The Curly Wig Incident
SPEAKER_03I had I remember that incident very vividly, and in my heart and my soul, it hurt to see in real time. Because it was one of the lieutenants that um it happened to before. And basically what it was, now this is when I actually like my hair wasn't, I wasn't wearing my actual hair to games. I wore a wig. I was like, Mama, I can't take this. Right. Can we go get a wig or something?
SPEAKER_02Because it's probably rebirth and it's not behaving. It's Texas heat during the fall, almost winter.
SPEAKER_03I'm slicking it back a million one times. And also I'm like, mother, I can't be straightening my hair all the time. Yeah, it's damaging. And she's used to wearing, she is my exposure to convenient the little bun tool you use to make a bun, the fake ponytail you hook on to your little ponytail, all that. Installing a wig. So I'm like, Mama, can I wear a wig? Yes, I wanted bangs. I was 15. Maybe a little alternative, but you can't. It's hard to express your alternativeness in high school when there's a uniform day. Point is either who, I made that wig work. I pinned the bangs to the side and I take them down when we had to take off in uniform. I did not care. Yeah. I was happy. But um, I had a uh I think in that specific game, I think it was after we had a homecoming or some other game, so we had to go back straight. We can go curly. Now, one of the lieutenants, I love her to that because she's a really good answer, everything. She was also really sweet and funny. Um, I felt so bad for her in that situation. This one's the first year I was on the team, one of the last games towards the end of football season. She had like a a short little wig, but the problem was it was a curly synthetic. Oh a curly synthetic. And you know, the coach obviously, you know, got on to her saying, like, hey, you can't wear that, it has to be straight. And then she explained that to the coach. Mind you, coach is white, white woman. So she doesn't have to deal with necessarily that. Let's just say that play point blake, period. You don't expect um a coach, let alone doesn't have to deal with that, a white coach at that, to change up their hairstyle. They can do that with their own hair. In fact, they wear this, she wore the same hairstyle every day. I'm just gonna say that up front. So, you know, not her problem, she didn't really care. She don't know much about that. Point blake, period. I have my own opinion, so that's different. So she's like, no, has to be straight. So R UC, because um the first year that I was on, we had two black lieutenants, three white and a white captain. Um, or one of them is Italian. I remember because she's really short, but she was really cute. She was awesome. She was my she was my lieutenant. She was awesome. She's an awesome lieutenant. Um, this first year. But um, so you just have her and the other black lieutenant who, you know, is familiar with it. She does insults, she gets her own nails done and stuff. She's familiar with how that works. Right. She's familiar with it. So she's coming over, helping out this girl all she can, and all you see, and it hurts my soul to see, is a synthetic way of getting flat irons.
SPEAKER_02But it even take the heat because it was fake. What was it doing?
SPEAKER_04We hope it did. We made it as straight as it could be, and I know she felt like sugar honey iced tea, is what I would say. Like, she herself is too pretty.
SPEAKER_01But I'm laughing because I was just watching a TikTok of somebody talking about some sugar honey iced tea, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I gotta start using it. I love it.
SPEAKER_02I'm not laughing at her. Let me say that. I just saw this guy in the military, and yeah, we're not going into that, but that's the reason why I chuckled. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03I use that in the sense of my words because I'm someone super expressive.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, you can be expressive if you need to.
SPEAKER_03Only when I need to. But um, no, yeah, I remember that specific moment and it hurt my soul because it's not the first moment I've seen, and my heart breaks in two. Right. Where, like, you know, you see someone who can't really one, it's like, you know, it just doesn't work in their favor. Like, how do you expect her to just and it mind you, we're all getting ready to go to this game. She can't just go home, grab another wig, come back, no, nothing. Right. You know what I mean? Like, this is the only wig she has. Even a lieutenant, okay? Someone who is like probably graduating this year. Not this year, you know, next, you know, senior year, this is probably her senior year. You know, like she can't go back and grab another wig. Ain't no one gonna have another wig on them. Right. And I mean, you can't expect that. Not everyone's prepared. You know, we're all teenagers essentially. So all you all we can do is really help her out, which like all she could really do is grab her, you know, her friend could get her flat iron, her other lieutenant, and straighten that out. Did it straighten at all? Most that it could. It's probably smelled burned to her. So how did, you know In the end, that's what they did. Um, they had to straighten that out and then she went along with her straightened synthetic wig.
SPEAKER_02So she didn't have a problem with that. What was the appearance, the afterwards? Like like after the fact, like did it look better? No, it didn't look better. Maybe she looked like shining honey iced tea. Her hair looked like sugar honey. And so who was the lady again that told her that she needed to straighten her hair? Was it the sponsor? The coach. Okay, okay. So the coach how did she feel like so she she walked up to her to approve of the new look and she was fine with the new look? What did she say?
SPEAKER_03Here, here's my example. So, you know how like there's a set makeup we have to follow. We can't do anything else, like eyeliner anything. Right. Now, why I say that's because the one time I put a little line next to my eye and she came up to me and said no eyeliner. I was like, oh my god, how'd you figure that out you can't even see it? Point is that's my example of like the coach is strict on things that are uniform.
SPEAKER_02So she's just all about conforming to the rules and guidelines, no matter if they don't even look good. Okay.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Cause like me, so me and another friend, I'm gonna refer her by Jay. I love Jay.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_03Okay. I miss Jay to this day.
SPEAKER_02Okay, Jay.
SPEAKER_03She's probably she probably might see it because then my name pops up here. Point is, um, so she was one of my favorite people to confide in, but also be friends with on the dance team because she would say it was a f one of the first times I got reassurance on seeing a print certain perspective on things on the dance team that I'm like, this is like not healthy for us girls who are from different backgrounds, right? Different cultural backgrounds, or let alone different hair. Because she too had a similar texture to me. She might be about maybe just about the same thickness, don't know, but we had the same bunch of hair out, everything. You know what I mean? She also eventually would like do the same thing. There was probably one year when we were first on the team when we went to homecoming, you know, we had our natural soap presses for the dance team, we learned our lesson. I was like, Absolutely, absolutely not. Put me in that wig now. Yeah. I think she did the same thing. She had like a really pretty, like long, like um wig. Now give it and take it with a grain of salt because my memory's a little hazy. I just vividly remember the important parts of it. She eventually started doing the same thing because it was just not worth it to keep doing your natural hair. Like straighten your natural hair, and then you sweat this out. How are you gonna look to school the next day? Or the start of Monday. Then you gotta go to practice in the morning and sweat it out again because we dance in the morning. We don't go and especially if you have to practice again in the afternoon. Because Thursdays we would practice with band.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_03Before then go to the football game. So kaboom, like and then work.
SPEAKER_02That's why the wig was more convenient.
SPEAKER_03The wig was heavily more convenient because one, we look the part, two, we're not damaging the part. And then three, two, like, we're in we're in uniform.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So, you know, me and her, I think we also both saw the same thing, and we were just like, oof. We we just both felt bad for her. Because it was just like, you know, imagine if like instead, I don't think you don't have like her, she looked less in uniform, straightening out that synthetic wig versus if she just let her wear it curly and go on it. Oh yeah. At the end of the day, we are from a distance from these days from these. And nobody cares. They cannot see that much uniform. When I got a little wing of eyeliner, if I did a fat wing, that's different. But me doing a line next to my eye, you know what I mean? Yeah. Me, this just being an example, they can't see that. No. No, they can't. Only the cameras can on the field if they even took pictures. Yeah. You know what I mean? And we don't we ain't got a camera like that, but they're recording our routine from a distance. Yeah. Unless one of the one of the parents in the stand are doing that strictly in halftime. So I was just like, oh my God.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I was shocked whenever you first told me that.
The Hidden Cost Of Compliance
SPEAKER_02Whenever you started coming to me and I straightened your hair, and then you came for a wig installment. And then when your mom told me you was getting a wig installment, I'm like, what the heck Sydney wants a wig for? Glad I forgot. When I and then that's when I learned, like, well, that's when I learned the dress code. And I was immediately offended. I was so mad. It was so tedious, too. Because I didn't have to experience that. And I'm in, and I'm from Louisiana. And and we it however you wanted to wear your hair, you could wear it however you wanted to wear it. The only thing they cared about was the uniform itself that we wore. But our hair, our make, our makeup, they did not care about that. We had girls on the on the cheerling team that were natural, and then, you know, some that were not, and we didn't have to go through that. So I was immediately offended whenever you told me that y'all had to wear straight hair. I wanted to call your sponsor and ask her, I need to know why this is so important. You need to understand so many different layers as to why curly girls should not be straightening their hair. And also, you need to know how wigs can also be detrimental to the hairline depending on whatever wig you choose to do.
SPEAKER_03Depending on what installment you do. How much prep protection nonetheless? Because mind you, um, we didn't do it like a full lace install or anything. Yeah. I was a simple, my mom would braid me down protective tuck and we would put it in because luckily I want to bang so bad. I tell you, I was. Yeah, you did want bangs. We finally cut them bangs too. I know. And I looked mad good. Okay, I was just mad good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they were good, yeah. Oh, it was so pretty.
SPEAKER_03My favorite little bob of the year. Yeah. Point is, oh my God, when I tell you, like in the end, you know, a teenager, and sometimes even your own mom isn't gonna know during the time when it comes to certain wigs, you know, how they're processed, how they're made, the type of it is synthetic or natural. You're not always gonna know how it's made, if it's properly taken care of, washed, if it has chemical in it that could affect your natural hologram itself, stuff like that. You know what I mean? That's just thinking, you know, going deeper into that. The point is, like, there are probably some girls who are getting laced and stall, probably doing it too often. That can affect your hair. That's right. Or even like wearing them so some putting them a certain way, they still tug no matter what, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02That's right.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. You know, even though I was mad, girl, I was so mad.
SPEAKER_02Seriously. Did you uh did anyone ever explain why straight hair was the cons was considered the standard?
SPEAKER_03Um so there's two levels. There's the bare minimum explanation of like to keep us in uniform, but as a collective for dance, like the dance team or even going into college dance teams, no. My perspective of it, it was never clarified, and I thought that was foolish because I'm like, you know, at the end of the day, the college teams are grown. So, you know, you know, at the end of the day, I expect them to be able to stand up for themselves and be able to start that conversation. From the pictures I even see in gazing, sometimes the girls from college dance teams, Texas, and even the UM HP one, I think. Point is um you'd have most of the time it would be a girl of color, thank God. At least when I was there, I remember when coming one down um twice in a row, actually. They would have some of them were braided, or they would still be allowed to wear their natural. So I underst at least I understood it for at least college teams, that expect that expectation. After the fact when I went through my experiences, you know, is set. But high school wise, I was like, this is this is foolish because I can't keep spending 300, you know, let's say 300 estimate on a head like mine that can take longer than two hours if they pay, let's say 120 an hour.
SPEAKER_02And yeah. And that's why I was also upset about it because I'm like, they don't have to pay anything to get their hair done in order to fit the uniform. If you have naturally straight hair and it's gonna stay straight no matter how tipped, no matter how humid the weather may be, the climate, whatever the case may be, they're not having to go through these extra things in order to conform to the uniform. And that's why I was also mad. I'm like, okay, so since you need to adhere to these strict guidelines around your hair, can y'all compensate for the additional fees that these particular different backgrounds of, you know, these young girls have to go through in order to conform to your standard.
SPEAKER_03You think the district would, but the district is cheap.
SPEAKER_02Well, we I know that, girl.
SPEAKER_03You know I work for the district, so I already know how to You don't even have to work for the same district to know that they they don't care for the students like that in that aspect. And I say that because if you're having coaches tell you it's during COVID year, or teachers to speak out against a district that they know is systematically corrupt, yeah, and they don't even speak out for themselves either, at least the for majority of those teachers. There are certain teachers that we as kids have probably connected with or teenagers have connected with who do stand for them, but we know how the system functions. They are functionally kicked out over time because they cannot take, you know, the pressure of being like mistreated and all that stuff, you know? So majority of the time, at least from our perspective from my perspective as a teenager, 85% of the time you have the teachers who don't really stand for their kids like that, or let alone communicate with the district in regards to concerns like that. Yeah, telling us to speak up when you don't even speak up for us. That's true. Now I connect that back to, you know, ooh. I connect that back to like I don't expect them to fund that. In fact, that's why they have a booster team, you know, to fund even half the stuff we can do on the dance team, have shoes, have a jersey, being able to actually be given food like Jimmy John's, race and canes to eat and stuff, you know, before we go in. Half of the time we had to provide that for that selves sometimes, unless one of the um booster moms was would provide that. You know, we probably we wouldn't even have majority of the stuff if we didn't go out our way every year before, you know, the start of school year to go get sponsors to sign our sheet, to be on the back of our shirt to represent us. Yep. And you know, and some other thing because like I didn't care to read that. She had to pass that to my mom. I was like, mom, can you do that? Just give it the jill in it. Your mama. And you know, she did her part, but you know how she you know how my mom is. She's like, I already did my part. The new mom should be doing the same thing. And my mom isn't gonna suck up to any like booster team. And you know, I don't even want to like sound like a uh, you know, a little bit of a a-hole when I explain that part, but like, I'm sorry, you know, my mom isn't gonna go out of my way to please having to fund it when there's an expectation that, you know, there's the booster team, us doing the sponsoring to do it, but we can't be strictly relying on this. That's right. Like, are you kidding me? The volleyball team reaches district, but we're gonna fund a whole wraparound with the school with firefighters, policemen, and stuff for a football team that can't hit district that year. Sorry, you know, that's that's what I mean by example of why are we not funding the right things collectively or equally?
SPEAKER_01No, that's mind you.
SPEAKER_03I say go into a competitive season during the year when I first competed with the school, okay? We got first place in hip-hop, by the way. We got first place in hip-hop, and you're welcome. Point is we have first place in hip-hop, but we don't even get funded that well. We placed well in high areas. We had really good dancers on our team that year. Solo is wise. We had one amazing girl who plays first place. She performed her solo again in front of the entire that school was big. Texas schools are big. Point is performed it again, everything. We have beautiful competitors all around. Why is it all going to football? Oh, yeah. That's where it's gonna go. We're not funded. So I don't never expect them to even think, especially on a label, if we're gonna be realistic, low-key racially biased. So I don't I'm never gonna expect them to even have the care to understand how it is to conform our hair that way. Because they're like, well, that's just how it is. Why is it that way? Yeah. For a teenager, they're not even fully grown yet, and let alone when you hit 18, they're still teen and 18 and 19. That's true. Meaning, why is it now I have to be throwing all these rough grown 20 higher expectations of getting my stuff together like this is a job? You don't pay me to do this. That's true, by the way. Okay, it's not in my own mother's pockets, everyone's pockets, and they're probably doing this in some way, so their kid is still doing some kind of extracurricular. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So baby case rested. Do you hear me, baby?
SPEAKER_03Um once they hear the price of that lace installed, they're gonna be like, this is ridiculous. Actually, no, they straight up say no.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's right. No, you you brought up a very great and interesting point for sure. And it's valid.
SPEAKER_03Okay, but I'm already referencing my year. I can't speak for the current years of people in their current high school years when you know they're locking up their phones in their bag going to school, poor babies. Because meanwhile, me, I'd not have to do that. I can use my school work. Point is I was just like, I can't imagine how those girls are experiencing the current dance team as it is. With newer schools coming around, all I can hope is that that's where it changes. And that's where the at least if you do get a coach that even is not of the same race, you may be with the same struggles, is an under is understanding of that.
SPEAKER_02That's right.
SPEAKER_03Because they do exist. Yeah, absolutely. I just only had my side experience of it, which is with, you know, my school that I graduated with.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. Now, case race, honey. Let me tell you something. They are prosecuted thoroughly. Because you brought up so many great ballot points. And that's how all these little small country towns are. They are all about football. They are all about any other sport outside of football. They don't care. They could be on the lose a losing streak. And they're like, we're the best.
SPEAKER_03$5,000 their way.
SPEAKER_02That's right. Yep. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's true.
Why Representation Still Lags
SPEAKER_02Did you personally ever feel like your curls weren't uniform enough?
SPEAKER_05That's a really good question.
SPEAKER_03Um now if I'm speaking from how my mind was personally back then, I never really paid too much to it unless it's brought to my attention. Um, I feel like in my mind, my coach never said anything to me on the days that we could wake wear curly, I'm gonna wear curly and be fine, which is strictly homecoming. Because one thing you're not gonna catch me is off guard. I hope not. To the best of my degree. Point is, um, as in like style, unfortunately, yes, because once again, high school, preteen, teenager is still a time when you are learning to perfectly manage your curls.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03You know, I didn't have a perfect way. Plus time alternative. So I wanted so many different styles. However, you know, I couldn't execute those styles. I didn't know how to keep them in place. I didn't know how to keep my length versus like it's shrinking all up to my scalp and stuff. And you know, it was just doable. I'm pretty. I'm gonna look pretty in my uniform curly or straight. That's right. But it's also what what matters too is feeling pretty, feeling confident. And you can't expect every other girl, they're not gonna have the same hair texture as me. They're probably not gonna feel pretty. Like one girl that we had on the team, she, you know, her hair was so damaged at one point, you know, next year that she was on, she had to chop it, you know? Super short. You know, how does she feel now? When having to accommodate now, all around, you know, keeping it straight or having this, you know, you're still having growth, you know. She I'm talking tiny kinky. So imagine having to still braid in braids to that to uniform with the team. How and we all know how it is with braids. Sometimes if it's too tight, you can do more damage than it is protect. Maintaining those braids, you know, if it gets sweat and stuff in it, how do you clean them out?
SPEAKER_02All that stuff. Amen, sister. And that's another expense. And braids ain't cheap.
SPEAKER_03Braids are never cheap. I'm pretty sure if I actually went and paid someone to go get my hair braided, I'd probably be $600. Yeah. Because I would take longer.
SPEAKER_02Because I don't I for me, I've I know I've been quoted at six, and you have way more hair than me. I'd probably be you got way more hair than me. So I know, baby. Now I'm being quoted at six today.
SPEAKER_03So if you're being a quoted at six, what am I?
SPEAKER_02Probably a thousand.
SPEAKER_03Oh that is rent.
SPEAKER_02Were there moments when you wished your natural curls could simply be accepted as part of the uniform?
SPEAKER_03Um, yeah. Dance season. When I'd have to put that thing back in like a little bun. I will that's probably just me maintaining it because I couldn't, you know, we all develop on a different level. I could not do braids. I can't do my own braids to this day, okay? I have no shame to this day. I cannot braid my own head. It is harder than I thought. And on top that, like, I'm a little like quirked up here. I just can't. I so imagine it like that I'm next to girls in high school. Who can braid this back? How used to it? It's like back, hair, everything perfect to the T me. Tabby T, help me put my hair back. Sometimes I just wish too, in like homecoming too, like you can tell what the style the set look is like when it comes to like the silhouette of a dancer. It's all based from the root of a dance team. Dare I say double cowboy tea lighters. You know what I mean? I don't say not roots from there. Maybe I gotta check my education again, because at the end of the day, it's been so long since I've tapped into the circle, but a lot of them speak for themselves and sometimes I'm proven right. So, like, you know, there's a set silhouette that's always set. Hence, when the standard is set straight, you're not gonna think you fit that because of how curly-headed you are. Right. Sometimes you can only find that by seeing other people who have done that, which when I auditioned that um that one captain, the year that I was auditioning into the team, that was the first thing I've ever saw that, and it was like it fit. It was beautiful. In fact, I thought it was a standard.
SPEAKER_00You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03Yep. So, you know, when we're getting silhouettes of like the dancers with like the straight hair and stuff, of course you're not gonna feel accepted into it.
SPEAKER_02That's right.
SPEAKER_03You know, I as much as I knew that I looked pretty, I made it work, I never felt accepted because the stare-up was always always straight hair. It sure is.
SPEAKER_02And I've never seen a silhouette of a dancer or a cheerlead a cheerleader with textured hair, it's always been straight.
SPEAKER_03Tell me, even the extreme competitive, you extreme competitive cheerleaders. It's always been straight. It's always been straight. Straight back to the point to where your hairline is receding.
SPEAKER_02Even if you do Google images, if you're on Canva and you are Googling, if you just plainly type out girl dancer silhouette. And they are gonna be boom, boom. There are no textured silhouettes coming out. Even, you know, uh a lot of the brides that I used to service uh back in Virginia, this was before curly hair was becoming a standard. And they'd be like, I cannot find any hairstyles on Google that represent, you know, what I'm looking for. And if I am trying to look for it, I always have to type in black girl with curly hair.
SPEAKER_03Black girl, curly hair. Yeah, but I just cannot just type just the simple low up do. I think it's funny you say that because back when I was in private school, before I transitioned into high school, uh back into public school, when I am an av I'm an avid Pinterest Pinterest user, let me tell you. Can I have to filter Pinterest out with my own head as I use Pinterest? Now that's because of the surge of AI.
SPEAKER_01Point is, oh God, yeah.
SPEAKER_03When I would look up hairstyles, you bet all of them were white girls, brunette white girls. Yes. Um, even if like within Hispanic, the hair is still, it's not wavy, it's just straight. Yeah. It's still straight or wavy, like you know, it's still silky wavy. Yeah. Not like curl-textured wavy when wet. So it's like uh always sees those braid-back hairstyles that even ones you would see from across the sea like Japan and them. It's still straight. Girl, there's no place for me in those cute little quokit hairstyles sometimes. So we had to make our own. Yep.
SPEAKER_02It is a struggle. It was a struggle. Mm-hmm. So let's see. We only have about eight minutes. Let's see. Let me choose one of these good ones. Let's see. The good thing is you've covered a lot of the questions without me even asking them. So that's a good thing. Um let's leave off with this one. Actually, I'm gonna throw in two. We're just gonna have to try to quickly get it done.
Advice For Curly Dancers And Inclusion
SPEAKER_02Yeah. If a young dancer with curly or coily hair is listening today, what would you want them to know?
SPEAKER_03There are places for you. In fact, they want you. Okay. It's not like back then where we couldn't, you know, do it because oh our hair is straight, we have to chop off our hair and stuff. There are places for you. They want your curly hair, and in fact, your curly hair looks better representing the team versus doing that 15 and that long old long old little bust down. Right. If they set the expectation straight, it's not meant for you. In fact, challenge it. You know what I mean? At the end of the day, like, it's who you are. If I'm having to change a part of myself to fit in uniform and it's supposed to represent all of us, I'm you are not being properly represented.
SPEAKER_01Baby, you ain't down with that one. Yes, you did. Okay, last question. How would you define inclusion?
SPEAKER_03Inclusion is no matter how different you are, all of you are one is in unison. So, meaning, even if I have a guy next to me and a shorter girl who may have a different texture than me next to me, we are wearing the same uniform, we are still the same thing as one. That's right.
SPEAKER_02At the end of the day, the dance routine and the uniforms of no for inclusion.
SPEAKER_03The uniform is X the uniform is the uniform and the uniform of the choreography and of the performances.
SPEAKER_02That's right. That's enough. I don't need to change my hair in order to be in unity with everyone. That part.
SPEAKER_03Because listen, if I have to be straight to make it look great, it's never gonna be great.
SPEAKER_01Ooh. I love that. Now, did you just come up with that on the flywork? Yeah. I cannot.
SPEAKER_05I think I'm all too good at that person.
SPEAKER_01You were so bomb.
SPEAKER_05I just even thought.
SPEAKER_02Oh my god. Uh well, I really appreciate you for finally coming on to the show and sharing because I've been trying to get you on here before I even start doing visual representation. And I was like, that's gonna be a really good story to share one day. And also for someone who is currently in experience, experience of what you had to experience or went through it, it can be relatable and they can finally feel seen. Because I'm like, I know that's not just her experience alone.
SPEAKER_03So there's plenty of other girls who have gone through the same thing. Obviously, I can't cover it because you know we're short on time, but we've been through an intuitive of it before. Hence, the spark of the change needs to happen. I think it already has for the most part when it comes to the newer generation and even in the current school district.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03For newer schools, it's definitely gonna happen. Has to, because if not, you're just gonna repeat the same cycle that other girls are gonna go through in the older schools on the current dance teams, unless you change that out and pretty much just put that in place. That's right. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02Yup. Well, like I said, thank you again. I
Wrap Up And How To Support
SPEAKER_02really appreciate it. Please shout out to our socials if you want our listeners to stay in touch with you.
SPEAKER_03Um, I only have an Instagram, a personal one. Um it's mirrored heart, but it's spelled up. It says like multiple like letters. Okay. Spell it. Here, so let me pull it up.
SPEAKER_02Well, you know what? You can I'll leave it in the show notes.
SPEAKER_03Yes. Show notes is probably gonna be better than me saying it because I'm gonna embarrass if I say it. Okay, no worries.
SPEAKER_02We'll put it in the show notes. So if y'all want to continue following Sydney from this podcast, I will make sure to put the information in the show notes so y'all can stay connected. Sydney, thank you so much for being here today and for trusting me with your story. I know some experiences can seem small when we look back on them, but conversations like this remind us that the way we define professionalism, beauty, and belonging can have a lasting impact on how people see themselves. Your willingness to be open and vulnerable has the power to help someone feel seen, understood, and maybe even a little less alone. I'm truly grateful you chose to share your journey with us. And thank you to everyone for listening to the Hair What I'm Saying podcast. If you enjoyed today's conversation, be sure to subscribe, like, and share this episode with someone who will enjoy it too. Until next time, take care.
