For years I grappled and fought with the bird's nest that sat on top of my head - my Medusa mane, a composition of frizz（卷发） and giant ringlets（小圈） that in no way could be tamed.
Growing up in a Russian-Jewish home with parents who thought North American styling products were akin to illegal substances such as heroin, I was never allowed to put them in my hair.
"Why buy gel? Your hair is so beautiful naturally," my mother would say.
The tweens at school did not agree. From boys not wanting to kiss me when we played spin the bottle in Grade 7 to being called "the mop," I suffered for my unruly hair.
People always say that you want the hair you don't have, but having unmanageable curly hair goes deeper than that. It's like being in a war with more than your scalp - it's your self-esteem. You feel messy and disorderly, with your curls reflecting that attitude.
When I got to university, I believed my frizzy hair was a wedge that stood between me and everything - finding an internship（实习期）, getting a boyfriend.
If only I could find a way to police the frizz and put it behind bars, I told myself, I would feel secure and sexy. I tried everything: rollers, hairspray, gels and, at one point, an iron.
Then, in my second year, a miracle happened. I was asked to be a hair model for Japanese hair straightening, a process by which the molecules of my curls would be shattered and reset in a bone-straight position.
I was the perfect "before" and "after" candidate, the hairdresser told me.
Although there are rumours
However, there was extreme damage done to my wallet. To keep up the straightening cost $700 every six months, and that was considered cheap. While some people thought I was crazy, I was willing to do anything to never again feel like that frazzled（疲惫的）, frizzy-headed girl in Grade 7.
But when I moved out of my parents' house at age 26 and rented an apartment, the upkeep of my sleek image became too costly.
I couldn't hide from my inner Medusa any longer. It was time to embrace her and let her fly.
Seeking an alternative to my high-end habit, I turned to the oracle that always has answers: Google.
After hours of searching, I stumbled upon a "curly haired" salon, a place designed for girls like me who were at their wits' end.
I doubted these so-called "Curl Ambassadors" could do anything without using a contraption of some sort, and though I bought the service called the "Curly-Doo," I suspected I'd have the same unruly mop at the end of the appointment.
I dragged my feet so hard getting there that I arrived 45 minutes late. I secretly hoped they would turn me away and give me the excuse I needed to justify the expense of relaxing again.
Instead, my stylist simply said: "You are very late. Flip your head over."
At that moment, my world and beliefs
As my head was dunked in a tub full of freezing-cold water, then generously slathered with a jelly-like substance, I wondered what I had got myself into.
"Do you really think this will work?" I asked the stylist, Jacquai. "My curls are a lost cause ."
"No curly hair is hopeless," she replied. "They just haven't found a way to work with it, that's all."
After the hour was over, Jacquai had completed her mission. She had styled my hair using only her hands, water and a mixture of organic potions.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing in the mirror: a naturally curly, Medusa-free me. You could argue that hair is just hair. Yet, it is just such physical features that have such a large sway on how we view ourselves.
According to Jacquai, 75 percent of the population have a wave or curl in their hair and don't know what to do with it. Men cut theirs short. Women flat-iron theirs to death.
When I browse through a beauty magazine or take the subway to work, it makes me sad to see so many people repressing their natural beauty.
Since I tamed my locks, my world has changed. I have always been outgoing, but these days I seem to be more outspoken and self-assured than ever. On top of that, the compliments haven't stopped coming.
Friends and co-workers tell me I am looking better than ever, but they can't pinpoint the source of the change.
I don't need to tell them. My Medusa mane sways and speaks for herself.
相关单词：akin
akin解释：adj.同族的，类似的
akin例句：
She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。
相关单词：heroin
heroin解释：n.海洛因
heroin例句：
Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。
相关单词：internship
internship解释：n.实习医师，实习医师期
internship例句：
an internship at a television station 在电视台的实习期
a summer internship with a small stipend 薪水微薄的暑期实习
相关单词：molecules
molecules解释：分子( molecule的名词复数 )
molecules例句：
The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。
相关单词：reset
reset解释：v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物
reset例句：
As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。
相关单词：rumours
rumours解释：n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传
rumours例句：
The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。
Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。
相关单词：strands
strands解释：n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )
strands例句：
Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》
相关单词：stylish
stylish解释：adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的
stylish例句：
He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。
相关单词：sleek
sleek解释：adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢
sleek例句：
Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。
相关单词：costly
costly解释：adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的
costly例句：
It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。
相关单词：oracle
oracle解释：n.神谕，神谕处，预言
oracle例句：
In times of difficulty,she pray for an oracle to guide her.在困难的时候，她祈祷神谕来指引她。
It is a kind of oracle that often foretells things most
相关单词：salon
salon解释：n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室
salon例句：
Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。
相关单词：justify
justify解释：vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护
justify例句：
He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？
相关单词：flip
flip解释：vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的
flip例句：
I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。
相关单词：browse
browse解释：vi.随意翻阅，浏览；(牛、羊等)吃草
browse例句：
I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。
相关单词：outspoken
outspoken解释：adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的
outspoken例句：
He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。
相关单词：pinpoint
pinpoint解释：vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置
pinpoint例句：
It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。
