A lifetime ago I joined the super talented and super sexy lunaticas of Teatro Luna in Chicago. We did an amazing piece for The Maria Chronicles that was developed by the girls of TL for a previous performance. The piece was called "Pelo Bueno Pelo Malo".
I never understood the phrase "pelo malo" or "bad hair" as a generic stereotype for Latina women of color. As a Mexican woman with fair skin, my hair was never the topic of any conversation in my family. So according to the TL girls, I learned that I had "pelo bueno".
I think that it would make the girls of Teatro Luna laugh to know that what we considered to be "pelo bueno" in Singapore it's actually "pelo malo". Such bad, frizzy hair and always in a ponytail, this Mexican girl couldn't find a solution to help with the intense humidity and heat. But then an Irish friend stated she was going to the hair salon to get her hair permanently straightened. I couldn't believe it! My Japanese friend told me that it was true. She said I would come out of the shower, comb it and be done! I could have perfectly straigth hair all the time despite the 90 percent humidity days.
So yes, I decided I was going to go Asian and have beautiful and straight and shiny hair like the Singaporeans, Koreans, Chinese and Japanese. And so I'm sitting next to my friend Roisin at the hair salon and 5 hours later (and 355 Sing dollars) I have "pelo bueno" again! I laughed and looked around, I'm sure I was the only Latina in this "western" hair salon. But I didn't care. I know who I am and I know I don't want to walk around with frizzy hair anymore.
Working with the girls at Teatro Luna taught me so much about everything. Compassion, awareness, similarities and differences. Compassion for the women and stories that they shared, awareness of cultures and "costumbres" in our Spanish speaking community. And all of that makes us the same and different. I am so quick to turn around when I hear a Spanish voice at the grocery store here in Singapore. I want to know about this person and what brought her to Asia. Con pelo bueno o malo, I know I know her.
If you're in Chicago, you have to check these ladies out! http://www.teatroluna.org/
Besos,
Betty
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