Whether you called it getting your hair plaited or braided, as a young child I called it torture. Having thick, wild hair and being tender headed did not make grooming time fun time. Hmmm…random side note: isn’t it bizarre that according to Random House Webster’s Dictionary the word groom has multiple meanings?
- bridegroom: a newly married man or one about to be married
- a man or boy in charge of horses or a stable
- to make neat or tidy
- to clean and brush (a horse, dog, etc.)
- to prepare or train for a position
Some may say with the amount of hair I have the description of number 4 is accurate since my tresses could be mistaken as a horse’s tail or a lion’s mane. I guess being born under the zodiac sign of Leo was only fitting for me. For years my mom outfitted me with various ponytails of braids or Cindy Brady curls:
Swiss Miss wannabe on Kindergarden picture day
Cindy Brady curls under my cap
One of my caregiving responsibilities for my mom is braiding her hair when I visit her at the assisted living facility. We’ve come full circle – what goes around really does come back around.
My handy work
Braids have been popular for thousands of years. YouTube is flooded with video after video on how to create all kinds of roped creations. Here are a bunch of braids that have made an impression on me through the years.
Pocahontas classic braid
I always thought Pippi Longstocking had magical ponytails
Melissa Gilbert paid homage to Holly Hobby as Laura Ingalls, AKA Half Pint
Every woman who came back from an island vacation wanted to look like Bo Derek in the movie ’10’
No one rocks the beads and braids like Stevie
Janet Jackson in ‘Poetic Justice’
Brandy as Moesha was known for her micro-braids
Maybe Dave Thomas’s daughter Wendy was a Pippi fan
Alicia Keys burst on the scene with her iconic cornrows
Reality star Lauren Conrad made the braid trendy again for the MTV generation in the new millennium
I like Rachel McAdams as an actress, and I like her braids!
