It is just an honor to have this little interview with his talented and humble curly girl, Thanks a lot to Vianessa to be a representation of a Curly, Latin, woman in Hollywood, many success to come
Who is Vianessa
I am an actress and a lover of life! I started working in theater as a kid and have always loved performing. I had success as a child model but as I got older I realized that I feel more comfortable and enjoy embodying different characters and turned my focus to acting.
Where are you from and how natural hair is visualize there?
- My family is from the Dominican Republic and I lived there as a child. As a whole, the culture in DR has a rather unhealthy stance on race and hair texture. Typically, 'natural' or curly hair is frowned upon whereas having 'pelo bueno' or straight hair was the ideal. Even though things have changed a bit and individuals take more freedom with their hairstyles nowadays,
the idea of good hair vs. bad hair is still prominent. I personally find it ridiculous, I love my hair and think that it's perfect. I can style it any way I want, be it curly or straight, long or short, but I still grew up hearing that my curls were undesireable.
How long you have you been natural, did you ever relaxed your hair?
- I had some relaxers in my hair when I was a kid, but I've been natural since high school. Once I figured out how to use styling products and flat irons, it wasn't necessary to put any chemicals in my hair. I prefer to wear my hair natural/curly the majority of the time, but since I'm an actor I do straighten (with curlers or flat iron) if it better suits a character that I'm portraying.
What is your hair regimen?
- I don't really have one lol. I usually just wash my hair, detangle it and use leave in conditioner and a bit of hairspray to keep the curls separate.
Have you have obstacle for your hair in the media?
- Again, because of my work as an actor, I do have obstacles with my hair every now and then. I go out for Spanish speaking, latina roles often and because my hair is so curly, I often have to straighten or I'm perceived to be biracial (african american and white) and not Hispanic. I find it silly only because so many latin american countries have a high percentage of African heritage, especially Dominican Republic, and therefore I am multiracial, but
my curly hair isn't accepted as being sterotypically 'latina' hair.
Do you have any hair product of your preference?
- I've used Kinky Curly curling custard in the past. And yes, it seems biased because I was a hair model for them but the products really are amazing!
I absolutely love my hair. It took a long time to learn to love it, especially as a kid when I constantly heard negative things about it both at home and in school, but now I can appreciate it for what it is. It's a display of my ancestry and I wouldn't dare deny that!
Find out more about Vianessa and her work here
Links: www.facebook.com/soundbitesbyvianessa
Twitter: www.twitter.com/vianessa
Website: www.vianessa.com
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