DavidBridson

Cant find a better pic! but this just demonstrates how straight my hair normally is!

My hair is now ever worse than the previous pic! will post another tomorrow!

Sorry to have not blogged so far! But in a nutshell to describe the start of my week in one word... HORIFIC!

(Day 1 - Just waking up, More pics to come as it grows!)

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my disgust at the Daybreak weather report, this week RAIN, RAIN, RAIN, RAIN, RAIN, which does some serious damage to the volume of my hair.

This week I have truly felt the vulnerability and self consciousness expected by the task. Never have so many people touched, commented on OR LAUGHED AT my ever growing curly afro (Halloween obviously hasn’t stopped for me yet). As humiliating as this may be it has also provoked a lot of questions and interesting conversations surrounding poverty, so the visual representation and shock factor has obviously done its job.

To ensure people know I haven’t just lost my mind, I made a sign to put around my neck justifying the ball of pure frizz on my head, as it is usually extremely straight. My hairdresser on hearing about my poverty week even sent me a £10 cheque to sponsor me, providing I lasted the week.

I had a nightmare last night and woke up in a cold sweat as I envisaged my GHDs not working come Monday 8^th November. Never have I been so tempted to give my hair a quick 10min straighten just before I run off to school. But in all honesty they deserve the break, as does my hair!

The week so far has really made me question my own lifestyle and my priorities, and realising anyone at any time could fall into poverty quite easily. It has also made me question people’s opinion of myself as the shock of me actually going through with this has been astronomical.

I think I might be slightly vain and over dramatic? Maybe just a tad?

On the plus side I haven’t been late for school once this week!!! – Big achievement for me!

My challenge is to not straighten my hair for a week, after 3/4years of doing so every day!

This particular challenge will ultimately raise awareness as I have never been seen by anyone in public with my natural hair – therefore it will provoke a lot of discussion and questioning about poverty week as it is a strong visual reminder that a lot of people in the world are not able to access luxuary items like hair straightners.

I live in Liverpool and will ask my MP Maria Eagle what she thinks about my poverty challenge .... keep an eye on my blog to find out if she responds!