D.I.Y. Beauty

From the book D.I.Y. Beauty

From: D.I.Y. Beauty, 2001-10-01
Date added: 2002-11-05

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How did you feel about your looks when you were younger?
Growing up with curly red hair and freckles, I always knew one thing for sure; I wasn't like everyone else.. Luckily I've never suffered from extreme self-hate, but when I was a kid, my motto was, 'Maybe if I'm really quiet, I'll dissapear'. So I hoped people wouldn't notice that I looked different; I did not want to stick out. Once I grew out of the teenage dillemma of wanting to be the same as others and grew into the individual who is me, Melissa, I became (and remain) proud of my curly red hair and freckles! I am different, and I am proud. Whether it's because we're derived from aliens or we're some extinct breed or we're freaks of nature (these are, of course, some of the theories about us redheads), I truly believe there's a secret bond among all redheads throughout the world and the ages. I notice and salute every one of us when I see one.

Did you ever try to cover up your freckles?
Covering up freckles is an impossible task. I just stayed out of the sun so I wouldn't get more.

What about dealing with your hair?
The longer curly hair gets, the straighter it gets, so I obsessively grew my hair. But I learned every head of hair has a limit to how long it can grow, and mine will never grow longer than my upper back. I'd cry every time I'd get my hair cut(I still do!); and I never got to have down-to-the-bum mermaid hair, well, except for now, with extensions for beauty shoots - the secret fun of fulfilling your hair fantasies for a day.

What was your style in high school?
Having curly hair; I didn't have a lot of hairstyle options except for cutting it short or wearing it long. When it's long, you can wear it in a braid, and get the illusion of having straight hair. But, when it's short, you're in afro land. For one brief New Wave period in my teens, I had short hair, parted on the side and coming down over one of my eyes. I'd never do that again. No, no, no. Above all else, I was shy, I wore no make-up(anything not to stand out). The misfit in me (you know, red hair, believes in ghosts and astrology...) made me feel isolated and depressed, so I dressed in lots of boy-style army surplus clothes: combat boots, long johns, green dickeys, army green sweaters. At least the green went with my hair and green eyes, but it wasn't intentional.

Who is your biggest beauty role model?
My mother is the most beautiful woman in the world to me. We're polar opposites: She's dark and exotic, with high cheekbones, full lips, and olive skin. Everyone thought I was adopted. I'm in awe of her beauty, but then she also loves me more than anyone, and unconditional love always equals beauty.

If you had to pull something out of your refrigerator and use it as a beauty product, what would it be?
Lemon to clean with and olive oil to moisturize. When I'm not on the road, I use various beauty products. But I like them mild and minimal.

When in your life have you felt the most beautiful?
I was quite a tomboy growing up, so I felt sort of pretty but like a young boy is pretty (I was a late bloomer, too. I was skinny and had no curves anywhere). I never felt ugly: I just thought I looked like a boy. I wasn't until I became a woman (around the age of twenty-five) that I ever felt beautiful. Becoming a woman involves many things, like getting more curves on your body, more definition in your face, loss of baby fat...but most of all, you grow on your emotional, mental, and experience levels. It's funny - once you feel like a woman on the inside, you look like on o the outside, and everyone knows that all women are beautiful.

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