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MANILA -- There’s a stupid Filipino saying that went around and carried on through generations just because it rhymes: “Kapag kulot, salot” (curly-haired are cursed.)

While very few took this quite literally, many people who have curly locks admit they went through bullying because of this catchy phrase or the idea that it represents.

Ria Fernandez remembers her experiences vividly. “My sixth-grade social studies teacher wouldn’t let me in the classroom until I 'tidied up' my hair. She literally took my time away from education that my parents paid for all because my curls seemed to offend her.”

The lifelong teasing from family, friends, workmates and even random strangers is one of the reasons why Fernandez put together the online community Curly Girls Philippines. It is to finally change the narrative for Filipinas with natural wavy, curly and coily hair.

It began when now Melbourne-based Fernandez, tired of hiding her hair in a tight bun or ponytail for years, began experimenting with the so-called Curly Girl Method from Lorraine Massey’s 2010 book "Curly Girl: The Handbook." She documented her hair journey online.

The results – as well as the feedback – were nothing short of amazing.

“I regularly posted my progress on my Facebook and my curly friends and relatives were so curious about what I was doing that my inbox was constantly flooded with messages,” Fernandez shares.

So in August 4, 2018, she decided to start Curly Girls Philippines (CGP) to help share this newfound Curly Girl Method to more people. Through this community, Fernandez hopes to reverse the physical and emotional damage they had endured over the years and help out curly and wavy sisters find their confidence again.

One such member who started her journey is Rebecca Billate.

“I had a love-hate relationship with my hair. I dreaded my curly hair kasi wala na akong ibang hairstyle na pwede kung hindi bun or ponytail. There were times naman I wanted to grow it kasi na-frufrustrate ako when you have it rebonded tapos a few weeks, tutubo na naman ung new hair which is kulot.”

(I had a love-hate relationship with my hair. I dreaded my curls because I had no other hairstyle apart from bun or ponytail. Though there are times I wanted to start growing it. It’s frustrating to always get it straightened because your curly hair will inevitably just grow back anyway.)

“I felt this is more like 'me'; like I have finally come to know myself better when I let my natural curls grow. When I look at my pictures when I had straight hair, I felt there was something missing or off. But when I look at myself now, "Ah... this is more like me."

Through CGP, Billate was able to correct some common practices that she had been doing which were apparently not suited for her hair type.

“Sabi nila suklayin ng 100 times para hindi bumuhaghag. But apparently, when you comb it, mas lalo siyang bumubuhaghag 'cause the curls won't clump together.”

(I was taught that combing your hair 100 times will help smooth out your hair but apparently, that worsens the frizz because your curls won’t clump together.)

It’s not just a paradigm shift on aesthetics that is the issue though. Shiella Diamse, one of the first members of CGP, said she is concerned about the effects of altering one’s natural curls to hair and scalp health.

“I knew of some na nagpapa-rebond or nagpapa-straight ng hair. And there’s someone na nagkaka-hairfall na because of continued chemical products sa hair nya. So I convinced them to at least try the CG Method.”

(I knew of some who have their hair straightened all the time and there’s someone who was suffering with hairfall because of continued chemical products on her hair. So I convinced them to at least try the CG Method.)

Diamse has so far recruited almost 10 people from her circle into CGP.

Certainly, the beauty of CGP doesn’t end there. One member, Myrza Nortez, has begun laying the ground work for the next generation by encouraging them to free their curls. Nortez is particularly helping out members of the Dumagat tribe, the indigenous people from her hometown in Aurora province.

“My mother is a social worker who handles the scholars from the Dumagat tribe. That’s way I had the chance to meet some of them. One day, my mother asked me to help the kids dress up for their acquaintance party and that was the time I helped wash their hair and let their curls down.”

The 27-year-old Nortez, herself a part-Dumagat from her maternal side, admitted she got envious at how beautiful their curls were. She also got teary-eyed upon seeing the kids’ reactions to their curls.

“After the party, the girls came back to me with a smile and said, ‘Ate, gusto ko na po ung buhok ko! Ate, tinatanong ako ng mga kaklase ko kung pinakulot ko po ung buhok ko tapos hawak sila nang hawak. Hindi sila makapaniwala.’"

(After the party, the girls came back to me with a smile and said, ‘Big sister, I now love my curls! My classmates were asking if I had them curled. They cannot stop touching my hair. They cannot believe it’.)

After that, Nortez ended up washing the hair of five girls and two boys. She also started teaching them how to care for their hair properly. Nortez shares she felt so happy she was able to help them love their hair and give them back their confidence.

The challenge, however, is their access to good products for their curls. “Since they don’t have Curly Girl Method-approved products, I've shared some of what I have.”

And that’s where members of CGP came together. Upon hearing the kids’ story, several sent hair products for the kids.

It is stories like these that motivate Fernandez to keep on advocating for the curly hair method through the online community she has built.

“Our group includes mothers who have children with curly hair. They are teaching and practicing the method on their kids, which gives me hope that those kids will never have to go through [the bullying] that we did,” the CGP founder explains.

Fernandez hopes members would become more visible, so that curly girls can look around and realize that they are not alone.

Looking ahead, her bigger dream is to build a movement that will change the Philippines' beauty standards and maybe one day see a Filipina in a hair product commercial suited for their hair type.

After growing the CGP community from a couple of hundreds to over 19,000 strong in just one year, Fernandez’s vision may be closer to reality. The progress towards changing the narrative is very much felt within the community. The results and stories, Fernandez shares, have been nothing but inspiring.

Curly Filipinos are no longer ashamed and are now rising up with pride.

“I dream of a time when young curly Filipinos won’t ever feel the need to straighten their hair or think that their hair is ugly. May they all know that God made them beautiful, just the way they are. Because curly hair is not a curse; it’s a crown!”

(To join the group, visit facebook.com/groups/curlygirlsphilippines. Member requests are open Mondays-Saturdays; closed on Sundays.)