Learicia Mahabir rocks her afro as Miss Piarco
Sunday 13 December 2020
Learicia Mahabir didn’t see beauty as having an afro and struggled with that throughout her life. She now confidently wears her hair naturally. PHOTOS BY SUREASH CHOLAI -
The story of Learicia Mahabir’s hair is the story of many a Caribbean girl.
At the age of 12, her thick hair was relaxed.
While any mothers used chemical treatments to make their daughters hair manageable , Mahabir s mother was hesitant to do so. But she insisted her hair be relaxed to feel prettier .
Her mother agreed, and for more than ten years, relaxed hair was all she wanted. Being the daughter of a black woman and East Indian man, Mahabir often felt she needed to look a certain way, and have a certain hair texture because of her last name.