In high school, I learned early that beauty standards weren’t made with girls like me in mind.  My hair — thick, textured, short in the back — became a punchline.  People made comments that stuck to me like glue:“Why is your hair like that?”  “Why is the back so short?”  “You don’t look like the other girls.”I didn’t have the language back then to understand what was happening.  I just knew it hurt.  I knew it made me shrink.  I knew it made me question myself.But here’s the part I didn’t see coming:  The same hair they mocked became the hair I learned to love.Today, I wear my natural hair with pride — in waves, curls, braids, or whatever style feels like me.  I don’t hide it.  I don’t apologize for it.  I don’t shrink because of it.And when I upload natural photos for this competition, I’m not just showing my face —  I’m showing the girl who once felt small that she grew into a woman who takes up space.