Chandril Banerjee

Standing between his older and younger brother with their wisps of wavy and straight hair, freshman Chandril Banerjee seemed to stand out with his short, springy curls. In family photos, all eyes appeared to be drawn to him — he was the odd one out. 

When Banerjee meets up with family friends, he would often hear, “Your hair is so different,” which would raise the question of why he was classified as ‘different’ by them. That comment would shortly be followed by “Can I feel your hair?,” a question that Banerjee deems rather awkward. While he’s fine with people asking to touch it, he dislikes it when people touch his hair without his permission.

For the first 12 years of his life, Banerjee wanted straight hair like his older brother, because he thought it would allow him to fit in better within his family. 

“I didn’t want to be different, I always looked up to my older brother and wanted to be like him,” Banerjee said. “[But] I didn’t cut [my hair] for eight months and people were telling me it looked good, so I just kept it.”

Banerjee’s hair type falls between his father’s straight hair and his mother’s tight curls, leaning more towards curly. However, his mother prefers to straighten her hair, causing Banerjee to be the only one with curls. 

“My mom’s always wanted me to have straighter hair like my brothers,” Banerjee said. “My parents are always talking about how they don’t like my hair, but it is what it is. My hair is my hair and no one else can tell me what to do with it.”