How many of you here started with short hair, and then grew your hair out long and now the people who doubted you or made fun of you are trying to hate on you? 

As for me, my hair up until last year was NEVER past my neck.  I have cousins and family who've had longer hair(nothing really spectacular compared to some of the long-haired black ladies i've seen on forums), but nonetheless, it was waaaay longer than mine was.  Anyway, I 've worn extensions, weaves, and wigs for that past eight years and I'm only 21.  My family has seen my real hair a few times, and it was short but styled VERY nice.  Some of my cousins started giving me dirty looks and trying to indirectly harp on the fact that I always seem to be wearing weaves.  Well, with patience, my hair is now armpit length in the back.  My step-sis always made comments about my hair being short, because she's used to only seeing it at neck length while hers was at about an inch or two above armpit length.  Funny thing is, is that this whole time people have been talking about me behind my back, my cousin has had to cut her near bra-strap length hair to shoulders because she messed it up, and my step-sis's hair is thinning on the edges, and the bottom three inches of her hair is fried due to her mom(my step-mom) hot combing her hair every few days for the past 10 years.  Meanwhile, my hair is now longer than hers, and almost as long as my cousins!

It seems that people assume that when a woman wears a weave or wig that she must be bald, and have jacked up hair.  Just wait until next year when I'm at BSL and i wear my hair down!  We'll see who's laughing then...

well, i guess i had a disappointing "coming out" situation as well..i had "great lengths", extensions..my hair was between the shoulder blades until a certain inexperienced stylist put that on..the great lengths looked great when they were new, but as my hair grew out, it didn't look very nice..when the stylist took the extensions out, she didn't use the epoxy remover or this type of "nutcracker" like equipment to break the glue..

i literally saw my hair with the extensions, pretty much just yanked out darn near to the roots.

i found another beautician who helped me...by going back to the old fashioned way of weaving..for about 2 - 3 years i watched it grow back, with each visit...i taught myself by researching, and asking questions how to take care of my hair - not just the weave.

a few weeks ago, i decided to wear my hair out..i found another beautician who is very good at teaching clients to keep healthy hair, and she is a far better stylist..the other beautician, i had to wait to get home and restyle/recut the weave so that it didn't look like a wig.  i had tried describing to her what i liked in a hairstyle before, and she would just stand there, fumbling around with my head..even after looking at pictures..she only knew how to do weave caps, but she couldn't style hair if it meant the firing squad.

my hair is out, now, and for some strange reason, - even with this part that i wear, (sometimes i change where the part is), people just stare - and i know what they are thinking..my hair is shoulder length, layered, and healthy...kinky straight, now...but nice..and even african americans are looking...not proudly..no way - they won't give me credit for my hard work. uh uh! i wear an up-do? they are looking at the nape of my neck, a part in the middle? they are checking for tracks...umm ummm, can't win..

i congratulate you on your efforts.. knock them dead at the BSL, young 'un...fling that hair proudly!