My name is Ashley Cuadrado; An Afro-Latina. Mermaid Lover. Law school get-thorougher.
I am part of race that was born from a mix of native Indians from the island known as the "Tainos", the conquerors from Spain, and the African slaves. When the Spanish forced the Taíno people into slavery, the entire indigenous population was virtually decimated. I am Puerto Rican. I am an Afro-Puertoriquenna.
My hair wasn’t perfectly straight like my fathers, and my hair was too nappy for my mother to handle. Growing up in an hispanic home, straight hair was the only way to look beautiful, otherwise I had ‘kinky’ hair. Kinky was a bad word in my household. It was a synonym for bad hair. All I ever knew was straight hair, those endless hours at the salon, the smell of burning hair and Dominican gossip.
I didn’t even know what curly hair was, or what my natural hair looked like. My hair was dead, lifeless, you name it.
Three years ago, I came across the natural hair community, took a look at my hair in the mirror and wanted a change. I wanted to be able to embrace my hair and see myself as beautiful, without the blower, rollos, or plancha (iron).
After two big chops, here I am! A mermaid swimming in her curls, in every ocean I may travel through.
Work Life: I am currently in law school, obtaining my Juris Doctorate, and living an influencer world of curly hair.