identity

How to Destroy Prom Night in 30 Minutes Or Less

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There were three things that went into having the perfect prom night: the perfect date, the perfect dress, and the perfect look.

By the day of prom, I was already 0 for 3. I had rejected one of my childhood friends in the middle of my high school’s homecoming game, to wait on the mysterious boy in my math class that I knew was going to ask me out.

I was wrong, per usual.

My dress, albeit gorgeous, had a ton of flaws that I strived to work around because of the price point. The zipper was broken and jewels kept falling off the front of the gown. But, who could say that they got their prom dress for under sixty bucks at a local thrift store?

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Here Comes the Sun

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Here Comes the Sun is Nia Simone’s first piece for Cult of Americana

Age 12

The mirror was my sworn enemy. I gave it the evil eyes as I noticed my kinky curls were growing like weeds from my scalp. The contrast between my thick unruly kinks and my thin relaxed ends made me sick to my stomach. This was not what I wanted to be.

I was six weeks out from chemically strengthening my hair. My aunt told me to “make it work” until the end of the month, until the direct deposit hit and I could return to the land of the beautiful people (a.k.a The Dominican Hair Salon).

I wore a grey beanie in the unforgiving heat of July for a week straight.

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