Mom Curls Her Hair and Daughter’s, No One Prepared for Reason Why – ryan

A video of a mom curling her daughter’s straight hair has gone viral on TikTok. But it’s not because of her technique—it’s the heartwarming reason why that has grabbed the internet’s attention.

Filipino Michelle Nhu, 35, based in Florida, has jet-black straight hair, and so do two of her daughters, Jayla, 8, and Leia, a toddler. But her eldest, Kennedy, 11, has natural curls, which is why the mom sometimes curls her own hair to fit into “her world.”

This kind gesture was a huge hit on Instagram (@messella_), gathering 8.7 million views and over half a million likes.

Nhu Told Newsweek: “Sometimes Kennedy says she wishes her hair was straight like her sisters’. But we always hype up her curls and remind her how beautiful and unique they are.”

Typically, Southeast Asian women have straight hair, which is why many users are asking questions about Kennedy’s heritage. In another post, Nhu explained: “Kennedy is half Asian, a quarter black (and) a quarter Jewish (which explains her pretty curls).”

It is becoming more common for children to have more than one racial or ethnic background, especially as the U.S. becomes more diverse.

According to the 2020 Census, people who identify as multiracial are the youngest group in the U.S., with about one-third (32.5 percent) under the age of 18. Other groups with a lot of kids and teens include people who identified as Some Other Race (28.6 percent), Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (28.3 percent), American Indian or Alaska Native (27.1 percent), and Black or African American (24.7 percent). On the other hand, fewer young people were found in the White (19 percent) and Asian (20.1 percent) populations.

During the April 10 video, Kennedy wells up as her mom says, “we are triplets, now we all look alike,” then the family hug.

“She absolutely lit up!” Nhu told Newsweek. “She had happy tears, smiled and said, ‘Hey! We match!’ I could tell it made her feel so special—like I was part of her little curly world.”

The video has more than 12,000 comments—with many users in tears.

One user said: “As a curly haired girl who grew up being asked ‘why is your hair so poofy/frizzy’ ‘why don’t you just straighten it??’ I’m actually sobbing.”

“You’re being such a great example for them,” said another user.

“This means so much to her. Just look at her face. Core memory locked in,” said a third commenter.

“I didn’t expect that girl to cry you see now I’m crying too,” wrote a fourth user.

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.