We Are Spiraling
We talk about curly hair to learn more about our culture — from how we perceive ourselves to how the world sees us.
Priya Anand, an award-winning journalist whose work has been featured in Bloomberg, Businessweek, the Wall Street Journal, Buzzfeed and Politico, turns her investigative eye to her lifelong obsession: curly hair.
You might think: curly hair, how much is there to say? A whole podcast dedicated to this? I don’t want to hear someone ramble about all their hair lotions and potions!
But there is so much to unravel about why so many people hide their ringlets as secret curlies, how politicians who wear their hair curly are vilified and what Hollywood's hostility toward curls means for our society.
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A Curly Reporter Starts A New Investigation (Refresh + New Notes)
New notes, one year later: A year ago this show was just an idea. Since then: conversations with lawmakers, comedians and actors, coverage in The New York Times and Business Insider, and MAYURA, the hair care line I talk about here, launches next month. Starting something? Hear where I was before it all began.
Original description: A reporter who covered startups for a decade starts her own: the curly hair care product line she’s always wanted. This show investigates curly hair in our culture.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
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Comedian Sindhu Vee Dumped A Guy Who Called Her Hair Wild
British stand-up comedian and actor Sindhu Vee describes the intricate and intimate role hair has played in her life, from her time at boarding school in India to moving to the U.K. and becoming an investment banker, to now as a performer who is also a mother, daughter and wife.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
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Why Are So Many People Secretly Curly? (Refresh)
People go to great lengths to hide their curls, either through straightening or buzz cuts. We investigate the cultural forces that made, and continue to make, so many feel their natural hair is something to fix. It isn't.
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How The Word Frizz Was Weaponized Against Curly People
The word “frizz” actually has a benign definition. Priya investigates the history of how this term was co-opted against us, first by a writer in colonial times and later (even now) by legacy beauty brands. She explains her philosophy around curly hair.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
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From Rumi To Today, Curly Hair Has Always Been Poetry
Throughout history, poets have, like me, been inspired to make curly hair a focus of their work. Curls have been used as a symbol of romance, charm and beauty. I share verses from Hafez, Rumi and Ovid, along with works by modern poets that resonated with me. I hope they make you feel like you are a work of art.
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Hair Is Political: Meet the Lawmaker Putting Hair on the Agenda
New York state implemented a law this year requiring cosmetology schools to teach students how to work with textured hair. We speak with state assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages, who pushed to make it happen. She explains why hair is a key part of her policy agenda, the role it played in her Haitian immigrant upbringing and what laws she hopes to pass next.
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How'd You Find This Podcast?
Today’s minisode dives into how we think about making and growing this show with an audio version of a behind-the-scenes story originally shared on WeAreSpiraling.com.
I break down what actually happens when you get media coverage, and why founders are wrong to chase press validation from the get-go, from the perspective of a reporter turned founder.
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Why Are So Many People Secretly Curly: Part 2: Office Edition
There’s an unwritten dress code across corporate America: everywhere you go, there are secret curlies. We unpack why this isn’t just happenstance, just like how it’s not a coincidence that a disproportionate number of CEOs are white men over 6 feet tall. For part 1, find episode #2 (Why Are So Many People Secretly Curly?) in our feed.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
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How Your Hair Changes With Your Hormones
We unpack the powerful connection between your hormones and your hair through different stages of life with Dr. Jordan Emont, a board certified obstetrician-gynecologist. From testosterone to iron levels, thyroid shifts, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause, we explore why your hair changes over time, what those changes are actually telling you and what you can do about it.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
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'The Odyssey" Got Hair Wrong Vs Greek Mythology
We dig into Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," exploring Matt Damon's representation of Odysseus and Zendaya's Athena, and consider the role of hair in Greek literature and mythology.
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The Problem With Disney Erasing Moana’s Curls
Disney releases its live action Moana remake this week. And while Catherine Laga'aia has natural curls that match the animated Moana’s perfectly, the film puts her in wigs with…not as curly hair at all. And yet the Rock was given a curly wig everyone has thoughts on. We dissect why the director’s explanation falls flat and Disney deserves to be called out.
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Why Are Some Animals Curly?
Why do some animals -- poodles, alpacas etc -- have curly hair and others don’t? We investigate how hair types help animals do their jobs, from swimming to mating and keeping warm in harsh winters. This episode features poodles, alpacas, lions, bison and pigs.
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Dirty Secrets The Beauty Industry Doesnt Want You To Know
I spent months investigating how haircare products are made — interviewing cosmetic chemists, testing formulas, and learning what it really takes to create a product I’d actually want to use. Here's what I learned.
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I'll Never Forgive The Princess Diaries: Why Hollywood Straightens Curly Hair
With rumors of a third Princess Diaries, we unpack why the original was so damaging for women, and why Anne Hathaway's recent explanation falls flat. This is our first minisode: a shorter, more frequent format we're introducing alongside our full episodes.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
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For Black Women, Hair Has Always Been the Story
Two listeners of this show share how their hair has been a key part of their stories as Black women. We also discuss why Coco Gauff’s hair became something she had to defend, and what happens when media tries to erase Black hair.
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Why Most Stylists Never Learned to Cut Curly Hair
New York state law now requires cosmetology schools to teach students how to work with curly hair.
We trace the history of haircutting and ask why it took so long for curly hair to be acknowledged. And we talk to Roxy Reaves, founder of Oakland, California-based Coastal Curl, who pushed Aveda to change how it trains stylists.
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Hair Is An Extension Of Your Spirit: Native American Wisdom
We speak with two Native American hair artists about the indigenous philosophy that hair is an extension of your spirit and energy. John Parker works on Hollywood films and television shows, and brought that ethos into hair design for Killers Of The Flower Moon – a story he is personally connected to. Selina McManus educates on “decolonizing” hair at her Oakland salon.
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Are Curly People Funnier? We Ask Comedians Noah Grossman, Nemma Adeni & Molly Brenner
We interview three comedians, Noah Grossman, Nemma Adeni and Molly Brenner, to find out if our hot take holds water and dig into how they think about their appearances while playing themselves.
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All The Boys Are Getting Perms
When did men of all ages get a broccoli cut? And how do they feel about themselves when they get a makeover deep into adulthood? We investigate this shift, from K-Pop to TikTok and the fact that these days more people are swiping right on curly guys.
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Carla Lalli On Hair, Skin And Life In Hot Kitchens
Carla Lalli on what happens to your body in a professional kitchen, waking up at 13 and suddenly seeing curly hair in the mirror, and a preview of her upcoming cookbook.
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How To Look Like A Greek God
Aphrodite: curly hair. Zeus: curly hair. The statue of David: curly hair. Ancient Greeks and Romans knew what we know on this show: curly hair is worth obsessing over. We talk to Janet Stephens, the world’s foremost expert on ancient Greek and Roman hairstyles and why curly hair was prized. Subscribe to our Substack for photos of these styles and how to recreate them.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
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Hollywood Hates Curls. Here’s How That Affects All Of Us.
In movies, the only people with curly hair are often weirdos or witches. Seinfeld icon and 87-year-old TikTok sensation Annie Korzen unpacks how biases affected her career and continue to influence culture.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
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The Politics Of Curly Hair
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, explains the role her curly hair has played in her life and political career – from the pressure to change it to how opponents have used it as a hook for vicious insults.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com
Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok
And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.
Link to episode
Why Are So Many People Secretly Curly?
People go to great lengths to hide their curls, either through straightening or buzz cuts. We investigate why.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com
Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok
And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.
Link to episode
A Curly Reporter Starts A New Investigation
A reporter who covered startups for a decade starts her own: the curly hair care product line she’s always wanted. This show investigates curly hair in our culture.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com
Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok
And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.
Link to episode
Trailer: We Are Spiraling with Priya Anand
We talk about curly hair to learn more about our culture — from how we perceive ourselves to how the world sees us.
Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.
Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com
Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok
And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.
Link to episode