Anne calls her hair a “mass of curls.”
Many teenagers are unhappy with their appearance. Anne is no exception. She tries to make her hair something to be proud of, but she often feels she comes up short.
Anne describes her procedure for getting ready, which includes curling her hair and bleaching her face. It is normal teenage stuff.
I brush my teeth, curl my hair, manicure my nails and dab peroxide on my upper lip to bleach the black hairs -- all this in less than half an hour. (Wednesday, August 4,1943)
Even though they are in hiding, Anne likes to look out for her appearance. The families have limited bathroom time, and of course they never go out, but Anne still wants to look nice.
She is obsessed with movie stars, and tries to make her hair look like theirs. Anne’s family and the Van Daans do not approve.
Whenever I come sailing in with a new hairstyle, I can read the disapproval on their faces, and I can be sure someone will ask which movie star I'm trying to imitate. My reply, that it's my own invention, is greeted with skepticism. … By that time I'm so sick and tired of their remarks that I race to the bathroom and restore my hair to its normal mass of curls. (Friday, January 28, 1944)
Soon, Anne is getting herself ready and trying to make herself look nice for Peter. She goes from finding him annoying to becoming his friend, and then finally something more. Now Anne has a reason to primp. It is a small bit of normalcy in a very abnormal situation.
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