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 Jerry Curls replaced nappy when bow ties replaced neckties  You can see a curl glisten like sun tea, shiny car hoods, ocean surfaces,  like Run DMC medallions. Activator Gel and Jerry-Curl spray bum-rushed bathroom sinks.  White people likened them to Crisco grease, and WD40.  Michael Jackson intensified the Jerry Curls popularity when he performed Billie Jean at the American Music Awards in 1985.  All eyes were on his curl when he did his signature spin.  The curls popularity peaked when his hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial.            People bought curl-kits for gifts.  It was another way of saying someone’s hair was nappy.  I got a curl for Christmas.  It took my mom 1 1/2 hours to apply it.  Having something wet on back of my neck was something that I needed to adjust to.  My curl bounced when I ran.  My dad combed it out 1 week later, one curl at a time.   I cried myself to sleep on my afro pillow.    My step-brother Lil Odells curl never seemed quite right.  He must have missed a step when applying it.  It was part straight, part curly.  We called it a Strurl.  He wore it with confidence.  His walk changed when he first got it. He strolled down the block like he had street-cred.  He had a cool walk with curly bangs.  He was a sight to see.               Curls created liars.   This is my natural hair. It’s the Indian in me, some claimed.    They could never say what tribe.  The curl was all-world.  It still is.  You can still find a curl-kit on a store shelf near you.