"I caught one of my early infections after a slumber party where we girls huddled shoulder to shoulder watching Amanda Bynes confess her love in What A Girl Wants. Later they crawled over while I shared a pillow with my heartbroken high school best friend. We cursed her ex-boyfriend, and the lice wanted to help. In college, I narrowly escaped the infestation that ravaged my freshman dorm."
"Thinking it over while the lice technician zapped my hair with bug-killing heat, I came to a conclusion: Lice are my ultimate testament to girlhood. Of course, girls aren't the only ones who get lice. Plenty of people of all genders, especially those with longer hair, come face-to-face (or face-to-head) with the pests. For me though, these bugs have become a symbol of the close-knit communities that have shaped my life as a girl."
A 25-year-old experienced recurrent head lice infections at ages 5, 8, 12, 17, and 25. The most recent infestation was discovered after hours of combing hair and confirmed by a close inspection. The infection likely originated from children she babysits, echoing past transmissions from slumber parties, shared pillows, and dorm life. Close head-to-head contact during intimate social moments drove repeated spread. Lice affect people of all genders, especially those with longer hair, and serve here as a symbol of close-knit communities and the enduring, resilient nature of the pests.
Read at Slate Magazine
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