Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Hair.
" Long beautiful hair.
Shining, gleaming,
streaming, flaxen, waxen"
Does hair make the man, or woman? In the 60's boys grew their hair long to piss off the establishment. Women are obsessed with their hair. Girls with straight hair want curly locks. Girls with curls want straight hair. Redneck boys buzz their hair. African-American's relax their hair, cornrow, or just pick the 'fro. Gay fashion "experts" can't get enough of hair critique. Why on every makeover show do they take the girl with the really long hair and cut it short?
Perms, curling irons, crimpers, boufants, page boys, bobs, feathers, mop tops, shampoo, hairspray, bad hair days, cowlicks, dreadlocks, braids, Rogaine. How many more hair references can I think up?
So why hair?
Our hair story begins with once upon a time there was this little girl. A little girl who loved fairy tales and princesses with long locks. But this girl had a mother, not the evil stepmother kind mind you, that thought this little girl wouldn't look good with long hair. Afterall with such a long face, long hair would just make her face look longer. Her sister, however, had long princess hair and all the boys loved it. But the sad little girl with the long face was relegated to the Dorothy Hamill hair. It just became her. It was cute and bouncey! And oh so boyish! So how's a girl to rebel, but to grow her hair, grow her hair long. Did she live happily ever after?
My hair is long and straight and thin. It mats very easily. I could have dreads by the end of the day if I just put my mind to it. But I carefully comb through those damn mats every night just to make my job a little easier in the morning. I use rinse out conditioner. I also use leave in conditioner and a detangler. I love my hair although it can be pain.
I grew my hair long because I could. Because I was just a little deadhead. Because I hate Dorothy Hamill. Because the boys would like it. I trim my hair myself. Why spend loads of dough at the hairdresser when all I need is a little trim. I'm scared of layers. I had a really bad layer hair cut in 12th grade that my controlling, psycho boyfriend at the time hated. He left me at the hairdresser and demanded that I have her fix the fuck up to my hair. My freshman college ID will testify that it was never really fixed. Everyone loves my hair in my high school senior picture. I had spent the entire summer at the beach so it was this highlighty blonde color, even though I'm really a brunette. It was wavy and shorter that it is now. I do admit I had a good hair day that day, but all of that was ruined with the aforementioned bad layer cut.
Sometimes I have nightmares that my hair is cut off and I'm mortified, even though for the last 2 years I've been telling my friends & co-workers that I was going to do something drastic and cut my hair. But it never happens and they've stopped believing me. I should be that girl on the makeover show so I could have all my locks cut off for some smart, pixie cut. Most women I know cut their hair real short when they become moms. I understand why, your baby pulls it and it hurts like hell and besides it's time to become sensible. But I just couldn't do it. What am I afraid of? Will I lose my strength like Sampson when Delilah cut off his hair? Probably not. I guess it is just the rebel in me trying real hard to keep that tom boy looking girl at bay. Who knows? One of these days I'm going to work up the nerve and donate my hair to one of those organizations that makes wigs for people with cancer. A good friend of mind has recently been diagnosed with cancer so I probably should.
Until then, I will keep repeating this mantra: "My hair is not an extension of myself."
Maybe so, maybe not.....
" Long beautiful hair.
Shining, gleaming,
streaming, flaxen, waxen"
Does hair make the man, or woman? In the 60's boys grew their hair long to piss off the establishment. Women are obsessed with their hair. Girls with straight hair want curly locks. Girls with curls want straight hair. Redneck boys buzz their hair. African-American's relax their hair, cornrow, or just pick the 'fro. Gay fashion "experts" can't get enough of hair critique. Why on every makeover show do they take the girl with the really long hair and cut it short?
Perms, curling irons, crimpers, boufants, page boys, bobs, feathers, mop tops, shampoo, hairspray, bad hair days, cowlicks, dreadlocks, braids, Rogaine. How many more hair references can I think up?
So why hair?
Our hair story begins with once upon a time there was this little girl. A little girl who loved fairy tales and princesses with long locks. But this girl had a mother, not the evil stepmother kind mind you, that thought this little girl wouldn't look good with long hair. Afterall with such a long face, long hair would just make her face look longer. Her sister, however, had long princess hair and all the boys loved it. But the sad little girl with the long face was relegated to the Dorothy Hamill hair. It just became her. It was cute and bouncey! And oh so boyish! So how's a girl to rebel, but to grow her hair, grow her hair long. Did she live happily ever after?
My hair is long and straight and thin. It mats very easily. I could have dreads by the end of the day if I just put my mind to it. But I carefully comb through those damn mats every night just to make my job a little easier in the morning. I use rinse out conditioner. I also use leave in conditioner and a detangler. I love my hair although it can be pain.
I grew my hair long because I could. Because I was just a little deadhead. Because I hate Dorothy Hamill. Because the boys would like it. I trim my hair myself. Why spend loads of dough at the hairdresser when all I need is a little trim. I'm scared of layers. I had a really bad layer hair cut in 12th grade that my controlling, psycho boyfriend at the time hated. He left me at the hairdresser and demanded that I have her fix the fuck up to my hair. My freshman college ID will testify that it was never really fixed. Everyone loves my hair in my high school senior picture. I had spent the entire summer at the beach so it was this highlighty blonde color, even though I'm really a brunette. It was wavy and shorter that it is now. I do admit I had a good hair day that day, but all of that was ruined with the aforementioned bad layer cut.
Sometimes I have nightmares that my hair is cut off and I'm mortified, even though for the last 2 years I've been telling my friends & co-workers that I was going to do something drastic and cut my hair. But it never happens and they've stopped believing me. I should be that girl on the makeover show so I could have all my locks cut off for some smart, pixie cut. Most women I know cut their hair real short when they become moms. I understand why, your baby pulls it and it hurts like hell and besides it's time to become sensible. But I just couldn't do it. What am I afraid of? Will I lose my strength like Sampson when Delilah cut off his hair? Probably not. I guess it is just the rebel in me trying real hard to keep that tom boy looking girl at bay. Who knows? One of these days I'm going to work up the nerve and donate my hair to one of those organizations that makes wigs for people with cancer. A good friend of mind has recently been diagnosed with cancer so I probably should.
Until then, I will keep repeating this mantra: "My hair is not an extension of myself."
Maybe so, maybe not.....
posted by amyd | 2:05 PM
2 Comments:
That was a great piece (no pun intended)! You did have shiny pretty hair at your prom. YOu don't have to cut your hair - unless of course the charitable way is a very nice thing. That is funny how we went opposite - I kept going shorter as I got older. Remember, mom doesn't like me in ponytails and I wear one all the time! But I am growing mine out - why don't we meet each other half way so we can go back to telling everyone the twin story.
do you think anyone will buy that story anymore?
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