I am my Hair

Hair. Since we were born there has been such a great emphasis put on hair. Hair is what distinguishes girl babies from boy babies. Hairstyles are different ways to express yourself. You can have long hair, short hair, straight hair or curly hair. There are straight bangs, side bangs, no bangs, layers, bobs, pixie cuts, and more. As a female, I spend entirely too much time fixing my hair in the mornings. Shampooing and conditioning, brushing, combing, drying, straitening. A good hair day can start a day off wonderfully, and a bad hair day can set a terrible precedent for the day. When I really think about it, I’m embarrassed at how much of my identity I find in my hair. And right now it is the longest it has ever been. I’ll admit, sometimes I feel like my long hair is a trophy that I get to wear out in public. It says “look at me. I grow and I’m healthy and I can be styled in many different ways”.
But this all changes tomorrow. Tomorrow I am cutting at least 6 inches off of my hair. It’s too long and tangley and I’m ready for a change. I know it’s just hair and that it grows back, but I’m nervous. I’m used to my long hair and I know how to style it, so this change will definitely take some getting used to. Unfortunately, as soon as I let my friends know that I was planning on cutting my hair I’ve gotten at least 4 texts telling me that I’m making a mistake. In case you were wondering, this doesn’t really ease my anxiety.

So whether you like my decision or not, wish me luck! Because tomorrow afternoon I will lose 6 inches of myself. Dramatic? Maybe. But I’m not the one who wrote a whole song about finding my identity in my hair…