A conversation that has occurred quite often, lately:
“Hey, your hair is so long!”
or,
“Hey, your hair looks good!”
And I answer this with a scrunched nose and either, “I know!” or, “Thanks!” respectively. The scrunched nose, which happens no matter what, comes about from this reflexive thing that goes on inside my head – which feels undeserving of receiving compliments since I haven’t gotten a trim or cut or anything done to my hair for about a full year. Only I know this, and only I know my ends are dry and split. And every observation or compliment seems to be a reminder of this.
See, I used to spend boatloads on my hair. It never came down past my shoulders for over 3 years – and most of the time it was probably above my chin. “Appointment with Lauren” - with Lauren being a very talented Vidal Sasson grad - was its own item on my balance sheet about every other month. Every time I got a new cut, it was like taking a beauty-slash-fashion hit. I could wear a fuzzy, Juicy pant- Hanes sweats and I’d feel great out of the salon.
There’s something to having short hair, I think, that’s more revealing. See, with short hair I think you just have to have your “face on” all the time. Your face is more out there and there’s a tendency to feel … nekkid, so I tended to dress up a little for that girly component when my hair was short. I’ve even had hair “Winona Ryder short,” before, and there’s not much I can tell you about that time except that I felt the need to “glam up” in a few more ways. I needed to balance that ish out. In addition to that, I always had to have product in my hair, so overall the upkeep was also a lot more damaging to my wallet.
A major plus to short hair, though, is I think I looked older. It was a good image fit to my career. I think that since I even really enjoyed the attitude it projected at times it’s indicative that it was probably more reflective of my personality.
Long hair, you can hide behind. Guys generally like it better because, heaven forbid, their imagination doesn’t have to go into overdrive to imagine you as feminine. Maybe it’s just an L.A. thing; I’m not sure. Maybe it’s as simple as the fact that long hair means there’s an increased likelihood that the head from which it flows belongs to a girl. It’s as if we’re willing to cut out the work for you: “Good-bye, guesswork!”
I loved the way Lauren cut my hair so that it could be styled in so many different ways. I could spike it; I could leave it tousled. There was a lot of versatility and attitude involved. Though it could be a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence, I could swear there’s an Underground Society of Short-Haired Women (USSHW). It’s the coalition to which daring women everywhere belong and their mantra is: “No, I don’t freak out at seeing 10 inches of my hair on the floor next to your barber chair.”
I might have had a dream about it once. (Isn’t that so extreme?? It’s like having a piercing, or something.)
Meanwhile, I’ve saved a crapload of money on this ‘do, so I’m milking it. When I “go back to my roots” (har), maybe I’ll try donating to Locks of Love. Or maybe I’ll just sell it and donate the proceeds to a non-profit org of my choice.
I’m just a short-haired girl trapped in a long-haired woman’s body.
14 Comments
hope to be able to see your longer hair in july!
I so understand what you’re saying here!
I had long hair – sit on it long – all the time as I was growing up, bar an ill-advised foray into the land of the bob (with heavy fringe) when I was about 8. I had a drastic moment at the end of my first year at uni and cut it all off into a short bob and I loved it. I spent the next three years at various lengths of “short”, up to and including a grade 3 razor cut all over. I loved it. Short hair was easy, funky, I could do things with it…
Then a boyfriend said he preferred it long and so I grew it. But was never happy with it, till the middle of last year I decided the preferences of an ex were no good reason to stick with a style that didn’t work for me, and had it all chopped off again.
Instantly people were complimenting me on my hair, saying how much it suited me, which pleased me whilst making me wonder at the same time quite how bad it had been previously!
Yes, the up-keep is more, but I’ve come to terms (for now) with the fact that I am just one of those “short hair people”. Having short hair has cut about 20 minutes off my morning routine and stopped me fussing. With it long I was forever worrying it was frizzy, or tangled, and looking in a mirror or reaching for a comb… With it all tousled and short I know it actually looks BETTER when I have been running my fingers through it and look windswept!
I guess what I am saying is you’ve got to go with what makes you happy. If it’s long, then cool. But for me it is short hair. Yes, my face is more “on display”, but I’ve always hidden more behind my glasses than my hair anyway. Yes, some guys prefer longer hair but
to them I say! OK, yes I envy the women on TV with their long, smooth tresses, but I KNOW my hair never does that even with professional help, so I try not to get too jealous.
And at the end of the day, I can always buy a wig.
I recently just cut my hair, and normally, I don’t like having it this short, because I requires more maintenance. But I’ve found the ultimate cheat, that somehow makes it fit, and doesn’t make me look like a doofy kid: thick rimmed glasses. It’s strange how these glasses really didn’t work at all with my long hair, but totally work with me and my short hair. Sometimes, it’s all about the accessories and the style, I guess. Personally, I’m more of a long-haired guy, but I’m down for mixing it up from time to time. But yeah, product and up-keep gets expensive, and it’s very contrary to my own sense of style. Frankly, I hate having to THINK about my hair, so I know exactly where’ you’re coming from.
I tried the long hair and much prefer short/medium. Less shampoo wasted!
^^^ to second what soulstop said above, I have a picture of you sitting on Suong’s couch back from… 99? 98? You had your shortest haircut in the 10+ years I’ve known you, and had thick-rimmed black glasses. For some reason, it looked perfect, absolutely perfect.
So perfect, in fact, that I can never imagine you with long(er) hair, even though that’s all that I’ve seen lately. Weird.
Or word.
I work in an endless cycle. Long hair, short hair, long hair, short hair. There’s really not much mystery to it for me, though I think it catches other people off guard, because it’s a long process, like evolution itself.
My mother laughs (too often) and tells me that I was basically two before I got any hair, but after that, I’ve had really good locks. Strange locks, but good ones. I’ve gone from having white blonde hair as a child to brownish-auburn as an adult (and when it is growing as small hairs–it’s black, like my father’s–wtf?). There was a time when I was a teenager that it suddenly got curly for no apparent reason, but that didn’t last.
And I grow it, then cut it short, over and over. Like Cas, I had hair that went past my butt for a time, then I chopped it off to around my ears. It was down to my lower back last year, and now I’ve got it shoulder length or less again. Cyclical. I’m predictable, perhaps.
Because I’m lazy and don’t like to work too hard on my appearance, I think long hair works more for my personality, as I can do quite a few things with it, quickly and easily. Short hair…sometimes you have to style it for a longer time, get the gel or hairspray just right. I’ve got short layers right now, and I just let them go all willy nilly. Hopefully it works in favor of my artistic appearance or some BS like that.
I think you should decide according to how much time you want to spend getting ready every time you go out. There’s also a lot of time lost by going to get your hair done.
Wish I looked good, heck even decent, in Winona-Ryder short. Sadly, I have to carry on my entire life as that long-haired girl.
Best thing about long hair for me? When I’m lazy or having a bad hair day, I clip it up or it goes into the “bad hair day ponytail”. Problem solved!!
this long hair belongs to a boy. and every time ive chopped it off, i always end up growing it out again. part lazy, part you-cant-dread-short-hair, part i-dont-like-my-short-hair-and-all-i-cant-do-with-it… but maybe its just a cycle. a hair “journey.”
anyways, i think ive found the destination my next hair “journey”… http://www.cpluv.com/www/medias/c2ak/c2ak_4849cba958b17.jpg
@Cas: I have to say, (@Lelia too) I’ve never had sit-on-it long before! The thing about my hair is that it’s so thick I think the weight of it stopped me from doing it. It really does weigh a lot and when I put it up into ponytails when 8 y.o., it would put cramps in my neck!
I’m totally in agreement that you have to go with what makes you happy. And so for now, my wallet is attached to me and that’s the part that is singing right now.
Lol. But yeah, I’ll soon grow disgruntled, sure enough, and definitely chop it. I would give it another couple months. Is your hair length still current with what’s in your gravatar? It looks cute, with its color! Now I want color (again)!
@soulst0p: Yeah I noticed your hair last night but not enough to realize you cut it. Low-maintenance is definitely important. But yeah, I’m used to it being longer.
@yinyang: That’s what I can’t get over! I have to have my hand full of shampoo to even get a sud.
@Alex Chang: Keep those photos hidden thanks
@Lelia: Have you ever heard the theory that you want an ugly baby because they grow up to be cute people and not a cute baby bc they grow up to be ugly people? I don’t know where that kind of jacked-up theory ever came from but maybe that’s true in your case of having awesome hair after the age of 2 and not before.
Roger that on low-maintenance hair. I don’t think I spent a lot of time on my shorter hair because I’d just put product all over my hands, put them through my hair, then out the door. But yeah, we’ll see. I think this may just require a moment where I’m sick of status quo.
@CM: I think only Winona Ryder ever looked good in the Winona Ryder cut.
Yeah, there’s definitely an emphasis on your cheeks when you cut it that short – the trick is really going for a cut which brings out your “best features.” That sounded so cliche, I know.
@twolims: I think that is my favoritestest part too…
@roycifer: That is a wicked hair journey, for sure.
that’s a good tip, SoulStop. i’m going to start wearing my glasses more so my dorky hairstyle doesn’t look so discordant….
but hair is a very profound symbol of the female, it’s no wonder it’s an emotional charged issue…..
I try and not over obsess about shampoo or my hair. But it’s hard.
@big league: Emotionally charged, indeed. Wouldn’t be surprised if it were the topic of a dissertation by a Women’s Studies master degree student, or something.
@cristina: Shampoo consumption is definitely through the charts in these parts…
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