Melani Ortega ‘19 can be recognized around campus by her head of brilliant blue hair. She dyes it herself, and she works at the Clip Shop on Spring Street and does hair for her friends and family as well. I sat down with Melani for a chat about how she expresses herself through hair color, the ways her passion for creative hair has impacted her life, and her carpe-diem attitude towards personal expression.
Hair color has been an important part of Melani’s life since she began coloring her hair teal in third grade, and she says her hair has been continuously colored since the sixth grade, when she dyed it as an “act of rebellion”–her school had a rule against unnaturally colored hair, so people looked at her “like a rulebreaker, but with really cool hair.” Because she’s been experimenting with a new color each year for so long, she says she almost feels incomplete without a brightly hued ‘do. “It would be weird not to have it,” she remarks.
I asked Melani how her hair color impacts how others see her and how she sees herself. She says that having colorful hair grabs people’s attention, but in the right way. It’s also not, as one might think, a professional drawback, but actually allows her to stand out and make an impression: “It makes people interested in getting to know me–it makes me seem more approachable.” As for how it affects her self-perception, Melani says that she thinks of herself as a brunette, which is her natural hair color, and that it doesn’t change how she sees herself, just how other people see her. “I still think of myself as me,” she explained over coffee at Tunnel. “It’s important to think of yourself as you, not as you-with-red-hair.”
Melani’s down-to-earth, independent attitude about beauty and personal expression, as well as her skills with hair, makeup, and self-care, are traits she got from her mother, who worked as a model and beauty queen and who taught Melani how to care for her hair and skin and glam herself up. Melani says the most important thing she learned from her mother was something we can all take to heart: “She taught me that it’s for you, not for other people,” Melani said of her mother’s take on dolling oneself up. “I don’t want to look good for other people, I want to look good for me.”
So how does she do it? “I actually haven’t dyed my hair in over a month,” she said, running a hand through her incredibly vibrant blue locks. “The upkeep and care are tough and require planning. I wash my hair with colored shampoo and cold water only to keep it from fading.” Melani says she’s had to completely overhaul her shower routine to preserve her color. As for actually dyeing her hair in the first place, Melani explains that “once you get over the initial fear and the bleaching,” it’s just like painting. “It’s an art project every time.” She says that a new color takes about four hours to do. Considering how long her color lasts because of her meticulous upkeep, how good it looks, and the positive impact this form of expression has on her life, it’s definitely worth it.
Melani’s passion for hair led her to start work at the Clip Shop, a salon on Spring Street, which is incidentally where I get my hair done (this is a shameless plug for Courtney–she’s super nice and really fun to talk to, she’s the only person I trust with my hair, and she comes up with amazing creations every time, and if you’re looking for someone to book a hair appointment with, I highly recommend her). Melani says working at the Clip Shop is “wonderful” and an interesting environment. She likes talking with the women who work there about products, techniques, and cool styles they’ve done for clients, as well as the odd bit of office gossip. In addition, it’s a great opportunity to meet townspeople and break out of the purple bubble. The most fulfilling aspect of Melani’s work, both in the shop and with friends’ hair, is helping people enact a transformation and more fully express themselves. “Changing your hair is a big thing,” she observed, “and it’s nice to see people in that mode of transformation.”
I asked Melani if she had any last thoughts before we wrapped up. First, she remarked on the utility of being able to do hair. “Self-grooming is important to learn–it’s good to be able to take care of yourself and others instead of needing someone else to do it.” As someone who has experienced firsthand the dangers of trying to do this without any experience or know-how, I couldn’t agree more. Don’t cut your own bangs without knowing what you’re doing–that’s all I’m going to say about my personal experience. From there, we went on to the topic of beauty as a way of self-care: Melani says that in today’s society there’s a belief that this type of self-care is vain, but it isn’t. “I mean, get over yourself!” she exclaimed. “You’re only alive for this much time, so look how you want! It doesn’t really matter!” Truer words were never spoken.
This article is the first in a new series on personal expression. If you know a student, faculty/staff member, or community member who has an interesting take on style or a creative way of expressing themselves through their appearance or their creations, nominate them to be interviewed for this series by emailing me with their name, contact info (unix is fine), and a sentence or two explaining why you’re nominating them at epw1@williams.edu.