I have always had longer hair and by longer hair I mean at least past my collarbones, often times longer than this. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t spent a countless amount of time fantasizing what I would look like with short hair though. I’ve always dreamed of pulling off that short bob, maybe with some bangs or cute fringe. Other girls always seemed to kill this style, why shouldn’t I be able to?
Yet every time I thought about it I would always snap myself back to reality: short hair wasn’t meant for me. I don’t really know what my full rationale for this was, maybe fear? Perhaps the fact my face is round and therefore “isn’t suited for short hair”? I think deep down what really stopped me was the judgment of others.
I was scared of being looked at differently, like I was somehow putting less effort into my appearance. I know this doesn’t make any sense, it’s my hair I should be able to do what I want with it right?
Even though I knew this was true I still held myself back, instead taking time to save my dream hairstyle to countless Pinterest boards with the vague idea that maybe someday I’d show a hairdresser what I really wanted.
Then I came to college. Everyone here is experimenting, exploring who they are as an individual. You could show up to class and see someone with blonde hair one day and then the next it would be hot pink. It was awesome to see people take charge of their own image and do what they wanted. I wanted to feel that too.
So I started small (well, small-ish), my first big move was redoing my wardrobe. I started collecting pieces I would have been too scared to wear in the past, things like plaid mini skirts and crop tops. After successfully doing that I made my next big image altering choice, I got a tattoo.
Now I know to some a tattoo might seem more extreme than a haircut but to me the tattoo was something I had sort of impulsively chosen. It is a black cat on my upper thigh and I love it. But it doesn’t carry the same emotional weight my hair did to me.
After the tattoo I went docile for about a month. I was happy with how I looked but at the back of my mind was my dream haircut. Then one Monday I snapped. I decided I had to do it.
I called up my cousin (who was surprisingly on board with the idea) and we went to Target, got a pair of hair cutting scissors, watched a few tutorials online, then went to town in my dorm room.
Now listen, I am an extremely impulsive person. I often do things without much thought or consideration. This was definitely one of those times.
After sectioning off my hair into about six smaller ponytails we begin to snip them off. Originally the length was supposed to be right above my collar bones but after the first snip we quickly realized our measuring had been off and my hair was sitting right under my chin.
At that point, it was too late to do anything so I quickly accepted it and we returned to cutting. After a few more snips (and some careful shaping of my bangs) my new look was done. And it was amazing!
I looked as if I had aged about three years, I looked happier. Maybe it was the adrenaline of doing something that impulsive or maybe it was because I had finally achieved this lifelong dream of mine.
Just for some reference here is what my hair looked like before:
And here is the after:
I am happy to report I love my new haircut I don’t think I’ll ever return to long hair. Most importantly it was such a big step for me in making my own choices and doing things for me. Seeing the hair fall to the carpet of my dorm was so liberating, I won’t ever forget that moment.
If there is something you are thinking about doing, even if it is just the smallest whim, please go do it! Life is too short to spend time thinking about all the things you want to do and not actually do them. Once you start fulfilling your own wishes your life can really begin.