After over a decade of Catholic schooling, it was drilled in my brain that the words “proper” and “professional” are not to be associated with dying your hair vibrant colors and staining all the towels in your apartment with bleach in the process. Yet, I had to find out for myself. Were people really going to stop taking me seriously? Were adults suddenly going to write me off as some kind of punk? I decided it was worth the risk. Here are a few things I learned along the way.
My appearance does not define me.
Despite having very vibrant blue hair, I was still me. I still got up in the morning and went to class and then came home to do my homework. I still made choices everyday that made me who I am. While the choice to dye my hair definitely became one of those choices, it was not the defining one. Appearance doesn’t matter in life; it is your choices and your character that define you.
The opinions of others do not define me.
Besides the dirty looks from one very conservative-looking elderly gentleman on the street, no one has treated me any differently. My professors continued to answer my emails, the baristas still spelled my name wrong at Starbucks, and my mom was actually pleasantly surprised and even recommended the next color I should dye it. However, I came to the realization that even if they had all changed their perception of me, it wouldn’t matter. On a much deeper level I realized their opinions were not relevant. Not even the old man’s dirty looks could phase me. I don’t care what other people assume about me based on my appearance. No one else has the ability to define me.
I am in control of my body.
Having gone to a Catholic school and being from a somewhat conservative background, it was well known that your body is a temple and it is expected that you keep it healthy and presentable. If this is my temple, why can’t I decorate it as I wish? This temple is devoted to the goddess that I am. I don’t expect anyone to approve or even agree with my choices. But that is okay because this is my body and I control it.
I am a confident person.
I was always more of a background player in life. I enjoyed taking a backseat and watching life play itself out. Not anymore. If I have the confidence to have blue hair for an entire semester then I have the confidence to do anything. I can ace any job interview, I can tackle any obstacles in my path, and I can achieve my goals. I have the confidence that it takes to be who I want to be and have the life I want to have.While I might not keep rocking the punk look for much longer, I certainly loved it while it lasted. I definitely agree that it is not the most professional look that I have ever pulled off and I do need to start thinking about internships, but I don’t regret my decision for a second. The biggest thing I learned from this experience is to live while you can and do all the crazy things that you always wanted to. College is the perfect time to explore who you are and learn new things. So grab that hair dye and go for it! Just be prepared for the mess and apologize to your roommates in advance. Flowers always work nicely after you get bleach on their towels…