The other night my friends and I sat huddled around the television as celebrity after celebrity made their way down the red carpet at the Grammy’s. Men came dressed in properly fitted suits and ties with their hair slicked ever so sexily to the side. Women stood poised at a three-quarter body angle with their head tilted slightly over their shoulders; hoping that the cameras would capture their best and slimmest figure, and making sure that every strand of hair was perfectly tucked and curled in all the right places. As each woman made their way down the carpet, my friends and I chirped in with our two cents about their image for the evening (being the totally knowledgeable style icons that we are). It wasn’t until the Pittsburgh native Wiz Khalifa and his gorgeous gal pal Amber Rose stepped into the spotlight that one comment from our peanut gallery really stood out: “She would be so much prettier if she had long hair.”
I sat there in my own little bubble admiring her flawless skin and perfectly fitting dress when this statement snapped me back into reality. I couldn’t help but think to myself, why the hell does long hair qualify someone being pretty?!
Celebrities are in the limelight almost all hours of the day and are constantly under judgment and scrutiny for every move they make. Whether it is from outfit choices, to their “significant other” choices, to the length they wear their hair, it seems as though female celebrities can never catch a break!
Some of the most talented singers and actresses of our time have or have had short hair at some point in their careers; and in not a single case did it make any of them any less talented or beautiful! To rattle off a few from the long list of shorthaired celebs, we have Miley Cyrus. Emma Watson. Anne Hathaway. Jennifer Lawrence. Halle Berry. Amber Rose. Pink. Kellie Pickler. Etc.
Whether it was for a role in a movie, for a personal style change, or in honor of a dear friend, all of these women made the bold choice to rock that short hairstyle and have proven that hair down to your butt doesn’t make you a beautiful person. These women could be bald, and it wouldn’t affect the inner beauty that radiates in the smiles and eyes of these talented female icons.
So people…quit selling these female celebrities short! (No pun intended) Show respect for the others underneath the inch long hair and recognize people not by the length of their hair but the beauty in their souls.