Like how a snake sheds its skin when it grows uncomfortable, we too can feel the urge for a physical transformation when we change or grow emotionally. According to a research article in Sage Journals, stressful life events motivate one to change their physical appearance. To me, it is more than just a reaction to a stressful event — it’s an art form.
It’s fun, creative, and all about expressing yourself and your growth.
I am someone who loves changing her appearance. I don’t buy into those stereotypes of “she must be going through a breakup if she dyed her hair red” or “she’s just doing it to fit in.” I think that it is amazing that we have so many modes of expressing ourselves. It’s empowering to have this choice to perm or not to perm, and bangs grow back if you also realized it was a terrible impulsive mistake like I did.
Not only is it a way of expressing yourself, but it’s also a way of healing. Writers, poets, and artists have been healing themselves through their art for decades. For example, Frida Kahlo had a deeply volatile relationship with her husband and channeled her pain into her artwork entitled The Two Fridas (1939). More recently, musician Noah Cyrus said on The Kelly Clarkson Show that her new album The Hardest Part “without a doubt” saved her life during a “challenging 2-year recovery from a Xanax addiction.” Changing your outward appearance is also a means of embracing yourself, whether that’s after a heart-wrenching breakup, graduating high school or college, finally dealing with that trauma, starting therapy, getting sober, or cleaning your depression room. When you feel different, it’s natural to want to look different, because you’re not the same person. In a biological sense, humans completely regenerate all of their cells every seven to ten years. Embrace the change, explore it, and have fun with it.
This past summer after diving into therapy, I learned that rituals are important in honoring the work you have done within yourself. This ritual could be planting a garden, taking a personal pampering day, or buying a new piece of jewelry. For me, it’s changing my appearance. This summer I said I was going to see if I have curly hair. After establishing an entirely new hair routine consisting of diffusing, hair jelly, and curl cream, I figured out that I do have curly hair — and then I dyed it for the first time. That was not enough, so I got three new tattoos in the span of one month and my second ear lobe piercing just because I can. This has allowed me to take control of my life in a physical sense and do things that bring me joy.
Embracing change doesn’t have to be as permanent as a new tattoo or dying your hair. Try a new makeup trend that makes you feel like a goddess. Paint your nails a stunning matte brown in honor of the spooky season. With these different mediums, we get to be like shapeshifters, always growing and changing. Come into your power and find beauty in the change.
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