Ever since I was born, I’ve had blonde hair. When I was very little, it was bleach blonde and as I got older, it gradually turned dirty blonde. Normally, I would get highlights to brighten it up, give my hair more shine and life. I’ve had blonde hair all my life, until I decided to dye it dark brown literally overnight.
Being in my second year of university, I can confidently say that the sophomore slump is very real. As finals were rolling (more like stampeding) in, I suddenly needed something, anything, to change. At my best friend’s apartment, there was a brown wig from Halloween that she had kept. I decided to try it on as a joke because I’ve always wondered what I would look like with a different hair colour. As soon as I looked in the mirror, I felt oddly satisfied; I enjoyed not recognizing who I was. I felt empowered almost, like I could create a whole new person.
On my way home from Toronto that day, I made the hair appointment to go brown. I was nervous, changing a large part of my identity is, as most said, “very out of character” for me. But that’s what I needed, to be out of character for once. The way I saw it was that nothing in life is permanent. If your heart and/or your head starts to consider a new or different path, choose it. You’re given one life to explore. These are our years to learn, even if it’s something as small as dying your hair or just reading a genre unlike the ones you normally read.
Changing my hair has had a ripple effect, causing me to change other aspects of my life. Change helps you grow. Without change, you don’t see the world through a new set of eyes, until one day you’re not able to view the world at all. Hopefully, my silly hair story will allow you to consider a change that you need to make to begin your next chapter of personal growth.