One of my most embarrassing, guilty pleasures is watching America’s Next Top Model. I don’t always keep up with each season, but recently, I have been keeping up Cycle 22.
A major moment that struck me was the episode when the models inevitably receive “surprise” makeovers. Every season, at least one model with long hair freaks out when she is told that her hair is going to be chopped off.
At first, watching these models sob and complain about their hair getting chopped off confused and annoyed me, but then I started to realize something. About three years ago, I had long hair like some of these models, and I decided to get a shorter, more stereotypically “boyish" cut. As I was getting my hair cut, I too was upset and doubting my decision. And yes, there were some tears, just like the models on ANTM.
Why was I crying about my hair getting cut off, when I had made the decision myself? Why do the models on ANTM sometimes quit the competition just to avoid having their tresses trimmed off? Well, because as females, we are taught to love our hair more than any other part of our bodies.
Little girls are told by their parents, especially their mothers, “Oh, look at your long, pretty hair! What beautiful hair you have!” Girls are beaten senseless with praise for their long, beautiful hair. They learn that long hair equals beauty before they have a chance to learn that beauty doesn’t simply come from your appearance. This creates an almost-obsession in most girl, and when their hair’s livelihood is threatened by the hellish presence of a pair of scissors, they subconsciously think, “No! Hair equals beauty! So without my hair...”
This isn’t true for all girls, because some girls chose to cut all their hair off reasons other than a modeling competition. Usually, a chop is a frenzied and sudden decision. In films, it’s shown as something girls do when they decide to “go bad.” I’ve heard stories of teenage girls who “went through a phase” and suddenly buzzed all their hair off. This ritual of teenage girls cutting their hair off represents the opportunity for them to take away their femininity, and rebuild it from scratch. It’s an opportunity to view oneself as a female person who doesn’t have to rely on their hair to feel validated. Some girls chose to let their hair grow back, and some do not. Either way, it’s an almost spiritual, freeing experience that I very much recommend.
This experience freeing because so much pressure is put on girls to have long hair in the first place. If parents complimented their little girls more on their intellect and accomplishments, instead of their hair and appearance, having your hair cut off would not be as big of a deal. It is not an accomplishment to grow out your hair, and it should not be praised as such. In addition, it creates an upsetting body image for women who want to be feminine AND have short hair, or for women with cancer, alopecia, or any other illness that affects their ability to grow/maintain hair.
