Trends are always changing, especially when it comes to fashion and hair. One minute your favorite actress is sporting pastel pink mermaid hair, but before you know it, she's snipped it all off and has dyed it black. Why is it that we feel so compelled to constantly change our hairdo? Our fixation with hair has to do with so much more than just boredom.

I'll be the first to admit it: I have done some pretty dramatic things to my hair. From atomic turquoise to lavender, I use to be Manic Panic's number one customer. From long hair to short hair and the awkward stages in between, I change my look quite a bit. It wasn't until recently that I began to notice how these simple changes to my hair also changed who I was or how I was feeling.

For a good few years, I would only dye my hair blue. The color became a major part of my identity, and without it, I felt like a completely different person. I enjoyed the attention I received—people would always come up to me and comment on the brilliant hue. In time, however, I began to realize that my beauty and my worth were built up around a simple color. I was defined by my hair, and I knew something needed to be done.

I impulsively ran to my hairdresser and went through a number of bleach baths to remove the pigment. I went back to my natural hair color, and it all felt so strange. For days, I cried and felt as though I had lost the only beautiful thing about me.

Eventually, I learned to accept my natural self, but this doesn't mean I stopped changing my hair. The changes always occurred after having encountered something stressful. I would cut or dye my hair in order to distract myself from whatever was bothering me at the time.

I have seen the same behavior in those around me. Take, for example, people that get out of long term or serious relationships. It is extremely common for those individuals to cut or dye their hair. This concept is commonly known as "breakup hair," and while many seem to view it as a negative thing, that is far from the truth.

Many elect to change their look after a breakup or a stressful situation in order to remind themselves that they are, in fact, in control. We should not be so harshly judged simply due to the way in which we wish to present ourselves.

It is my hair, my life, and my choice. How I wish to present myself should not be of concern to those around me. At the end of the day, we need to focus on ourselves and what makes us happy. If you want green hair one day and black hair the next, then go for it! Regardless of length, cut, or color, you are beautiful because you are you.