It’s no secret that hair plays a lot into how we perceive ourselves, and how others perceive us. People like to style their hair different ways. Some people like to color it, straighten it, tie it in different intricate ways, or leave it hanging down natural. No matter how you choose to style your hair, it’s your way of representing yourself.

Over a year ago, I cut off most of my hair.

I’m a girl, 20 years old, just about to enter my junior year of college. Back in high school, I used to grow my hair long, cut it up to my shoulders and donate the rest. My hair reached down to my waist at some points in my life. I have nice hair. It’s got good highlights, it’s thick, and it has nice waves. But I’ve never really had a great relationship with it.

I don’t know what to do with long hair. I never have. I can (sort of) braid hair, but I don’t know how to french braid, or what to do with a curling iron. I don’t own hair ties. I used to show up to high school every day with my loooong hair a mess, frizzing out from only a quick brush in the morning to make it look a little presentable. It was awful. I would stand in the bathroom and tie my hair up, trying to figure out what I would look like with short hair.

I’ve always wanted short hair. Since I was little I hated my long hair. It got in the way, I didn’t know what to do with it, and I never had a hair tie. People encouraged me to keep my hair long, saying that I had such nice hair and that I could practice learning how to take care of it.

Everyone told me if I cut it, I would regret it, and that it would take forever to grow back.

But I wanted it gone.

So, after I finished my first semester at college, I cut it. It wasn’t exactly the dramatic therapeutic experience that I was hoping for, but it was still pretty great. Since it was my first time cutting my hair really short, the hairdresser purposefully left it long, and it quickly grew into a long mess, almost a mullet, but once I got into a groove, it was great.

I loved my short hair. I finally got it cut to a way I liked it. I didn’t really like pixie cuts, so I got it cut in a boyish style, which meant it was actually short. I didn’t have to worry about hair falling in my face, what to do with it in the morning, whether to tie it up or curl it, nothing. If I was having a bad hair day, I could just spray the whole thing and shape it until it was good.

I still have short hair, and I still love it. It’s a little boyish and butch, but I don’t mind.

Since I’m a girl, a lot of people think I’m supposed to have long, feminine hair. But who decided what kind of hair was masculine and feminine? Boys can have long hair. Girls can have short hair. However you want to represent yourself, you can do. If you hate it, hair always grows back. It’s not a permanent decision, but it’s a bold one. If you want it, you should go for it.

And god knows I haven’t regretted it for a second.