I decided it was time for a change. I wanted to cut my hair.
It took me months though to actually do it. I searched Pinterest to find my favorite look and asked some close friends their thoughts, but I just couldn’t get the guts while at boarding school to go to the salon. For the entire first semester, I just imagined what would happen if I did cut my hair.
Finally, when I was about to go back to school from winter break, it struck me this was my chance. I was free to do what I wanted to at home, no classmates to have me doubt myself or teachers that would instantly notice.
But still I talked myself out of it and didn’t do it.
I am a dancer. The fear of what my director would say if I suddenly didn’t have a bun frightened me. If I cut my hair, I would be outside of the norm for a stereotypical ballerina. I knew if I cut my hair as I wanted, I would stick out.
But why did it matter so much? I began questioning the need for female dancers to have long, flowing hair, always able to be slicked back in a high ponytail or bun. Girls were the only ones that had to spend time putting their hair in place while the guys could run in and take the ballet class. The male dancers just had to show up and change, no need to give another thought to taking extra time for hair or worrying about running out of pins.
I realized if guys could have that carefree luxury, why couldn’t I? So one weekend, I went out and did it. I cut my hair, and I love it.
The stereotype of women having long hair and men having short hair has been engrained in our minds ever since we were children. I remember growing up and drawing stick figures of my family and giving my mother hair down her back because in my mind, all woman had lengthy hair, even though my mother never had hair long enough to really brush through.
In middle school, every girl wanted to grow out her hair and straight hair was in style during high school. I never understood the hype over fashioning and styling hair. I never felt a real importance to plan my hair-do for picture day or wake up early to put in a fancy braid.
There has always been an emphasis on women’s hair. Looking back on history, there are documents of the various trends dating back to the times of the Egyptians. And all the talk at award shows today discuss how the ladies have their hair styled and by whom.
There should not be this standard. Our hair should be a way we can self-express our personality. The media and stereotypes hinder our ability though to act independently. I had wanted to cut my hair. But I was so influenced by society and the judgement of others that it took me months to go through with. Pictures of models and commercials eclipse girls with lavishing hair. Our minds are ingrained with what society accepts as beautiful and desirable.
But what is beautiful is what we are truly happy with, whether or not that coincides with what is considered the up-to-date fashion for the time. I believe we should not have to worry about the expectations placed by others when deciding how we want to be in life.