Hairy Kiri

There's something simply amazing about a girl's hair! We women have way more options to deal with on a daily basis and it's not limited to just our hair: skirt, pants or dress? clutch, over the shoulder bag or wallet? heels or flats? short hair or long hair? straight or curly? blonde or brunette?

I know that men can cut and dye their hair, too, but for some reason it's a much bigger deal for a woman to change her hair than a man. Earlier this year I posted on Facebook my hair's evolution since last summer. I had decided to cut about 10 inches of my hair off and let it go back to it's naturally curly state for a number of reasons-one of them being, I thought I would attract a different type of man if I had a different hair style. So, I tried just about everything under the sun. If it was a possibility (and wouldn't make my hair fall out) I did it! Straight, curly, bangs, long, short, blondish, brownish, dark....I just loved having all those options! And what I found was that my hair didn't attract new types of men because it was different. I attracted new types of men, because of how my hair made me feel.

Here's the catch and my theory: a woman's hair dictates her identity and attitude.

When I had long, straight hair with blunt cut bangs I walked around with my head held a little higher than normal. I wore nicer clothes, always had my makeup and jewelry on perfectly and almost always had a pair of heels adorning my feet. Now that I'm making the transition back to my long curly hair (sans the bangs) I wear clothes that are a little more free-flowing and relaxed and I walk in full confidence that all my cards are on the table at all times. It almost feels as if I'm being more honest with myself and everyone around me to know that my hair holds no secrets these days. I've been walking around with a crazy mop of curly strands that seem to say, "This is what it looks like first thing in the morning, last thing at night and the color is what it is."

Never in a million years would I have thought that anytime I cut a few inches off my hair it would effect my outlook on life, but here I am walking around in more freedom of identity than I know what to do with...

Hair Evolution

This year has been a big one for changes. Seems to be the common thread throughout all my days of 2010. I witnessed life being brought into this world, a handful of deaths of people who were family to me during my growing up years (as if those were actually over...), gallivanted around this country like I was on tour, made new friends, broke up relationships, dated various boys in various cities, learned things about myself (some things I liked, some I did not) and changed my hairstyle more times than Hillary Clinton.

The starting point.

I realized something the other day as I posted an album on facebook about my hair evolution: My hair has been my one thing I could control this year. The only thing, really. In a time when nothing is as it seems and everything around me changes in the blink of an eye, I've had nothing to hold onto. Every last thing I thought was predictable or under my control performed a circus act before my very eyes and contorted into something unrecognizable, unfamiliar.

New hair cut, take one.

So, what's a girl to do when her life has been glued to the ceiling and nothing is grounded? Well, this girl cut her hair. That's it. That was my big "I'll show you!" move. I cut my hair. And then dyed it. And then chemically straightened it. And then cut it again. There was some rhyme and reason to the first cutting. (I donated about 8 inches of my hair to Locks of Love in honor of one of the lives lost this year.) But after that, there was no semblance of common sense or thought put into the other actions. I only knew that I was determined–determined to do whatever the hell I wanted with what little bit of belongings I had with me at all times.

New hair cut, take two.

My hair currently looks like the edgier version of Julia Styles' haircut in the first Bourne movie. I'm happy with it. For now, anyway. And I like how with each new haircut I've either learned something or taken back a piece of myself that I didn't know was missing. This year has been a strange one, to say the least, and it's not over yet! There's still a solid 6 inches of my hair left. So, stay tuned.