Cropped
As the years have progressed, my hair has shrunk. It is now officially short. What I have found strange while rocking this shorter look is the reaction of other people. My Mum is verging on disgusted. For her, hair length is synonymous with femininity…mine therefore has gone. My hair has made me into her 14-year-old son (in her mind!) Like Samson, my feminine strength has disappeared with my locks. My father-in-law has had a similar reaction. He sees me on a slippery slope that will see me bald or with a shaved head within the next year! The “young” seem to love it. As they begin to feel comfortable in their looks they seem to exude a certain admiration for those willing to take a risk with their style. As they straighten their hair to within an inch of its life and wear jeggings with pride to fit in with the uniform of the day, anyone prepared to step outside of that box elicits a certain admiration.
Of course I get hair envy. As I brushed my niece’s heavenly locks yesterday and plaited and pruned her hair into many varied styles, I briefly considered a regrowth plan. But then my 10 minutes in the shower and 5 minutes drying time (with no straightening or curling requirement) quickly changed my mind. Who knows, I may look back at this period of my life with disdain. Heaven knows I feel that way about my basin cut of 1982 (I was but 4) and my blonde with black under colour of 2000..but so what! Hair always grows; I have sobbed after certain disaster cuts of old and TRIED to repeat this like a mantra! Trends and styles continue to change and once you release the comfort blanket that is your hair, you sometimes feel set free.
(Photo credits: Jak & Jil Blog, Facehunter and Vogue)
Hair length has no connection with femininity. Lately I’m seeing more and more beautiful, feminine girls with very short hair. I remember reading somewhere an interview with a Russian writer who said that for him the most beautiful, sexy and elegant women are with short hair as they don’t hide behind their long locks, they are who they are. They express their femininity by other means, so, they’re more creative, too.
Recently I was thinking to cut my hair short again, too. I loved how I looked, em, most of the time :) Only thing that stops me, yes, hair grows but it takes sooooo long to have them long.
April 15th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Personally I believe as in the words of India Arie ‘ I am not my hair’. Society has it’s vary conceptions and stereotypes when it comes to hair in particular.
Like I know in some(not all!)African communities/societies some people cannot take a woman with hair as short as mine seriously. They think crops like mine are for the young and that it is inappropriate for a married woman.
So I have gotten lots of funny comments, I recall someone telling me a few years ago that he could never consider marrying a woman with short hair.
The unfortunate thing is off course we pass these misinformed stereotypes down to our children and their children.
What I will say is obviously your mother comes from a generation of women who believed that a woman’s pride and feminine self was in the quality and length of her hair. So that is perhaps why she does not like your short hair.
I think society,media and our varying cultures place far more emphasis on hair. It is only hair. I don’t think it has anything what so ever with being feminine etc.
Some of the sexiest women rocked short hair. How many womnen have copied Mia Farrow’s elfin crop circa Rosemary’s Baby? Or Rihanna and her crop? So many women had the sudden urge to chop their hair and make like Rihanna. Sometimes we need the media to show us how hot something is before we make like clones and imitate. My mother battled breast cancer and lost all her hair after chemo. Did she lose her femininity? Not all, my mother was still as girly, womanly and elegance even with no hair.
If perhaps more iconic in the limelight hollywood women rocked short crops as opposed to weaves,wigs,hair pieces it might embolden more women to see short hair as another alternative.
I think hair is just hair. It is society that has put so much importance on it.
At most I think hair should be a reflection of self. You know, just like with our clothes.
So if your hair reflects where you are as a person at the moment, you are doing something right girl.
Being feminine,sexy etc is a state of being,it is an intrinsic inside sort of thing girl.
So rock on honey be it with short hair or long. Your hair does not define you honey bun.
Glam kisses,
xoxo
Marian.
April 26th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
I applaud you for sticking to your cropped guns. If i actually physically suited short cropped hair, I’d go for it too for the shower reason you outlined. And you’re right, the stuff GROWS… I’m not enslaved to mine even though it is incredibly long but i’m just lazy… I’ll figure out what to do to get rid of it soon enough…
April 26th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Your words are just perfect Marian. No reply of mine could compliment them or do them justice! Thank you so much for commenting. R x
April 26th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Susie, your hair is very you but you are so much more than it too. You should never feel the need to HAVE to cut it. Mine was a gradual decision brought on by an accidental mullet incident in my past! I don’t think I would have made the very long to short choice otherwise; so in essence I am a little bit of a coward!
April 26th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Oh the hair thing. I got a good 7 or 8 inches cut off mine (I had long hair by accident) about 5 years ago and it felt amazing- suddenly I felt freer. A quite literal weight was taken off the back of my head, I wasn’t spending 20 minutes every day just to try and get it dry and somehow I felt just… stronger. More me. Less like I was hiding behind/beneath it. It’s been varying degrees of short ever since. The only person who (very politely and sweetly) objects is my boyfriend’s grandmother who thinks that, yes short hair suits me but she did *so* like my long hair. I don’t know how I’m going to break to her that I’m planning on shaving my head in June…
But it IS just hair. It grows back. I don’t know why people panic so much over it.
April 27th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
I am so glad I just read ur post and the comments that followed it. At the weekend, i did some promotional work for my hairdresser and my hair is now cropped short and a plum colour……was previously just below my shoulders and black. I cried my eyes out afterwards and I was convinced everyone was just being nice when they said they liked it. Now Ive read ur post, I’ve realised that I love it and sure…at the end of the day, its only hair!!! And yes, i get an extra 20 mins in bed in the morning!! :) x
June 1st, 2010 at 11:52 am
I have had varying degrees of short blonde hair for 5 years- at my jaw in a classic bob at its longest and ‘so short you can see my scalp’ at its shortest.
My mother has been the same saying ‘you used to have such beautiful long hair'(I was 12) and wishing I would ‘just grow it a little bit longer dear’ but I don’t really see the problem and never have. My hair is also asymetric (long fringe one side, a bit shaved the other) and sometimes I wonder why people are looking at me and figure it must be the hair.
I actually can’t believe the time I spent talking about my hair, even with friends I’ve known forever- not because I want to- but because people ask (always one of the first things new people mention), are interested and often wish they had the confidence to do the same.
I love my short blond hair because its easy to do, always looks ‘styled’ (even when it isn’t) makes boring outfits look egdy, is super versatile, my favorite accessory and makes me easy to spot in crowed places. Love the short hair! xxx
September 7th, 2010 at 5:59 pm