Okay don’t mind the RBF going on here (if you don’t know what that is, do a quick Google search and you’ll quickly understand). I don’t know what was going on with me this day, but it seems like I just wasn’t having it. You’ll also notice that I have a bunch of outfits that I’ve yet to post with my long hair, which I had thought that I was against posting since it was so long ago – but I’m missing my long hair. And since these are the only recent photos that I have with it, what better way to reminisce?
I don’t think that I ever truly announced that I cut my hair short, even though I may have brought it up a handful of times. I’ve had really long hair for as long as I can remember (probably going back at least 10 years), so naturally the thought of cutting it off felt like I was cutting off a part of myself. My long hair had become a part of my identity and I felt that getting rid of it would no longer make me unique.
Actually let me confess something, and please don’t judge me for this. I’m sure everyone loves receiving compliments. It’s definitely an instant ego boost whenever anyone says anything nice to you. I’m not going to lie, my long hair got a ton of compliments – and I liked it. One of my biggest insecurities was that once I cut it, I would stop getting compliments and feel that my appearance wasn’t up to par anymore. As superficial as it sounds, I was scared that I would no longer feel validated through comments. But looking back now, I also know it sounds ridiculously silly.
Gearing up towards my haircut, I would constantly flip back and forth between wanting to cut it and wanting to keep it. One one hand, I wanted to keep it because I knew that it looked good. On the other, it was overly processed, I no longer bothered to take good care of it because it took way too much time, and just because I wanted a change.
Most people would jump to the conclusion that I had broken up with my boyfriend (it seems that most girls instantly change up their appearance upon the end of a relationship) – but that’s not the case. I had just grown tired with the way I looked and wanted something a little bit different. I wanted something dramatic. I wanted a stark difference.
My initial goal was to donate all of the cut-off hair to be made into wigs for cancer patients, but I when I found out that most places didn’t take processed hair, I was crushed. No worries. I reminded myself that hair grows back and that I can always try to donate it again down the road. I would just have to trust in my patience to give myself the time to grow it out without dying it some crazy color or taking the scissors to it again. The reminder that my hair would grow back also gave me the confidence to chop it off, since it would probably be at the same length give or take a couple years down the road from now (of course I’ll trim!).
In the end, it’s kind of funny how much my hair change aligns with my sense of style. I often gravitate towards the blacks and whites which in their own are polar opposites. Going from long to short was a huge change but I was able to sit comfortably with the decision knowing that my day-to-day aesthetics are already like that.
Have you made any dramatic changes to your appearance and how did you come to the decision?
Top – H&M | Skirt – H&M (similar here)| Vest – Dynamite (similar here) | Socks – HUE | Boots – Forever 21
