In the span of 24 hours, I saw a picture of a gorgeous short hair 90s blowout on Pinterest, then found the first hair salon that took walk-ins and chopped off 6 inches of my hair. It went from below my chest to now just below my collarbone (I have curly hair, so the exact length is difficult to nail down). Now, I feel a mix of regret and excitement. How or why I built up the courage to go and do it is a mystery, but now I’m here with significantly less hair than before, and a whole lot of time to figure out how to style it.
The reasons behind my sudden urge for a “new-do” are still murky. With the start of the Fall semester comes new friendships, new opportunities and the creeping feeling that a new school year means a new you. What better way to signify a desired change in your life than a drastic change in your physical appearance? I guess some people get a new ear piercing or go a gentler route with their long, luscious locks and dye their hair a new color. But in the moment, a chop seemed like the only thing that would scratch my ever-growing identity shift itch.
Was it smart to be so sudden with such a big change in my physical appearance? Probably not. Do I miss my long hair? Yeah, definitely. But do I regret cutting it off? Absolutely not. I believe everyone is meant for a big chop at some point in their life, and mine was now. Will I ever cut off my hair again? Nope. But I never would’ve known had I not gone for it, and the great thing about hair is it grows back. So should you spot me on campus walking to class, I might be donning a new set of endless extensions or rocking some Dutch braids and slick-back styles for the next year until I get back what I chopped. But it’s all fun and games because at the end of the day, it’s just hair.