Cropped Confidence and Fearless Feminity

Audrey Hepburn is an icon of femininity. She was a beautiful actress who charmed audiences with her looks and personality. One rainy night in the early summer, I decided to watch Hepburn in “Roman Holiday”. I was taken with her character, free spirit and spontaneity, especially when she decided to chop off her hair unexpectedly. With the barber repeating “are you sure?” a million times over, I began to question what the big deal was. I mean, It’s just hair.

   Right?

 With my brain turning, I started to think of cutting my hair myself.  I mean, doesn’t everyone say your twenties are for experimenting?  I’m going to Rome in the fall just like Audrey. I’ve had the same hair style or length for about seven years. I decided that I would do a major cut at the end of the summer before I left.

As I told my plan to some of my friends, the response was not what I wanted. “Wait, why? Aren’t you going to look like a boy?” and “Well, don’t cut it to short or you will look weird.”  Some of my “friend’s” faces resembled the horrified emoji after I reveled my adventurous plan. However, it was the silent, blank stares I received that took the cake in the best attempt to squander my bold ambitions. Self-confidence crushed, I discussed with my other hercampusSJU writer and bff Taylor, the social standard of femininity … and why it includes a long, luscious mane.

Hopelessly trying to put sex appeal and stereotypes aside, we pose the question to all SJU girls: why do we have to have long hair to meet the standard of pretty not only on campus, but at work, at home, and in the so-called “real” world? Cover girls such as, Blake Lively and Selena Gomez hit us again and again with long locks as we gaze at the covers of Glamour, Lucky, and Seventeen. Even when we open the magazine, we’re exposed to a handful of hair product advertisements, chock full of women with long hair being whipped, tossed or twisted seductively before we can read a single article Is it solely for the pleasure of  men? Have we forgotten famous females that have rocked short hair for years? The ladies who made it not only beautiful, but sexy to both men and women. Think Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, and Natalie Portman. Can you say girl crush?

Heres the short of it in our interview with Lucia Krahe SJU ’13:

Katie: First things first! How many inches did you take off when you cut your hair?

Lucia: I cut 20 inches off my hair!

K: Tell us your story of why you decided to cut your hair. Was it random? A specific reason, like a guy or a job?

L: I was sick of my long hair. I had had my whole life and needed a change.

K: Katie- After, were you treated differently by any of your friends, peers, etc?

L: My family couldn’t believe that I actually did it. I got a lot more attention from strangers that said they loved my cut. My friends were also surprised but said I really pulled it off.

K: That’s awesome! Describe how you feel about your short do in one word.

L: FEMININE! I felt so sexy and more like a woman with short hair than I ever did with long hair. It was so unbelievably liberating to cut all that hair off!

Lucia’s dramatic transformation is inspiring because her short cut challenges the shape and style most often accepted (even on women with already short hair) while making her feel sexier than ever. Kudos Lucia!

Katie Walsh, ’15, fell for her short do at first snip – and we fell for her pixie cut at first sight.

Taylor: When did you first go short? How many inches did you initially chop off?

Katie: My first time I chopped my hair and started the “bob” tradition was actually in 3rd grade. I had grown my hair out pretty long and somehow heard about the organization Locks of Love. That first time they took 10 inches. Then 6 years later I decided to donate my ponytail again with a few other girls at my school at our dance marathon. That time they took 9 inches. And finally I thought why not go for three so I cut it yet again after my freshman year of college and donated another 11 inches.

Even though my hair grew to the shoulder length (throughout sophomore year of college) and was still “short”, I decided I needed it evened out and short again for (field hockey) preseason. I wasn’t expecting it to be this pixie short but I’m actually very happy with the result!

T: What was your inspiration/reasoning (a job, a guy, a celeb. do)?

K: My first inspiration came from donating it. My grandmother’s hairdresser told her about it and she asked me if I would ever want to do it. Now it’s just a competition with myself how many times I can chop it.

T: Did you receive any surprising reactions?

K: Yes! I was surprised myself because I didn’t know how it was going to turn out. I also think I surprised my friends and family. They knew I was trying to grow it back to be long again.

T: Did you get mostly positive or negative reactions?

K: To be honest they have all been positive, but I’m not sure if they’re all sincere or not. My friends seem to actually really like it, which surprises me.

T: How do you feel about Queen B’s new do?

K: Queen B is still THE Queen. She rocks it. Her hair was absolutely amazing before she cut it but I think now this will bring out a whole different side to her that we haven’t seen. I’m no way an expert on hair, but I love it on her.

T: Why do you think it is about short hair on beautiful, famous and talented women that cause such uproar by fans, media and society?

K: I personally think it is the look they are representing. Usually women are depicted with long beautiful hair. Even in shampoo and hair coloring commercials today men are gushing over a woman’s long thick soft hair. Women with short hair now have the same hairstyles as some men. Our society is still caught up with this concept of beauty that has been outlined for us even before we could even think of our own opinions. Almost every Disney princess has beautiful hair past their shoulders, and what little girl doesn’t want to be a princess?!

T: How does your short hair make you feel about yourself?

K: It was a big adjustment at first! And it still is to see my hair, especially after I shower and I really look like a guy with the flow going on. But I do feel very confident in it, and I would say it’s a boost in self-esteem! It’s a much nicer cut than what I had previously even though it is about 3 inches shorter. I actually like it so much I think it might stay this way for a while.

We love it too Katie! (And even more so that it started a helpful tradition!)

Guliana Ranic recently described her long hair days as “hoochie” on an E! News segment and larger than life celebrities Beyonce and Miley Cyrus have been sporting – and killing – super short cuts. We are all a board the short hair train, but we love it not only because its trendy (you’ve had long hair since age 13, right?) but because it takes guts. We know our fellow collegiates on hawk hill are more gorgeous than the norm, but how beautiful would they be with a new do? We have a feeling confidence on campus would radiate to the Ben Franklin.

Devin O’Connor, a 22 year old stylist at Sydney’s salon in Coopersburg, PA has done numerous cropped cuts throughout the summer, each time instagramming a before and after with the hastag #changingtheworldoneshorthaircutatatime. “A lot of people don’t think they can pull it off, but they can!” exclaimed Devin, who also confided that she convinced a number of her friends to chop their manes upon college graduation. “My own short hair makes me look more professional. When I had long hair, I would throw it up in a messy bun… it always is done now,” said Devin.

As for us, we’re ready to burst the stereotypes in the SJU bubble about hot being synonymous with lengthy locks. Taylor got her hair chopped Thursday, August 15th, days before she leaves to study abroad with me and my appointment is set right before my departure. Get your scrissors (well, appointments) ready hawks! We can’t wait to see you all unlock your inner Beyonce, work your cropped do’s in class and at the bars, and challenge the confinements of femininity. 

xo