A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD HAIRCUT
Close your eyes and think of your school photos.
No really take a second, and pour over them in your minds eye.
How did it make you feel? Where did you go first in your memory?
Most peoples will go one of two ways.
THEIR BEST
They jump to the year where they felt their best. The year they came into their own. The year they made captain of the team, or had their first kiss or made their best friend 4 Eva Eva, 4Eva Eva.
2. THEIR WORST
They hop right on down to shame Ville. That’s right. They recall the year they thought they were so cool and had the full mullet - but they didn’t do anything half ass at 13, oh no they had the steps shaved in and the line in the eyebrow. ALL OUT. Or when they were fighting the power with that mohawk. The time you shaved your head to fight the patriarchy. All terrible. All Valid.
The point is that everyone has a best, and everyone has a TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GO VERY BAD HAIRCUT in their adolescence.
MY BEST/WORST HAIR
GRADE 10 BAD HAIR THAT I ACTUALLY REALLY LOVED.
The thing is though when you’re between the ages of 10 and 15 is when you are SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE WORST HAIR OF YOUR LIFE!
BAD STYLE EXAMPLE 2
You are supposed to try on a bunch of different styles and looks and haircuts and clothes and personalities and figure our who the fork you are going to become already.
I know this, partially because I’ve watched The OC, and The Fosters and Saved By The Bell just like you, and partially because my own tiny humans are teaching me these lessons one (somewhat costly) style experiment at a time.
I’m watching it happen in real time, and I’m reminded of just how scary that time in our lives is. How scary it was as a kid trying to figure out who I was and why I didn’t seem to fit like anyone else.
Now I realize that I had a whole bunch of interesting things going on beneath the surface, but I think the experience is to universal for the most part .
BUT
I think we can make space for ourselves to have the experiences now, that we didn’t have as a kid.
We can heal that part of ourselves all on our own.
And now I’ll admit that I may have been burying the lead here.
I’ve been thinking a lot about shaving my head recently.
I even put a poll up on Instagram the other day. The overwhelming response was “NO NO NO!!! Don’t Do It!” But I think I just might have to anyway.
You see I have had my bad girl haircuts.
I tried to figure out who I was in girl form.
In that costume.
It never could fit. It was itchy and mismatched and cut off my circulation in all the wrong places.
But I didn’t ever get to have my bad haircuts as a little boy.
And the itch is there. It’s nipping at my heels.
I know I’ll regret it. But I’m probably going to do it anyway.