I've been thinking a lot about hair lately. Mainly because I'm considering a job which would involve me getting short hair. I haven't had my hair cut short since, oh, something like second grade. Back when I wanted to actually be a boy because girls were so lame in my view. I had my hair cut like a boy until third grade, when I had to wear a skirt to the first day at my new school so people would know I was a girl (my mom's reasoning). At the time I really disliked wearing skirts. I didn't get over that until just quite recently. I also really hated leggings until just recently, but that's another story.

But anyway, my ponderings on short hair have had many hmm's and haw's. In this month's Elle, actually, there is an article by Johanna Cox (who won Stylista, if anyone watched that show), about her making the leap to short hair. I always thought she was very beautiful and her short hair was very striking. Her article confirmed some of my fears regarding short hair. She boldly went and cut her shoulder length hair off, only to come home and have her boyfriend tell her that he was less attracted to her, sans hair. I mean, for me, that is somewhat an issue. I'm not one of those girls who doesn't shave her legs and won't wear bras because she doesn't care what men think of her. But at the same time I'm not sitting at home sitting in front of the mirror worrying about what boys want.

For me, it's more that my hair is a defining aspect of who I am. It's a joke in my family about my daily hair compliment from complete strangers, and 90% of the comments I get on this blog and my Chictopia are in reference to my hair. I don't even really like putting it in a pony tail because I'm so used to seeing myself with my hair framing my face- it doesn't even look like my own face without my hair.

Perhaps this is all just some sick co-dependency issue I have with my hair. Perhaps we need to "break up" and get some space. I would never do it if I wasn't forced, though, but considering this job which requires a mane alteration, has made me think.

I'm not someone with normal hair, so it's not like I can carry off just any short hair style. I run the risk of acquiring an afro if I'm not careful. The shorter my hair is, the curlier it gets without gravity pulling on it. It's more like a terrifying experiment than just going to the hairdresser, showing them a photo and saying, "I want this."

(not sure where these came from except last: Karla)

I just don't know. People are always like, "It's just hair, it'll grow back," but for a woman hair is often more than "just hair." I suppose I've realized that hair is caught up with a whole myriad of emotional and psychological issues. I won't decide upon my career and, consequently, hair paths for quite a few months, so it's not a pressing matter. Just one more thing for my brain to mull over in its spare time. Thank God I'm going to be working full time in a few weeks, all this brain free-time is going to put me in a home.

What do you guys think about hair? Shorties- how has it affected your life? Longies- would you ever dare to chop it off?