When I decided to dye my blonde locks brown in the midst of a painful divorce, I realized the act of changing my hair was less about defiance and more about manifesting positive change
Such a relatable piece! I first tried to dye my hair blond in Vienna at 18 with a Japanese girlfriend who had no experience, which resulted in red hair for a few years. Great work!
What strikes me is the ritual function. After my divorce I got a pixie cut. Cutting off most of my hair felt like shedding an old life to reveal something underneath that had been there all along, waiting. I looked in the mirror and saw confidence for the first time in my adult life. In my early forties, I cut it again, a bob that suits my face better than any other haircut I've had... just like my new writing life suits me better than any work I've done. The hair didn't cause any of that. But ritual matters because change can feel like a kind of death, and we need something physical to mark it. Something we can point to and say: that's when.
Great piece! I've never colored my hair (or had the urge to) but I love this window into your psychology in hindsight
Such a relatable piece! I first tried to dye my hair blond in Vienna at 18 with a Japanese girlfriend who had no experience, which resulted in red hair for a few years. Great work!
Thanks so much, Amy! I've definitely had some hair colors go wrong too. Glad I don't have any pictures of those disasters. ;-)
Loved! I so relate to how connected changing my hair is to big life transitions!
Thanks so much for reading, sharing, and chiming in, Blair!
Great to see yourself in many different ways! Love that energy.
What strikes me is the ritual function. After my divorce I got a pixie cut. Cutting off most of my hair felt like shedding an old life to reveal something underneath that had been there all along, waiting. I looked in the mirror and saw confidence for the first time in my adult life. In my early forties, I cut it again, a bob that suits my face better than any other haircut I've had... just like my new writing life suits me better than any work I've done. The hair didn't cause any of that. But ritual matters because change can feel like a kind of death, and we need something physical to mark it. Something we can point to and say: that's when.