Thursday, July 19, 2012

Hair Adventures!

I got a DRASTIC haircut this week. It's more drastic than anything I've done in about six years, and I am soooo in love with it! I thought it would be fun to take a look at my hair adventures for the last 7-8 years.

(Click to enlarge)

 This is a montage of my many colors and styles since 2004 (with a few throwbacks in the lower right corner just for fun) You can see that I had short- to medium-length hair (starting in the late '90s, not pictured) all the way until I met Joe in 2008. I never had the patience to grow it any longer than shoulder-length, so I'd inevitably chop it off once it got there.

But Joe wanted to see me with long hair. He begged me to let it grow out, and the trade-off was that he would play with my hair whenever I wanted him to, as long as I kept it growing. Honestly, my love for my husband (and for having my hair played with) was sometimes the only thing that helped me resist the urge to go for a big change.

I did come to love having long hair, for the most part. But there are a few things about it that got to me, like:
  • Catching it whenever I put my purse over my shoulder
  • Snagging it in the car door when I sit and close it too quickly (OUCH!)
  • TANGLES
But, while it was growing long, I enjoyed playing with the color and with different hairstyles (thanks to YouTube and Pinterest inspirations). And I felt super feminine, which wasn't always the case (ahem, March to December, 2006, aka WHAT WAS I THINKING?!).

So anyway. Awhile back, I told Joe I really wanted to donate my hair, and he agreed to let me do it if I agreed to dye it whatever color he wanted; but I had to make sure it wouldn't be pixie-short, so it needed enough time to grow out a decent amount. I decided it would be long enough right around the time I was getting my braces off, so why not go for a whole new look once I was done looking like a teenager? And thus: I am now the owner of a sophisticated, sexy blonde bob!

It turned out a few inches shorter in the back than Joe was picturing it, but I've assured him that I will let it grow out again, and hey -- it's not the shortest it's ever been, and definitely not a butch-looking cut like I've had before (ahem, SERIOUSLY, 2006!). And while I was blonde-ish in June 2010, that was just a subtle highlight over my natural dirty-blonde, and this new color is an all-over blonde with honeys and caramels throughout it, and I LOVE IT. I may even go a little lighter at my next appointment!

Side note: Do you think I look like "me" in the 1991 picture (my sixth birthday)? I feel like most people, when they hit age six or seven, start to look like "them" -- the person they'll be for the rest of their lives -- but I don't know if that was true for me. I think I may not have started looking like me until I was like 13. But I digress.

YAY HAIR!

7 comments:

  1. Are you kidding me? I love your 2006 hairdos! I have a hard time with short hair because the texture and thickness don't cooperate well with such styles. If I could rock the shorter hairstyles the way you did, I'd definitely get it cut that short way more often!

    This is a pretty cool collage, by the way. So many different colors and styles! Except for some super short (boyish) haircuts while I was in the military, and that year I tried to grow out my bangs, my hairstyle (save for varying lengths), has essentially remained unchanged since high school. I'm so boring!

    Also, I hate to say this, but this notion of your husband "letting" you cut your hair kind of bothers me. I mean, I think it's awesome that you grew it out so he could see what it looked like and enjoy the long hair, but it's kinda like when I pestered Allan to grow a goatee. He obliged, but when he got sick of it, off it came, no matter my preference. Ultimately, it's 100% your decision how you want to cut and style your own hair, you shouldn't have to bargain for it. If you like it and want to do it, go for it, and unless that particular style or color looks terrible on you, it's really nobody's beeswax but your own!

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    1. Sorry if it bothers you, but I don't agree that it's 100% my decision. I married Joe and we became a team, and I care about his opinions and preferences. I know that I could do whatever I want with my hair and he wouldn't love me any less, but I respect him as my husband and if it makes him happy to see me with long locks, I will continue to grow them out for him. I mean, if I absolutely HATED having long hair, it'd be a different conversation; but I didn't mind it at all. I just like being able to play around with it, and I'm thankful that I was able to make this big change WITH Joe's full support. Every decision I make is Joe's beeswax as much as it's mine.

      I respect your point of view, but the dynamics of my marriage are quite different from yours, so your opinions are not always applicable for me. I value your friendship, but would appreciate if you would refrain from giving me marital advice in the future.

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    2. I apologize for overstepping my bounds. The way I read into it, it sounded more like Joe was applying a heavier hand than need be. I definitely agree that so long as you didn't mind it yourself, it's not a big deal. Maybe I just read too much into the word "letting"? It reminded me of, for example, people (even our own friends!) who express surprise that Allan would "let" me go to karaoke without him. It can be a charged word, and I'm sorry for applying those "controlling" connotations to this situation.

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  2. Have you sent in your hair yet? If not, want to send mine (from my last haircut a long time ago) at the same time. I meant to send it in, but set it aside and forgot about it.

    Love the collage.
    Mom

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    1. I haven't sent it yet! I'll bring it home tonight and we can send them off together. :)

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  3. On another note... maybe the 1991 pic is too small to see clearly, but I don't see much resemblance, either. I look at Todd, who is so tall he blends in with 9-10 year olds, and yet he sticks out because he still has such a baby face! Maybe that general rule of thumb is more accurate if you have really distinguishing features, like a big nose or unique eyes? On the other hand, I don't think Allan (with those unmistakable ears) looks much like his early junior high photos, so who knows!

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  4. I LOVE the new hair, but pretty sure I've already told you that :) You sexy blonde you!

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Thanks for your comment! I try to reply to all comments within the post itself so we can keep the conversation going.