I hate seeing the same person in the mirror every morning. And since going under the needle is not an option (scary thought!!!) I fall back on haircuts. As expensive as they are these days (what isn’t!?!?) I indulge in a haircut every two months. Without fail. Or else I get edgy to the point of wanting to shave all of my hair off. It’s not like I mark it on my calendar or anything but more like a timer goes off on its own.
My haircuts are without fail the “snip snip” sorts. I always make sure to maintain the length. You see most of my growing years were spend bald. Yes. Bald. This little girl with her cute pink frock on Eid was undoubtedly bald. Always. Without fail. Not because my hair didn’t grow but because I had was regularly subjected to mundans (shaving the head). And hence the little hat on my head all the time. I think it was only after I was a good 7-8 years old that my parents actually stopped this torture – although I must admit I always loved it…possibly because I didn’t know better I suppose! Finally when my hair grew out a little my mum was obsessed with oiling it. My poor sister always looked like an oiling factory and I refused to be associated to her or let my mum make me like that. I’d rather be bald!!!! Yuck! Also I would wail a lot when she combed my hair. See I got the wavy limp knotty hair and my sister got the straight silky hair. She also got the height and the stay thin forever genes. I got short and fat genes. GRRRRRR!
Anyways coming back to the story, sometime in my fifth grade I got a haircut coz my mum couldn’t tolerate my wailing and protest at combing my hair. So I got a really really short haircut. My god it was HIDEOUS. I was so embarrassed I started wearing a head scarf. As you could have gathered I was always conscious about the way I looked which is why I hated oiling it but I thought bald was cute earlier and I was too small to know better so that doesn’t count (as opposed to kids these days who pick their clothes from when they are 2!!!). Even when I went to the little grocery across the street I would wear a headscarf!!!! I avoided going out to play with my friends too. It was undoubtedly the most painful experience of my life. I looked like I was sporting a curly puffy pom-pom on my head. Just the thought of it gives me the creeps! Some of my cousins still use pictures of those times with me wearing my hideous haircut and these really ridiculous pink plastic glasses reading a Nancy Drew to get me to do things…!
Ever since I have avoided short hair like the plague. Despite my many haircuts I always make sure to maintain length. So it’s always a “snip snip” cut.
The last time I went for my haircut, one of the hairdressers had this really funky haircut that was really cropped short from the back but from the front it was longer giving the illusion of length if someone looks at you from the front. I absolutely loved it and was dying to get it. But I wasn’t sure coz of my old inhibitions. I trust my hairdresser but I “believed” it wouldn’t suit me so I let it go eventually. I went to get my fringe trimmed the other day and I have no idea what possessed me and suddenly I wanted a haircut. I had a talk with two hairdressers (my own and the one who had the haircut) and they persuaded me to go for it. R was just sitting silent all the time sulking and saying “Do it if you really want to”. I know he didn’t want me to get it cut coz he loved my previous haircut and I promised him before we got there I wasn’t going to shorten it just trim the fringe in the front. He kept sulking about it but I was in frenzy all of a sudden and I just wanted to do it. I absolutely loved that haircut since the last time and I just knew that it was now or never.
Bracing myself I said to Sanchita (my hairdresser @Juice) to either just trim or cut it REALLY short. I said I’d shut my eyes and just go for it. So eyes shut I was waiting to hear what judgment her scissors would pronounce. And that it was. She held my hair and cut it right in the center up to the base of my neck. R got up and said “It’s done now. There’s nothing you can do”. And that’s how I ended up with this.
And I absolutely LOVE it. My hair was just about 5-6 inches above my waist when I walked into the salon. Now they are up to my neck 😉 FREEDOM is sweet.
Of course ever haircut means lots of new hair care products too. Another reason for my oh-so-often visits! Haircuts are so much FUN! Everyone liked it at work but they’ve been honest enough to say the previous one was the best ever. Fair enough but this one is quite unconventionally cool too! Love it.
My mum’s reaction was the funniest. She’s like “Aage se tou theek hai lekin peechai see usne kharab kar diya. Dekha kya tumne? Itne chote kar diye galti se” (They are okay from the front but she spoilt them from behind. Did you see? She’s made them too short from the back by mistake.)
I couldn’t stop laughing. She hates my haircut. She prefers my sister with short hair and me with longer. I think she’s trying to make peace it with though. 🙂
a woman of no importance. 