Making any sort of change to your hair can be an extremely delicate procedure. One wrong move and – BAM! – you have to chop all of your hair off. To most everyone, this would be the one thing to out-disaster all disasters. I have been a party to many of these disasters, and I just can’t seem to learn my lesson.

I dye my hair constantly, and if you are wondering what kind of damage that can cause, the answer is simple – a lot. Imagine neon blue horse hair but on a human. This is my hair more often than not. Usually, when I turn my hair into a crime scene,

I just deal with it and try a plethora of healing products. This past week, however, I decided to take the dive and chop my hair off.

This decision, mind you, was not an easy one. For weeks, I debated on whether or not I should take that step and lose my long pink hair or tough it out until it magically heals itself. I was scared that short hair would look bad on me, and I would hate it. Dying my hair a series of unconventional colors was never a problem, but, for some reason, cutting my hair to an extremely short length turned into a giant road block. I was baffled by my hesitation. In the end,

I realized that my worry was based off the antiquated notion that women are more beautiful and feminine when they have long hair.

I am never one to give power to societal “norms” and rarely let them influence my appearance. When I became aware of what was holding me back from doing what was best for my hair, I was disappointed in myself. I was more worried about how other people would perceive me rather than my own self-perception. After I thought it over and realized that I honestly don’t and shouldn’t care about the opinions of others, it was remarkably easy to kiss my hair goodbye.

Yes, I will most likely miss being able to put my hair in a ponytail, and my ears are already a lot colder than they have
ever been, but it doesn’t matter. I like my new short hair, and I am proud of myself for cutting it even though other people may not like it. I am happy, and if I find something that makes me happy, I won’t let anyone dissuade me from it. Whether it be your hair, your clothing style or a quirky hobby- don’t let society decide if it’s right or wrong. Just be yourself, do what makes your happy and never be ashamed.