I remember the pain that preceded the pleasure of having long, beautiful locks when I was an adolescent. I may have been pouting when my mom told me to “grease my scalp” and “tie up” my hair at night, but you couldn’t tell me I wasn’t pretty when I was whipping my hair back and forth as I walked into my 6th grade classroom the next morning. The hours and tears spent in what at times seemed like Hell’s kitchen bracing myself as my mom removed the hot comb from the stove’s flames all seemed worth it when the other girls in class told me that my hair was so pretty and being able to confidently remark that it was all mine.
I wouldn’t say that my mother highly regarded long natural hair, but every time I walk into her house with a crown of freshly purchased bohemian curls she gives me the side-eye before commenting how “nice” my hair looks. I’ll never forget the time my sister went from brunette bob to a short Monica-esque crop with burgundy highlights. I thought the look was cute for her, but my mom was too busy lamenting over the lost length to even notice.
When it comes to hair, many of us like our locks long and luscious. However, this opinion isn’t only limited to black women. How many episodes of America’s Next Top Model have you seen where the girls regardless of race, let the tears fall more than the locks of hair that Tyra has recommended be trimmed from their heads? Even after a short, edgy cut reveals just how truly fierce these ladies are, they still aren’t able to let go of the idea that their beauty left with their long hair.
When a woman pulls out the scissors you know it means she’s on the verge of an emotional breakthrough. Angela Bassett’s character “Bernadine” in Waiting to Exhale regained her independence through a big chop after a failed marriage. As the heroine “Slim” in Enough, we all knew that Jennifer Lopez was no longer going to be a victim as soon as traded in matronly long waves for a strong, Hot shag. Whether it’s a voluntary choice to reclaim your identity, or the recommendation of a super-model mogul that may make or break your career in the fashion industry, when a woman cuts her hair it can be a very emotional experience.
The truth is that even though many of us as young girls once dreamed of having bone-straight ebony locks like Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine, your parent’s may have eliminated your chances before you were even born. Hair length is, in part, genetically determined. According to hair facts listed by P&G Beauty Grooming, anagen is a phase in the hair cycle where active growth occurs that usually lasts in between three and seven years in most people. “How long anagen lasts is determined genetically and varies between the sexes and from one person to another…Only people with long anagen times can expect to grow their hair down to their waist.”
Long hair is not flattering to everyone. I personally think the beauty of celebrities like Monica and Nia Long is truly enhanced when they rock shorter styles. I’ve always had so much respect for women who can take their hair almost down to the follicle with a close fade and rock it with confidence and poise. Other women choose to fake it until they make it opting to spend their life savings on extensions to achieve the popular looks they see on magazine covers and on TV. While I don’t have anything against a good weave the truth is that a head of healthy short or shoulder-length hair looks better than long poorly styled wig or weave any day.
What if maintenance is your issue? I’ve heard many times that longer hair is easier to maintain. If you’re having a bad day, you always can run to your nearest ponytail holder to be rescued, but with shorter hair those options are limited. What a short cut can do is unleash some hidden creativity when you find yourself in between trips to the salon. It also allows you to focus on your unique facial features since you can no longer hide them beneath long lengths.
In a world where long lengthy tresses are as representative of femininity as full, round breasts, cutting your hair is an ultimate “F you” to those traditional and jaded views of beauty. More and more women are embracing the idea that you don’t need hair brushing the small of your back to be beautiful and that in fact that hair might be hiding their true beauty.
Did you go for the big chop? Was it an emotional experience?
Toya Sharee is a community health educator who has a passion for helping young women build their self-esteem and make well-informed choices about their sexual health. She also advocates for women’s reproductive rights and blogs about everything from beauty to love and relationships. Follow her on Twitter @TheTrueTSharee.
