HAIRCUTOLOGY by A. S. Leckrone
When I was about four or five, my mom tried to cut my hair herself. She may have thought, "well I cut her two older brothers hair, what could be so hard about it?" Well, I guess the difference was that she didn't realize how difficult I could be at that age. After she cut my hair, I apparently started crying, saying that it was too short, and that I hated it. Now, this story is funny in retrospect, considering I have had very short hair for several years now, and currently have a shaved head. But it seems like even at that young of an age, I still slightly grasped the concept that haircuts matter. Not only do hair cuts and styles affect how you think you look, but also affects how others see you, and how they interact with you, and therefore affects the way you act in turn.
After going through several haircuts, styles, and lengths I can definitely say that the cut and style I have determines slightly how I feel. Now, of course we are always ourselves, inherently…But any of you who have ever drastically changed a hairdo, might understand that dramatic shift those locks can control. For instance, lets run through some quick terrible gender binary hairstyle stereotypes in the adult world…
Women
Shoulder-length hair — standard / safe
Really long hair — still safe / Maybe a "hippie"
Chin-length hair —a bit edgy / a bit bold / but still safe
Long hair with half or portion of the head shaved — trending / edgy
Pixie-cut — a bit edgy / cute / "artistic" / alternative / maybe she's gay?
Anything shorter than that — LESBIAN
Shaved head — some people think it's daring / some people think it's sexy / some people think you are sick with cancer. (real talk)
Men
crew-cut — standard / safe
shaved head — safe / militant
messy short hair — safe / alternative / hip
really long hair — rockstar or "hippie"
top buns — trending
Facial hair is a whole nother article, sorry y'all.
Okay, now that we have some generally terrible, and terribly general stereotypes I think we should mostly be able to agree upon, let's move forward. With these preconceived social constructs surrounding hairstyles and what it probably means if you have one, there lies many yes, interesting stories of ignorant people, but also many dangers. The way the public eye reacts to hairstyles really reflects the way we are all groomed—from even a young age—to follow various generalizations about class, gender, sexuality, and lifestyle. All of this social psychology, and what goes on inside our heads, can start to be told with what is on top of them.
As a female-bodied person, in my mid-twenties, I have experienced long hair, short hair, shorter hair, and a shaved head. I have only bleached my hair once or twice, and other than that experimented more with length rather than colors. But, regardless, it has still been an adequate lesson in the salon of social interaction. When I first cut my hair shorter than my chin, I think it was a more messy pixie-type cut…I realized my presence held a new weight. There was a new image that I represented. At that time, it might have been — freshman in college, art school, wanting a better solution than pony-tails on hot days, and maybe I was gay. That was mostly true, and mostly what people probably thought of me. The next few years consisted of shaving more and more off. I rocked the extremely close shaved sides with the flop-top for a good while. Had the long curls on top contrast with the slim sides, that was one of my favorites. One hot summer day, I got sick of that so I shaved it all off with scissors and a hand-held Gillette Venus razor. I think it took me an hour and a half, but I felt like it was worth it. I had been wanting to shave my head one day, and I knew that when I did it, I wanted to do it myself, and not tell anyone about it. So it was liberating, and had a special meaning to me. Since then, I've let it grow back a bit, get that shaggy awkward length, then shave it all off again. But now it's just more like, "fuck it, i don't want hair" rather than some special moment or statement for myself.
It's interesting though, cus as a woman with a short, styled haircut, a lot of people assume you are a lesbian, or maybe bisexual, or at least in goddamn art school. Something. But as a woman with no hair, a very shaved, bald head…People aren't as quick to jump to conclusions. With a short-styled haircut, people would not hesitate to tell you they like your haircut…The mention of your hairstyle can be a quick compliment, and then they keep going with the day. I found though, the first time I shaved my head, some people were more cautious to say anything. With how short it was, and my occasional wearing of head scarves, you could tell some people thought that maybe I had cancer, or that I knew someone else who did. If people did ask about it or compliment me, more times then not, it was more of a conversation then a quick compliment. Like, "Why did you do it, when did you do it, how does it feel, etc etc." There seemed to be much more dialogue surrounding the absence of hair rather than a various style of it. Although, some people did just give brief compliments saying "I like your no-hair" or "your head is nicely-shaped" or my favorite, the classic head nod from another shaved-head woman driving past, as we were both parked at a red light. Solidarity in the simplest sense, which I appreciated. One thing that irks me, is when women tell me that they think that I can "pull it off" but they somehow can't. I don't buy it. I think any woman, any human can shave their head, and love it…And with confidence comes beauty.
But I think still, there is that conversation of sexuality, with any sort of short hair on a woman. Like even if a girl has mostly long hair, but then turns her head and there is this patch of shaved scalp, people think…Hmm, maybe she could be gay. It's like our scalps are sexuality maps, and any inch of shaved hair on a woman's head charts out the degree of her homosexuality. Well, wouldn't that be convenient for people.
I just think it is fascinating how much hair influences the ways in which we interact with each other.
When I have a shaved head I feel clean, and free and refreshed. Or when people get a fresh new haircut, man or woman, they feel better, act better, people see them more confidently, and therefore treat them with more respect. Self-repsect and general respect both can be directed through a hairstyle. I think it is sorta metaphorical too, seeing as hair can fall out, and grow back, and change, just as anything in life, therefore it represents the fleeting passing of time and place. I think that experimenting with hairstyles and style in general will only do good things, to push boundaries and preconceived assumptions of what people think they mean. I think the more styles and people trying new things, the harder it will be to think it's logical to group people into boxes based on what's on top of their heads rather than what's inside of it.
Alison is from Ohio. She is a visual artist/performer/designer/dancer and overall creative creature. She studied in Cincinnati, now resides in Columbus. She is the lyricist for the musical duo, TIGR HORS. She likes buzz cuts, houndstooth, spoken word poetry, being outdoors, boats, and sparkling water.
