2016 Feb 19
“If you wanna be taken seriously, you need to have serious hair” – this is a thought pattern that’s occurred to us one too many times. We say that our hair style, colour and length would be indicators of our personality, of how we want the world to perceive us, but how many of us really do stay true to who we are? The point is, there’s just a handful of women willing to experiment, willing to take that risk and that time to look their best. How many of you girls out there can say, ‘Besides spending a bit of my time on makeup before going for work, I also sit down and try out a DIY hair style that matches my outfit’? Sadly, in terms of Sri Lankan society, there would be less than a handful.
Staying true to who you are is actually something quite radical today.. Our society has fabricated what’s right and wrong to suit their own needs and narrow-mindedness so much, that our culture is now a void that we blindly base our actions on to avoid consequences. Consequences like:
“Did you see that girl who has these fancy hair-do’s every day?”
“I can’t believe her mother let her do it, she’s asking for attention.”
“We weren’t like this in our time. They are overdoing it.”
Show of hands, how many of you are withholding your desire to maybe try out a DIY tutorial you saw on YouTube the other day because you’re afraid the above conversation is going to happen? Why is it not okay to do something ‘crazy’, but in reality, just different? Why are we waiting for everyone’s permission? We take too much thinking about the backlash we will need to endure when we try something a little new, a little different. Even something innocent, personal, and completely individualistic – like a hair style every day in the morning when you go for work, lectures or a casual outing.
What we are really doing, is shutting down who we really are. You only live once. Try out a new style, it doesn’t matter if you feel like all the attention is on you. With time, you’ll learn to embrace who you are shining through, and being acknowledged, and not always blending into the background. You’ll see more girls around you empowered to do the same thing.
A bit of change is a positive thing – it doesn’t make you a try hard or a wannabe. It makes you dynamic, interesting and true to how you feel and which part of your personality you want to highlight to suit different occasions. Looking the way you feel, styling your hair and embodying the character you want to be is a powerful thing. Us girls, we’re so diverse, our lifestyles are so rich with potential – but right now, our hair is holding us back. One glance, and people judge you incorrectly. Don’t let them.
Taking a bit of extra time to look good really empowers you and gives you the confidence you need to get through your day. We all want to be socially accepted and we think the minute we make an extra effort, people are going to notice it and then assume us to be wanting ‘attention’. Read that sentence again. Do you notice how ridiculous it sounds? Don’t be the kid in the class who knows everything but isn’t willing to raise her hand and answer the question out loud because she is afraid she’s going to be bullied. If you don’t change the norm, the norm changes you.
Start with your hair. It may seem silly, like some superficial thing – but remember that how you look is half the battle, most of the time – and not just for the world – this is for you. So don’t let it be the one thing that weighs you down!
