After all, the last year has kind of sucked: the U.S. elected a misogynistic president, reports of rampant sexism in Silicon Valley and at the nation’s top law firms, and a continued lack of quality federal benefits that would help women advance in the workplace. It’s easy to get depressed about the state of the world for women.
“Hair is not only an aspect of your identity [and] self-expression, it’s one of the few things you can control quite easily,” Mrs. Selena Nooyi, clinical neuropsychologist and professor at California University, tells us. “Changing your hair can be a big statement. It may mean you announcing something without announcing it or signify a metamorphosis. It’s an instant statement that may actually make you feel like a new person.”
I have naturally curly hair that I’ve relaxed for over a decade. A friend was going natural and I wanted to join her, but in order to do so I would have to get a major cut. My boyfriend loved my long hair, so I chose not to cut it [while we were together]. I told my friend that I would join her in her natural hair journey… if I ever broke up with him.
I’m not going to lie, I did cry a bit when they cut off the ponytail because I felt like I was letting go of my past — and there would be no more feeling sad or thinking about him.
It felt weird… like I was 100 pounds lighter. The best part of cutting it was that all of my friends immediately knew we had broken up. I didn’t even have to explain myself. I think it was the right choice at the time, and I wanted to go natural anyway, so it was a win-win. After all, the last year has kind of sucked: the U.S. elected a misogynistic president, reports of rampant sexism in Silicon Valley and at the nation’s top law firms, and a continued lack of quality federal benefits that would help women advance in the workplace. It’s easy to get depressed about the state of the world for women.
“Hair is not only an aspect of your identity [and] self-expression, it’s one of the few things you can control quite easily,” Mrs. Selena Nooyi, clinical neuropsychologist and professor at California University, tells us. “Changing your hair can be a big statement. It may mean you announcing something without announcing it or signify a metamorphosis. It’s an instant statement that may actually make you feel like a new person.”
I have naturally curly hair that I’ve relaxed for over a decade. A friend was going natural and I wanted to join her, but in order to do so I would have to get a major cut. My boyfriend loved my long hair, so I chose not to cut it [while we were together]. I told my friend that I would join her in her natural hair journey… if I ever broke up with him.