Haircuts and Appearance

So a couple days ago, I got my hair cut super short (think Emma Watson). I completely love it, it’s so easy to manage and it’s nice a cool and off my neck. This summer I’ve been working at my old school’s summer day care. When I walked in on Monday with my short hair, they kind of freaked out. They asked me if I meant to get it cut that short and insisted that, despite my makeup and earrings, I looked like a boy. Frankly, this doesn’t really bother me. I’ve been accused of being a boy before: I’ve been hit on by girls and gay guys that were shocked when they heard I was a girl. I’ve been called a lesbian and a dyke (even though I am 100% straight). I’ve sort of become immune to being mistaken for a boy. Heck, as I was getting the cut, there was one point where I looked in the mirror and thought I looked very similar to my younger brother before he graduated and started to grow out his hair.

Suffice it to say, I don’t really care what people think about my looks, I care much more about what I like and how comfortable I am. Honestly, if I really cared how I looked, my wardrobe would probably be a lot different. There would likely be no steampunk things, skirts would be worn more often (I have some I’m just not big on wearing them that much), there wouldn’t be so many articles from the boy’s section, and my hair would be long and driving me nuts.

That’s not to say that I don’t care about my looks at all. I do, I’m human, I want people to like me and compliment me. In fact, in just about everything outside of my dresser/closet, I’m very much a people pleaser… it’s not exactly a good thing. Sometimes I find myself wondering if I dress “strangely” in an act of independence from people or because I want their attention. Perhaps it’s a little of both.

In any case, there’s one thing I try to keep in mind: I dress for myself not for anyone else. Sure, sometimes I don’t mind a little attention (I tend to get a good deal when I go out in my steampunk outfits), but in the end, I wear the clothes for my own enjoyment and comfort. And yes, I try my best not to wear anything that isn’t comfortable: even my steampunk is comfortable emotionally if not physically (although most of my stuff isn’t uncomfortable). By emotionally, I mean that I feel confident… much more so than I do normally. That is one thing I love about steampunk, I generally feel like a completely different person, someone that is confident and doesn’t care at all what people think.

Anyway, it’s always important to remember that it doesn’t matter what other people think about your appearance (outside of general hygiene or if it’s for a job or something) as long as you feel comfortable with yourself. Don’t dress to impress other people (again, outside of job interviews or if you have a work uniform or something), dress in such a way that you feel confident and relaxed. What’s important is what you think about how you look, not what others think. So, if you want to cut your hair down to like 2 inches in length, go for it, don’t worry about what other people will say as long as you like it.

Just because it’s fun, doesn’t mean you should do it

We all know those activities, the ones that are so much fun to do but in the end only end up causing pain. For instance: yesterday my college student activity board (SAB) organized a Blowout event with a fun carnival type time, free (very yummy) food, and a movie (The Muppets FTW!!!!!). At the carnival, there was this inflated thing-a-ma-jig where you strap yourself into a harness attached to a bungee cord, run as hard and far as you can, and get brutally yanked back once you reach the limit. This thing was sooooo much fun, I totally loved it and went on it THREE times (in addition to going through the inflated obstacle course and racing on pedal cars). At the time of course I gave no thought to the fact that I was being pulled back so suddenly and brutally, it was so much fun I even went as far as I could, pulling until I could move no further, and then jumped to let it pull me back and felt like I was flying. So, imagine my utter surprise when I wake up this morning and I feel like my neck has to be the most bruised and battered part of my body ever. I found myself wondering “did I get in a car accident?” I can’t even attempt to rub out the soreness because right now, just touching or moving my neck at all makes me want to groan or scream.

Just goes to show that just because something looks fun doesn’t mean you should do it. Especially over and over and over again. Now I’m not saying don’t do fun things, heck, as annoying as the saying is, you only live once. So do fun things, have a great time and enjoy your life, but realize that you do only live one life so don’t go being stupid and landing yourself in serious pain or even worse in the hospital. Have fun, but be smart, don’t go overboard.

Now… can someone hand me a neck brace?