For the past couple of years, I have wanted to cut off a significant amount of my hair. There were many times when I almost went through with it, but never actually did. After being hesitant for quite a while, I finally decided to cut off around ten inches of hair a few months ago. It felt strange to be so different, and I thought that would definitely be enough of a change to satisfy me for a while. However, a couple of weeks ago, I found myself sitting in yet another salon chair with the intention of cutting off several more inches. Recently, I have felt the absence of my hair more than I originally did, but I don’t regret it at all.  A habit of mine is to mess with my hair when I’m thinking, so I’m constantly surprised to find that it is much shorter.

I’m sad to say that I originally waited for so long to cut my hair because of other people’s perceptions. I eventually just had to decide that I was going to do what I wanted, despite extremely strong opposition from the people that I care about. Even something as simple as a haircut helped prove to me that people in your life are supposed to have a positive influence, not the opposite. I had many reasons for cutting my hair, but the biggest thing was that cutting my hair was more of me claiming my life as mine with whatever that will mean.