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Friday, July 02, 2004
kimoi =(
ok, i know i am not the centre of the universe. i know there are horrible things happening to people around the world at this very instant. i know i am spoiled and soft and beyond privileged. i know i am petty and materialistic. i know some of the closest people to me have suffered immeasurably. i know there are more important things in life to stress over.
but i really really really don`t like my hair
i gave yet another japanese hairdresser carte blanche, and i ended up losing about three inches off my hair, instead of the requested one inch trim. She also thoroughly deconstructed the interior, and now it`s all weird and feathery and ugh, shaggy. my hair is like, complicated now!!! i have to use product =(( argh!! none of this wake-up-and-go-to-work routine anymore. it`s worse than the mullet cuz it`s so short. i know this is definitely a test of my vanity, which i did ask for, but i am failing miserably.
it`s really shocking how a bad hair day can affect your mood. i laughed at laura (good-naturedly!!) when she had that highlighting fiasco, telling her not to stress about it because it was just hair. hah. it`s not just hair. it`s identity, confidence, self-worth... i remember watching a documentary about african-american women and their relationship with their hair. the main conflict it explored was the choice to wear one`s hair in its natural state vs. choosing to get it relaxed/straightened. it seemed that going natural evoked a more earthy, powerful, "real" image, while relaxed hair was worn by women who wanted to be part of the mainstream, insinuating a "false" beauty since it resembled the Caucasian standard. I was amazed at the political (and thusly personal) statements people made with their hair... Political Hair? but if you can think of the body as a mirror for one`s surroundings, then duh, of course (this also reminded me of the debate over the double eyelid within the Asian community). It`s hard to extricate the feminine self from the coiffure, and I don`t think it`ll get easier, especially since culture is quickly becoming more porous, transparent.
.
.
.
wow, i have spent way too much time thinking about this. i am so insecure eh?
ok, i know i am not the centre of the universe. i know there are horrible things happening to people around the world at this very instant. i know i am spoiled and soft and beyond privileged. i know i am petty and materialistic. i know some of the closest people to me have suffered immeasurably. i know there are more important things in life to stress over.
but i really really really don`t like my hair
i gave yet another japanese hairdresser carte blanche, and i ended up losing about three inches off my hair, instead of the requested one inch trim. She also thoroughly deconstructed the interior, and now it`s all weird and feathery and ugh, shaggy. my hair is like, complicated now!!! i have to use product =(( argh!! none of this wake-up-and-go-to-work routine anymore. it`s worse than the mullet cuz it`s so short. i know this is definitely a test of my vanity, which i did ask for, but i am failing miserably.
it`s really shocking how a bad hair day can affect your mood. i laughed at laura (good-naturedly!!) when she had that highlighting fiasco, telling her not to stress about it because it was just hair. hah. it`s not just hair. it`s identity, confidence, self-worth... i remember watching a documentary about african-american women and their relationship with their hair. the main conflict it explored was the choice to wear one`s hair in its natural state vs. choosing to get it relaxed/straightened. it seemed that going natural evoked a more earthy, powerful, "real" image, while relaxed hair was worn by women who wanted to be part of the mainstream, insinuating a "false" beauty since it resembled the Caucasian standard. I was amazed at the political (and thusly personal) statements people made with their hair... Political Hair? but if you can think of the body as a mirror for one`s surroundings, then duh, of course (this also reminded me of the debate over the double eyelid within the Asian community). It`s hard to extricate the feminine self from the coiffure, and I don`t think it`ll get easier, especially since culture is quickly becoming more porous, transparent.
.
.
.
wow, i have spent way too much time thinking about this. i am so insecure eh?
// posted by naomi @ 12:28 a.m. 
