Ever since I was thirteen years old I’ve been yearning to have cascading, untamed hair. I dreamt of a mane that would graze the floor, one that I could braid with flowers and wear as a crown upon my head. I managed to maintain this obsession for eight years. I would beg my hairdresser to just cut a teeny bit off, and two years ago I stopped getting my haircut altogether. I never really considered why I wanted long and wild hair. Maybe because I saw it as beautiful and feminine and after awhile I was frightened of change. I’m shy by nature and I loved that I could hide behind my mane, it was my protection against the world.
And then I grew up. I saw that hair is just hair, it does not define me. I started daydreaming about cutting it all off, starting afresh, being brave and making a change. I thought about it for a few months, and only when travelling did I realise that I was ready to stop hiding behind my untamed mane.
