In reading Rose Weitz’s What We Do For Love, I began to think about my own hair history. At the end of 8th grade, I cut off 12 inches of my beloved hair to donate to Locks of Love, and I have never been one to prefer a short haircut, so this was a momentous event. I had just lost one of my most prized traits, yet at this age, I wasn’t worried about the social implications of my new ‘do but of its personal, psychological effects.
How would I feel now that I didn’t have my hair? Would I be more likely to criticize myself on my own appearance? What is going to change now that I can’t “hide” behind my long hair?
According to an article called Hair Loss in Women and its Effect on the Quality of Life, women with hair loss issues feel the
· Loss of self-esteem
· Anxiety and depression
· Social dysfunction
· Loss of control
· Lack of support
that can result from this one identifying feature’s disappearance. Now I clearly wasn’t suffering from the hair loss that this article discusses, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to feel some of these same repercussions.
Take a moment to notice, the majority of these women’s emotions focus on internal matters linked to their hair loss that threaten their psychological well-being, not as much on the external world’s effects.
While I understand and agree with the symbolic nature of hair as a social and sexual trait that women possess, I believe it is important to recognize hair’s multiple influences, including on the complexity of emotions between pleasing others versus pleasing yourself. A woman’s hair is first and foremost what she personally makes of it. As a young girl, one plays with her hair, learns how to wear her hair, and figures out which hairstyles are most comfortable. We shouldn’t forget that our hair isn’t just for everyone else’s pleasure, but for our own comfort and confidence as well.
Furthermore, when you Google image search “women and their hair,” you will notice that most of the pictures, such as the one below, are of women and girls touching, combing, and playing with their hair. We have power over our hair and how it makes us feel, so we take advantage of that first, before it becomes a sexualized image.
Kate Nienaltow
Sources:
http://www.coursesmart.com/0077285840/firstsection
http://www.ishrs.org/articles/hair-loss-women-life.htm
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/thumbnail/147328/1/Women-Combing-Their-Hair.jpg
How would I feel now that I didn’t have my hair? Would I be more likely to criticize myself on my own appearance? What is going to change now that I can’t “hide” behind my long hair?
According to an article called Hair Loss in Women and its Effect on the Quality of Life, women with hair loss issues feel the
· Loss of self-esteem
· Anxiety and depression
· Social dysfunction
· Loss of control
· Lack of support
that can result from this one identifying feature’s disappearance. Now I clearly wasn’t suffering from the hair loss that this article discusses, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to feel some of these same repercussions.
Take a moment to notice, the majority of these women’s emotions focus on internal matters linked to their hair loss that threaten their psychological well-being, not as much on the external world’s effects.
While I understand and agree with the symbolic nature of hair as a social and sexual trait that women possess, I believe it is important to recognize hair’s multiple influences, including on the complexity of emotions between pleasing others versus pleasing yourself. A woman’s hair is first and foremost what she personally makes of it. As a young girl, one plays with her hair, learns how to wear her hair, and figures out which hairstyles are most comfortable. We shouldn’t forget that our hair isn’t just for everyone else’s pleasure, but for our own comfort and confidence as well.
Furthermore, when you Google image search “women and their hair,” you will notice that most of the pictures, such as the one below, are of women and girls touching, combing, and playing with their hair. We have power over our hair and how it makes us feel, so we take advantage of that first, before it becomes a sexualized image.
Kate Nienaltow
Sources:
http://www.coursesmart.com/0077285840/firstsection
http://www.ishrs.org/articles/hair-loss-women-life.htm
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/thumbnail/147328/1/Women-Combing-Their-Hair.jpg
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