By Poh Fang Chia
Snipped. Snipped. Off went the long tresses. It took me so long to get it to this length; did I make the right choice in cutting it short?
As I flipped the magazine covers and pored at the beautiful hairdos, I wondered: Oh, it would be lovely to have that crown of glory.
But when I walked on the streets and observed the sea of heads, I puzzled: Seems like acquiring that perfect hair is a high maintenance job!
The media sells us an image that few could—or would—ever attain. And even if one should attain it, it is at what cost?
Marcia Aldrich wrote a humorous essay* on hairstyle. Here are some excerpts:
“In my sister’s case, the quest for perfect hair originates in a need to mask her appearance; in my mother’s case, she wants to achieve a beauty of person unavailable in her own life story. Some women seek transformation, not out of dissatisfaction with themselves, but because hair change is a means of moving along in their lives. These women create portraits of themselves that won’t last forever, a new hairstyle will write over the last.”
“[Her sister said]: ‘Don’t women have better things to think about than their hair?’ I bite back: ‘But don’t you think hair should reflect who you are?’ ‘To be honest, I’ve never thought about it. I don’t think so. Cut your hair the same way, and lose your self in something else. You’re distracted from the real action.’ ”
“[Her hairstylist said] I see hair as an extension of the head and therefore I try to do my hair with a lot of thought. . . . Nothing is permanent, nothing is forever. Don’t feel hampered or hemmed in by the shape of your face or the shape of your past. Hair is vital, sustains mistakes, can be born again. You don’t have to marry it.”
As I mused on this frivolous triviality, 1 Peter 3:2-4 came to mind. It states, “Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”
Next year, I’m going to try to grow my hair passed my shoulders.
