Dear Diary: I Hate My Hair

It’s woman time.

“I hate my hair!” was just uttered by my grand niece pictured here back when her hair was long enough for a pony tail.  Three days ago, in fact, it was in a pony tail.

But, the day before school started she had it cut.

It looked adorable.

She hated it.

There were no consoling words on the planet, uttered by anyone–her parents, me, her siblings- that consoled her.

What to say?

Been there. Will be again.  It never ends no matter what age you are, sweet girl.

The only advice I have for girls 12 about to be 13 ( or any damn age, really)?

Never ever EVER have your hair cut the day BEFORE anything.

I have advanced degrees and that’s the best I’ve got.

O, yes, AND… I blame Barbie and Polly Pocket.

©Pat Coakley 2010

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10 Replies to “Dear Diary: I Hate My Hair”

  1. That is really good advice– for men and women. Never ever cut your hair the day before anything. The only thing worse is to cut it on the very day! Love the image, colors and her picture, and isn’t that Barbie in the background cheering her on?

    1. I think that’s a Barbie, Don. Speaking of Ken and Barbie…in Toy Story 3 they have a riff on Ken that had me laughing out loud!

  2. Ha! I’m not laughing at your grand daughter, but your post is priceless. My Father had a family of girls and he was forever telling us what to do with our hair. No matter that we kept telling him it was hopeless because we had inherited his thin straight hair that did nothing but fall flat and lifeless. I think the only time we had hairdos that were “OK” was in the late 60s and early 70’s when long and straight and flat was in. Absolutely love the photo and what you have done with it, Pat!

    1. Leslie, I always wanted to have Joan Baez hair. I had Angela Davis hair. In the summer, I had to make a decision to swim or to go out at night. I could never do both when I was in my early teens!! Honestly, when I think of THAT now….

  3. sigh, i remember having my hair cut reeeeeeelly short, the ‘pixie’ remember that? after wearing long braids forever, when going into freshman year, wanting a new ‘look’. i remember hating it too, tho everyone said how cute it was. there is something so ‘samson and delilah’ about it, have been wearing it no shorter than chin length ever since, as long as possible for as long as possible ha ha. she is adorable, and the image is so wonderful!(btw i’m thinking of cutting it short again) i might look very different next time we meet!

    1. I bet short hair would look cute on you, Kathi!! Although, I love that photo I took of you at the museum, ICA with the birds. I think your long hair made it look so good. I’ll have to find that photo and send you a card!

  4. I think kids are so sensitive about so many things, that later on in life they wouldn’t even think twice about.

    When I was a child, my hair was a very bright red and I hated it. I just wanted to have black hair and be “normal”, but of course years later I realised how lucky I was to be different without having to try.

    I do have one rule about my hair though, I don’t let my sister anywhere near it after she cut my fringe right back to the scalp and I had to go around looking like a doofus for about a month when I was in my third year of high school.

    1. Razz, just the thought of you looking in the mirror and concluding “doofus” has me laughing. You, who now seem so unconcerned about appearances. It’s true. If we can just fast forward 30 years we have a much healthier approach to our looks!

  5. This is a priceless post and someday she will look back and realize she still hates her hair.

    I have always hated my hair. Long, short, thick, thin. Doesn’t matter.

    I remember my mother hated EVERY haircut she ever got. One summer, maybe in the early 80’s we were both working in mid-town Manhattan and I met her after work. She wanted to get a haircut. I went with her. They took her to the chair and cut away. When I looked up she was walking towards me with THE LOOK. I rolled my eyes. She said in her stage whisper. CAROL, NEVER LET AN ASIAN CUT YOUR HAIR.

    OMG, what? MOM! And with her perfect logic she said to me. “WE” have curly hair and they can’t cut curly hair. I tried to explain that everyone who goes to haircutting school probably learns how to cut all types of hair, but she wasn’t having any of it.

    Hair, at least we have it.

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