For some time my 11-year-old daughter has wanted to chop all her hair off a la Emma Watson. I have stalled her for as long as possible knowing that while short hair on a girl wouldn't cause a flutter in England, American girls prize long hair. That's just the reality. Plus, she dresses exclusively in sportswear and already gets mistaken for a boy. On the heels of the London Olympics, however, she begged me to let her "Abby Wambach" her hair and against my better judgement (and own cringe worthy experience) I let her.
Every woman I know with curly hair has at some point cut it boy-short. And regretted it. I totally had a John Taylor haircut in the '80s until a dear old lady approached me on the sidewalk one day and said, "You look like a nice, strong young man. Could you help me with these boxes?" Yeah. Haven't had short hair since.
Weaselsnark recalled a time when someone told her she was in the wrong bathroom. "No, I'm a girl", she squeaked in mortification.
Needless to say I was nervous about the haircut but - shocking newsflash - my daughter is not in fact, me! Her hair looks so pretty short and she is absolutely FINE with people thinking she's a boy. When I suggested on the first-day-at-school-with-boy-hair that she dress slightly more femininely she pooh-poohed me and came downstairs wearing soccer shorts, a basketball shirt and Sambas. "I'm going to pretend I'm the new boy," she laughed.
Now she comes home every day with a tally of how many people mistook her for a boy and she sincerely finds it funny. She even had her own weaselsnark experience in the bathroom! Her best friend who also battles the boy-identity issue even with very long hair advised her that when people ask if you're a girl or a boy just answer, "Yes". God bless. That's confidence for you.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment