Bessie says Kyle says

Hair Chop = Transition

Written by Bessie and Kyle . Feelin' excited

There's nothing more transformative for me than getting a new haircut.  I can think back to the major transitions I've made in my life, and there's almost always a new haircut that went right along side that.  It's this sense of freedom, of starting a new chapter, of leaving behind the old and beginning something new. 

It would rock if I could dig up old pictures that go along with these new hair do's I mention, but alas they're not all digital, so I've found other people's heads.  I'll run through some, as a haircut-walk down memory lane.  I'm sure some of you remember these, and some of you ladies might even have had a few of them yourselves.

8 yrs - the "Dorothy Hamill", a short bowl sort of cut (not me)
13 yrs - between 8th grade and high school I moved from the south side of Chicago to the burbs to live with my dad for school.  Nearlyl every day I'd frenchbraid my hair and use the most ridiculous clip bows and stuff.  (again, not me)
18 yrs - the pre-college chop.  For many years I had long blonde hair to the middle of my back, and it became quite an identifier for me.  For a while I appreciated what I saw as being underestimated because of my looks, and over two years I cut atleast 18 inches off my hair, until the summer before college it was an inch long all the way around my head.  I ended up writing my college entrance exam about all this cutting off of my hair.
22 yrs - the I'm a working lady haircut. I took myself really seriously.
 
25 yrs - the I'm quiting my job & about to travel the world/longer hair is a pain in the butt haircut. 
Before: During: After:
 
Female readers, I'm sure you relate to a new haircut and feeling anew.  Feel free to share.  Any guys out there know this feeling?  Does shaving give you this feeling?

Hair Chop = Transition

Written by Bessie and Kyle . Feelin' excited

As a guy, I can say that cutting my hair means one thing: my hair is shorter.  It doesn't have any deep meaning to me and unless there is a glaring, non-natural bald spot in my head or I am bleeding, I consider the haircut a successful endeavor.  A typical conversation with a hair cutter person usually goes like this:

Hair person: "What do you want done to your hair."

Me: "I would like it shorter."

Hair person: "Like your bangs shorter or just the sides, or what?"

Me (annoyed): "I dunno, shorter.  Like it is now but with less length."

As for a transformative change, shaving doesn't necessarily do it for me, but a facial hair reconfiguration does.  In fact, for the trip, I'm thinking about changing up my facial hair, so that I can feel like a new man.  I've narrowed my choices down to two.

First, the cop/Magnum PI mustache:

Pros: I think this stash would give me the mysterious stranger look.  People won't mess with me if I have this thing because they would be thinking "I wonder what's behind that 'stash?  He could be hiding a grenade behind there!"   This would prevent possible muggings.  It would also give me a commonality with my Mexican cowboy friends.

Cons: Halfway through growing this thing I am going to look like a pedophile.  Strangers tend to not like people who look like pedophiles.

Second, the civil war mustache:

Pros: It will be easy to find me if I get lost.  If Bessie carries around a picture of this guy and says "Have you seen someone who looks like this?", I bet you that she will find me within 5 minutes.  I can't imagine there are a lot of people in Central America rocking this beard.  Also, it is sexy.  Very, very sexy.

Cons: I'll probably have to learn how to load a musket.

This is a tough coice.  Maybe I'll just have to try both for a six month stint to see which is better.

Viva la facial hair!

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4 Comments

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• January 29, 2008

  Nathaniel

  

  It's funny that this was the picture chosen (the Civil War picture). His name was General Ambrose Burnside and we now call stuff that grows down the side of our face (loud drum roll please) side burns because of a) his look and b) his name. Cool, huh? Good thing I spent so many hours looking at books slated for digitization.
  
  As for me personally I have no affinity for shaving. My approach to shaving is to do it as little as possible (twice a week, at best) with maximum effect. In fact I have never used a razor and shaving cream. Which brings up an interesting anecdote.
  
  During my brief stint in the Air Force ROTC program at Oregon State I was told: "never use an electric shaver" (to this day I have never not used an electric tool for the job) and "that is the best shave I have ever seen." An interesting paradox.
  
  Now shaving the head, that is a different story altogether. I am generally sad about the lost follicles for no more than 1 minute at which time I realize why I shave my head in the first place. It precludes the entire hair cutting conversation as mentioned above (as well as the necessary payment of fees, taxes and the obligatory tip) and it means that I don't need to shower every day just to make sure that my hair is presentable. A win win all around.

• January 31, 2008

  Kyle

  

  Wow, there's someone else who put as much thought into facial hair as I have! Nice.
  
  I actually went looking for a picture of General Burnside, because as the kiddies say, I got to "keep it real" and it doesn't get any better than Mr. Burnside.
  
  As for my head, I am still undecided what I will do with it when its hair gets long. I could cut it, but I've always wondered what I would look like as a hippie.

• January 30, 2008

  mom

  

  oh, golly, Bess. I remember ALL of that. And you REALLY did a Great Job finding facsimiles for your cuts! -p.s. I still have a couple of ur cut-off souvenir tresses : ^ }

• January 31, 2008

  Ben

  

  had to share a few pics of my best facial hair, click my flickr name after looking at
  Bessie's pinata pic... Theres a couple shots of Aaron's computterized hair work in there...

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