baldies: Christiane
“Cutting my hair represented my transition into adulthood.”
name: Christiane
social media: chrissycapone (twitter, IG, snapchat)
How long have you been a self-proclaimed baldie?
Since September 2015
What made you decide to cut your hair?
I've gone through the grow-it-out, cut-it-off process a few times as a natural. I'd gotten to the point that I didn't know what to do with my hair. I wasn't keeping up with my regimen, so my hair wasn't as healthy as I'd have liked it to be, and I was bored with it. I thought about it a little for maybe a week, then one day I woke up and started looking for a barber.
What reservations/fears did you have about cutting your hair?
Honestly, I just didn't want my head to be a weird shape. I only really got nervous when I sat in the chair. I think my barber was more nervous then I was since he'd only known me with my fro.
How did you prepare yourself for your hair cut?
I looked up short haircuts for Black naturals. Instagram is a pretty good resource in that area, so is Google (of course). I saved a few of them and chose one that wasn't super short and wouldn't require much maintenance.
What was your initial reaction to seeing yourself with short hair?
OMG IT WAS GREAT. I immediately felt like I'd made the right decision.
Did cutting your hair symbolize anything to you?
Cutting my hair represented my transition into adulthood (only now I'm trying to backtrack because adulting is awful). It also represented freedom and control in my life.
Do you plan on ever growing your hair back out?
Ehhhh I might. I think my next step after this could be locs. I really love my hair now though, so I'm not sure when I'll make that change.
Did cutting your hair hurt or help your self confidence?
It helped so much. For one, I'd always taken into account the opinions of men (which is one of the worst things you can do), because I'd always heard that women with short hair weren't attractive to a lot of guys. Cutting my hair off was a way of saying that these opinions really don't matter at all. If I'm not attractive to you, so be it. But it also helped me see my own beauty. I've struggles with self-confidence for years, and admittedly still do. When I didn't have hair to "hide behind," I realized that my face was actually pretty cool.
Do you regret your decision at all?
Not in the least.