The effects of a simple change

It's not often that I listen or care too much about what a celebrity has to say. Generally speaking, their words don't hold much weight outside of their own circle of friends because they're opinions. However, I will say that if I do look to celebrities for inspiration, it's hardly ever from the ones that we see on the television screen today. They range from activists to directors, photographers to bloggers and, on occasion, an actress or two.

Over the past year, I've had 3 major hair changes - the third happening last Thursday. (I'm sure you know where I'm going with this post, but humor me - especially those of you that are friends with me on Facebook or Instagram, lol.) Years ago, Coco Chanel said something about changes like this:

A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.

Well. She was right.

I remember a few years ago when I basically cut all my hair off to sport a TWA (teeny weenie afro as we call it in the natural hair community) and I hated it at first, mostly because the local hair dresser was terrible. After I made my way back home, my original hair dresser fixed it, dyed it, and boom - after a few days, I was in love. It was freeing, it forced people to really see my face which sounds kinda crazy, but since I didn't have to deal with my hair so much, it just made it easier to notice me.

It made me notice myself…and I took a bit of pride in that, not in a bad way, but more of a healthy dose of self-love.

Fast forward to 2012, I started working as a reporter in Florida and my afro had grown quite a bit and everyone loved it…but eventually I came to terms that my best move professionally would be to make another change, so in November I went back to chemically straight hair. It was a welcome change, I mean, I could swish my hair from side to side, throw it in a ponytail, do spiral curls, all sorts of things, but after 6 months of ponytails, heat damage, and laziness on my part, I decided I needed to make a real change.

So I cut it.

And I felt like I did when I first went natural. Absolutely terrified, almost to the point of tears, when I saw the hair on the ground being swept up, followed by a feeling of joy and freedom when I looked in the mirror. No long bang, no morning frustration trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do with my hair, just easy, relaxed, with more time to do what I feel is important.

The past few days have had more reading, more music, more fun, and newly opened eyes to things I want in life - and it's obviously not just the result of an amazing haircut, but positive friends that encouraged me as I debated doing it before hand and built me up after wards.

The new look!