Sunday Musings

So if I let my hair grow can I still call myself ‘Baldilocks?’ I’ve got a TWA* growing and I like it. (My Dad will be happy. He’s always hated my shaved pate.)

Drawback: there are a lot more grays up there than there were the last time I let my hair grow. Such is old bagdom.

Last August, I called up one of my sisters on her birthday. She had turned thirty-four. Though I’m the eldest, I greeted her with a hearty “Hey, ya old bag!”

Sis (laughs; then gently): “Well…you’re older…”

Me: “You mean I’m baggier.”

*****

Some years ago, after a breakfast outing with my mom and my great aunt, we were walking out of the restaurant as an old man and his wife were walking in. Suddenly I heard him say, “excuse me, excuse me!” It turned out that he was talking to me. He pointed his finger at me and said:

“I just want to tell you that what you’re doing to your hair is a sin. It’s in the Bible.”

Before I could reply, my mother and my aunt tried to get me to walk away and leave it alone. For some reason, they thought that I was going to flip out and swear at the man, though I had never acted that way before. Perhaps they thought that a good cussing-out was what he deserved. Perhaps the look on my face—probably pure fury--made them misread my intention. However, I finally got them both to be quiet so I could say what was on my mind.

I stepped to him and pointed my finger back at him:

“It’s people like you--who don’t know what they’re talking about—that drive others away from God, the Bible and the church. And I’m willing to bet that God will not forget.”

Perhaps I cursed him after all.

*TWA=Teeny Weeny Afro

Comments

[CGHill]

Once a hottie, always a hottie.

[Teri Lester]

Sometimes with hair a change is good. I wore my hair the same way since I got married - 22 years ago! - and I finally decided I was tired of going through the whole process to come up with a 'do that was less and less attractive as my old-bagginess advanced. I decided to go cold turkey and I'm in the process of growing out a permed shag, with the goal of just regular old hair halfway down my back (eventually).

It's kind of refreshing to just look in the mirror and see the real unadorned me for a change. Not perfect, not glamourous, but much more real.

[baldilocks]

Charles: don't you think my ego is overblown enough? :-)

Teri: Change is sometimes good, but I've had a couple of people I know walk right by me! (Sometimes that's an advantage.)

[JSAllison]

After 20yrs herding tanks in the army I let it all hang out until I took a job in Kuwait, promptly got it trimmed back to a more usual length, extremes of heat and humidity will do that to ya.

After taking up life as a student let it all go again, at church they started referring to me as one of the apostles (scot-dane, now there's an apostolic mix) and began pestering me every Christmas to be one of the 3 smart asses. At school I became known as the unabomber although my beard and ponytail were much better than that dork's.

After school, in an endeavour to at least appear employable things reverted to a more normal length, oh well. Got tired of the whole high maintenance thing, anyway. ;)

[CrankyBeach]

You go, girl. If your conscience is clear before God, do as you wish with your hair--or lack thereof. And you can still be Baldilocks, if my vote matters. I am, after all, still CrankyBeach, even though I'm on medication. I'm still cranky; I'm just not depressed anymore! :)

[Adele]

I'd shave my head if the AF didn't consider it faddish and I didn't have such a bumpy head. It'd be much cooler during the summers. I understand about people you know passing right by you, though--every time people from work see me with my hair down, they don't know who I am. I go from tight bun/small head to a raving mane of "80s hair" (I did not choose this, it's genetics. And no, it did NOT help me during the 80s. I don't think I managed a single good hair day during the 80s, but I saved a ton of money on perms...)

[liz]

me, my hair's half-way down my back. And grey. I have 3 sisters -- strong family resemblances, so I can see what I'd look like with a short soccer mom do, a fun piece-y cut, and a longer higher maintenance cut.

I'm stickin' with the long hair braid for plain, & chignon for fancy

From the photos, you'd look good bald and with the TWA. Around here I see a lot of black women my age (50+) with -- it is hard to describe -- dignified braids.

I wish my 100% weeny white people's hair would look good in cornrows or braids -- it's a nice alternative. But IMAO, white folks' hair isn't cut out for cornrows -- fuzzy almost immediately.

[baldilocks]

Adele:

When in the AF, I kept my head nearly bald for years. Whenever someone pointed out that it was "faddish," I'd counter with "when a large segment of women start cutting their hair to an eighth of an inch, it will become a fad." The other counter I'd use was "aren't most hairstyles 'fads?'"

Fortunately (for me) none of these naysayers were in my chain of command. ;-)

[Adele]

..."when a large segment of women start cutting their hair to an eighth of an inch, it will become a fad." Good point--that rocks!! I never thought about it that way...

Now that that's solved, have any clue how to solve the bumpy head problem??? :D ha ha ha!!!

[birdwoman]

Wish I had the face for a shaved head. I don't. I hate my hair. It's always kinda sticking up all over. But I'm too lazy to do anything about it.

(*)>

[cube]

thanks for the footnote...some of us didn't know what TWA stood for.

cube