Oh, Please!

In reading various articles on the internet about long hair over 40, I was eventually led to this blog entry. In a way, I wish I hadn't read it, but I think I'm happier that I did.

The blogger in question seems to generally write a very helpful blog that gives good tips to career women. However, this post has a different tone completely. It seems downright snarky.

She starts off the entry with complaining about Hillary Rodham Clinton's recent longer hair. She descends into making comments such as, " I know this doesn't sound very liberated, but I find women over 40 with very long hair unsettling—particularly if it is straight and hangs more than a few inches below the shoulder. (And don't get me started on straight, blond long hair on women over a certain age!) They look rather sad and dated to me—as if they're desperately trying to rechannel Joni Mitchell in her heyday."

Well no, it certainly doesn't sound very liberated. For heaven's sake, there are many business women who have longer hair!

I think it's a good idea to wear updos to the office if one's hair is too long to look or feel neat and professional for a whole day, and of course, for women with very long hair, there can be practical concerns as well. For those of you who are lost on how to wear professional but flattering hairstyles, there are a wealth of resources on the internet to teach you.

However, most women with hair just a few inches below the shoulders can and do look lovely with wearing their hair down at any age.

What bothers me the most is that almost 45 years after the advent of the Women's Liberation Movement, women are still criticizing women for their personal choices.

Women already have it rough in so many ways. Those who choose to stay at home to raise their children too often feel put down by career women, and many career women feel the need to justify just why they are choosing to work. It just doesn't seem right for women to continue picking on one another for our lifestyle choices or even something as simple as our hair choices.

It really has to stop!

It's 2012, folks. Yes, it's only hair, but isn't it time for we women to support one another and our choices? Is it really necessary to mock an older woman for her hairstyle?

I would never think of criticizing a woman for her hairstyle choice, whether her hair is long or short.

The most important thing to me is how a woman's hair makes her feel. If she's confident at whatever length, then she will succeed. So rock that pixie cut or that knee length hair! Wear it in a way that makes you feel good about yourself! It's worth it.

Love to all, and extra hugs to anyone feeling tired today.
xo
 

When Hairstyle Inspirations Go Wrong

Everyone remembers their pop style crushes, and I'm no exception. In the mid to late '70s, when I was in high school, it was all about either having Farrah hair, or having Dorothy Hamill hair, depending upon what one's style was. 

I tried to emulate the Farrah look as best I could with hair that was never below my shoulders. Of course I had to perm my hair and use hot rollers and mounds of hairspray to get the desired effect, but that was no deterrent to me or millions of other girls my age.

As the '70s wound down, there was increasing inspiration from the music world. I admired a lot of female singers, and there were a lot of great ones, with great style. The one woman whose style I wanted to be like was Stevie Nicks.

She had the face of an angel, that perfectly matched the ethereal sound of her voice. She wore clothes like a mystical gypsy goddess, and she gave off an air of being not quite human.

One of the essential ingredients of Stevie Nicks' look was her hair. She had beautiful, layered, (sometimes) big long blonde hair. It was a sort of rock take-off on the Farrah look, but far more casual and yet more daring. This is Stevie Nicks in the early-to-mid 80s.

I personally was never confident enough to rock clothing like Stevie Nicks back then, and as the '70s turned into the '80s, I was working in a retail store as a cosmetician, so my clothing was somewhat reserved, and even my clothing for going out on at night was relatively conservative. By 1981, I had cut my permed hair off, and I grew it into a simple pageboy.

In early 1983, I felt I needed a change. I went into my salon and simply told the hairstylist that. She suggested a perm with long layers. I thought it was a great idea.

I have to say, I loved my hair when I came out of the salon. It was shorter in length at the longest point, but it looked a lot like Stevie Nick's hair in the photo immediately above. To style it for work however, I styled it in more of the fashion of Olivia Newton-John's hair at the time. My hair was longer, but you get the idea.

Now, you have to remember that my hair is very fine, and stick-straight, so even with a perm, it was impossible to achieve the look I wanted with wash and go. It had to be styled with  mousse, which was then the new best thing, a curling iron,and hairspray.

I was Olivia by day, but by night, I tried to style my hair to look like Stevie's. I think I did a pretty good job of it too.

The first night that I went out with my friends with this new style, I was feeling mighty fine, I have to tell you. Then one of my buddies took one look at me and he said, "Oh, you look like Rod Stewart."

D'oh!

So that was the end of my Stevie Nicks dream, then and there. Lesson: be true to your hair type. Even if it's not in style.



I'm still getting my blog feet wet again, so I may continue to post non-daily for a while. I will have a new hairstyle posted on my website tomorrow.

'Til next time, my friends. Love to all, and extra hugs to anyone feeling physically or emotionally exhausted today. xoxo

It's SO Good To Be Back!!!

Hello, my friends. Well, a few day's vacation from blogging turned into a few weeks, which then turned into a few months, which ended up turning into 21 months! Life just got crazy busy in so many ways, and the Internet wasn't on my mind, I'm afraid. Time does fly though. It doesn't feel as though I've been away from you for that long.

Since I last posted, I turned 50 and this year I turned 51. I like it! I still feel young, but I feel that I have more wisdom (I hope). I still have so much more to learn, though. I said to a friend recently that I wouldn't go back to being 18 for ANYTHING. I mean it. I wouldn't even go back to being 40, or 30. Truly.

I've trimmed more hair than I've grown since I last blogged, but it was to remove the thin ends caused by what I now know was a pre-menopausal shed. I'm back in growing mode. My hair is now 28 inches/71 cm long, just about three inches from being well at waist length. I don't regret the trimming at all. This is the thickest that my ends have ever been at this length.

 I no longer have a particular goal in mind, but I'm just going to see how long my hair will grow and still look decent at the ends. As I've said before, fairytale ends look beautiful on some people, but not on me, with my very fine, straight, hair. I really would like to get to tailbone if possible, but we'll see.

 My hair is in good condition. I've really got my hair care regimen simplified though. I pretty much just wash it with conditioner, put a few drops of olive, coconut or jojoba on it, bun it when dry, and that's it, these days. When I'm feeling ambitious, I do a deep treatment of some sort, but not often enough. I'm happy to say that I don't have any split ends, even when I look with a magnifier.

So much has changed since I was last here, but I'll get into that in later entries. For now, I'll leave you with my latest length shots and my comparison photo (All photos clckable for larger viewing).

I have missed you all so much! Love to all, and extra hugs to anyone feeling ill today. xoxo