hair today, gone tomorrow

Yesterday was a scary day for me.
As much as I had spent sleepless nights preparing myself for the amount of hair I was about to have cut off, I was still shaking like a leaf in the wind as I sat down at Beauté Légère and let Simon snip his scissors through my long locks. I made the decision several months ago that it was time for a change and, more importantly, that it was time to let go of my length and donate it to Locks for Love, an amazing non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. With the children in mind, and the amazing encouragement and support from my family and friends, I took a deep breath, surprisingly didn’t shed a single tear and let the scissors do the styling.
I went into the salon with a mane that made its way down to the middle of my back. I left with the longest layers falling just slightly below my chin. Now that’s what they call a hair cut.
Hair is a funny thing. As much as it is ‘just hair’ it often defines who we are. Not in the sense that we are nothing without our hair but it certainly does have a strong grasp on certain feelings and emotions relating to a woman’s beauty and attitude. It can give us confidence when we’re happy with how it looks. It can create a new persona with sassy styling or a chic cut. It’s cut, colour or style can be changed to accentuate or hide other facial features. Hair has an amazing effect on the way we view ourselves and others. Having a bad hair day can not only mean bad hair but sometimes a bad mood as well. I know how much it frustrates me to put time and effort into styling my hair in the morning only to go outside into the humidity or rain and have my once lovely locks flip, flop and curl into a new, not-so-lovely ‘do. I can confess that when unwanted waves appear out of nowhere, I’m a constant complainer. I’ll cross my fingers that cutting my hair will have cutback my complaints (no promises!) but in any case, this new hairdo will definitely take some getting used to!

Have you ever made a dramatic change to your ‘do? Are you a cautious cutter?

picture perfect

It may be heading towards the end of bathing suit season but with some of us still heading out to the beach or the lake, I didn’t think it was too late to talk about this interesting ad campaign. Denbenhams, a UK retailer, has taken a stance against airbrushed beauty by banning airbrushing from their ad campaigns. To highlight how unnecessary (and unhealthy for consumers!) it is for models to be touched up, they’ve put an unconventional twist on their ad campaign by comparing an unaltered photo with one that has been airbrushed. Take a look at how interesting the results are…


So first of all, yes, this model, without the airbrushing, is beautiful. From her cute bob to her smooth skin to her lean physique, there’s no way I would ever think twice about her as a model if I saw her in a magazine or store front. Can’t spot all the differences between the first photo and the second? Considering how small some of the touchups are, I’m not really surprised it’s hard to make out the modifications. To see the subtle changes between her ‘real’ photo and the one that’s been altered really struck me as eye opening. The fact that the shape of her arm has been ever-so-slightly skimmed and they’ve done their best to create a helmet of hair shows just how much emphasis is put on living up to an unachievable level of perfection. It’s really no wonder we can focus on the tiniest details about ourselves and wish we could change them.


It’s an interesting way to reject airbrushing and to promote self acceptance. Airbrushing really isn’t necessary when it comes to making people look beautiful. Sure, I’d like to see myself without any wrinkles, no stray hairs and maybe a bigger bust - but really, that’s not me. And it’s not realistic. Nitpicking at the shape of a shoulder (really? a shoulder?) or the shadow of an underarm should never be an issue. Model or not, we all come in different shapes and sizes with different skin tones, different hair cuts and definitely different takes on the definition of beautiful. Accepting ourselves for who we are, “flaws” and all, no matter how big or small, should be reinforced by the fashion world. Us ‘real’ girls are the ones wearing the clothing and considering swimsuit shopping is such a dreaded outing for most girls I know, seeing these models without any touchups might give me a little more confidence to step out of the change room or into the pool. (Okay, maybe not, but no matter how much I hate being in a bikini, I find this ad campaign very refreshing!...)

What’s your take on this campaign? Would you be less inclined to shop at a store with ‘less than perfect’ models?

survey says...you're beautiful

Good news (I think!) for all you 31 year old women - you are currently at your most attractive according to this Maclean’s article!


{via}

While this article didn’t seem to be all that informative or scientific, I can definitely tell you that I feel more attractive now that I did when I was 18 or 19. I don’t know if it has more to do with the way I look or the way I feel but I do know that I am much happier with myself now than I was when I was awkwardly making my way through my first year of university. Considering I am still not at 31 and apparently I have several years before my beauty is at it’s best, it does give me another reason to get excited about getting older.

I think you have to take stats like these with a grain of salt but I do have to agree with the 70 per cent of respondents that defined beauty as being confident. I think the confidence factor is what makes us more attractive as we age. It’s not the fact that we are getting older, and therefore, more beautiful, but the fact that we are more comfortable and confident in our skin. We know how to present ourselves to the world in a way that we are proud of. We have given up on trying to impress others and instead focus more on making ourselves happy. This healthier attitude may have something to do with how attractive we appear to the outside world. And maybe as we age, we are more able to express our inner beauty on the outside. I know society tends to tells us that beauty is defined by certain measurements but in my opinion, beauty should not be defined by a number – by age or weight or size – but instead by a feeling. And no matter what society tells us, beauty will always be defined differently. So whether you’re 18 or 31 or 65, I hope you feel beautiful.

Is there a certain age at which you have felt most beautiful? How do you define beauty?