I am not my hair! Boom!

“I believe it’s a woman’s right to decide what she wants to wear and if a woman can go to the beach and wear nothing, then why can’t she also wear everything?” – Halala Yousafzal (Pakistani activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize)

This quote really spoke to me and is so true. Why can’t women wear everything, including braids, Afros, weaves, wigs etc… ? One of the things that I’ve learned to embrace in my 40’s is the true freedom to be me.  You remember that song, “Free to be me?” At this point in my life I can wear whatever I want to without worrying about what other people think.  Embracing the freedom to be me, also involves changing things up a bit.  Hey, my profession is Change Management, so I understand that the average person has a hard time changing. It can be uncomfortable. But you will be surprised that at times change can be a good thing.  Change keeps the people guessing. So where am I going with all of this blah, blah, blah? I’m getting there right now.

A few weeks ago I was having brunch with two of my girlfriends. All three of us have been friends for awhile.  We all have our own styles and looks, but all three….well let’s just say we all can turn a head or two.  Anyway as always, we got into some tantalizing discussions around politics, relationships, food, family, fashion and HAIR.! YTwo of us have short pixie cuts and my other girlfriend has naturally long hair, but chooses to wear custom wigs.  Needless to say we all have sharp hairdos. 

Let me digress for a minute.  Now, within the last year I  decided to take my workouts to the next level.  Because of this,  I wanted other options for my hair.  Yes, I have short hair that I LOVE, but I also sweat profusely and I workout at least 5 times a week. So washing my hair everyday and sitting under the dryer makes no sense, seeing as though I will stank up my hair to be damned the very next day. Additionally, I work about an hour away in traffic, so I don’t have time to do all of that.  Because my girlfriend rocks the bad custom wigs, I asked her could I have the number to her wigologist? And she gave me her number. Long story short I got a custom wig made and will be getting another soon.  And yes the wig I got is long. Why would I get a short wig, since I already have short hair?

Okay, back to the conversation about hair. My friend who has a pixie was very vocal and adamant about how she doesn’t like wigs, extensions or weaves. She didn’t understand the whole reason behind wearing all of that. She questioned are some women trying to give the illusion that they really have long hair?  Well, you know I had to respond to that. and I said, “Well, anyone who knows me, knows that I have short hair so…I’m not trying to make them think that I have long hair. For me, it’s more about convenience after I work out and the need to get ready for work quickly.  And also..I like to switch it up a bit.”  I even went so far to show her a photo of me in my wig and she had this look of disgust on her face. She kept saying that the wigs look like wigs.  My other girlfriend and I had to disagree with her. We both agreed that if you have your weaves, extensions or wigs done professionally they can look like they are growing right out of your own scalp.  Needless,  to say we couldn’t sway my friends opinion on wigs, weaves or extensions. And that’s okay because they are not for everyone. Hey, it wasn’t for me either, until I embraced change and decided to switch it up a bit. Let’s face it these wigs today aren’t like your grandma’s wigs. Women have been wearing wigs, weaves, extensions for years black and white women.  Nowadays, they are like accessories. You change out your jewelry right? Or switch up your lip color? or change your shoes right? All of these are accessories. Accessories are used to enhance your outfit or appearance.  I’ve received a lot of great compliments with my custom wig..but I have to admit that at first some people gave me the side-eye but they eventually got over it.  I may have different hair, but I am the same Kim. 

The bottom line is this, try something different. A new hair color,  red lip gloss, a new cut or maybe a custom wig.  It doesn’t matter embrace change. Don’t be afraid to switch things up for fear of what other people may say. Who has the authority on what YOU look like?   you do!!!!