Irrelevant Thoughts

[ladysprite]

I really like the color my hair is right after I dye it. I know it's not quite a normal human color, and it never lasts at precisely this shade of alarmingly-bright red for more than a day or two, but it really is my favorite. It's so shiny it's almost metallic, and at least a few times a day I'll catch sight of it out of the corner of my eye and surprise myself with how much the color stands out, and just stare at it for a moment or two.

Every once in a while I feel guilty for coloring my hair - it always strikes me as just a little bit dishonest, especially when people compliment me on it. It feels a bit like bringing a store-bought cake to a party, and accepting compliments for how tasty it is without admitting you didn't bake it. It's not really mine, it's not what I actually look like; in real life I have rather dingy dark-blonde hair, not this cheery vivacious red stuff.

Of course, none of that actually stops me from coloring it, and at this point I've been doing it long enough to self-identify as a redhead with only a little twinge of dishonesty. I'm sure that someday I'll go back to my natural color, but hopefully by then that natural color will be the lovely shimmery silver that both of my grandmothers eventually transitioned to....

Comments

[sjo.livejournal.com]

I think that it's silly to feel guilty when you get a compliment on your hair. Most people who compliment it know it's not the natural color, but they think it looks good on you. I think it's like picking out clothing or makeup that looks good -- sure, it's not what you look like without them, but obviously you were good at figuring out how best to flatter yourself. To me, it shows skill and taste and is something to be proud of.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

I've never hesitated to tell people that my hair color comes out of a bottle. This is part of my personal rebellion against the stereotype that certain types of appearance-enhancement (e.g. sexy clothes, makeup, push-up bras) are virtually demanded of women while other types (such as dyeing one's hair) are considered somehow shameful. If it's okay for me to paint my fingernails, then it's equally okay for me to change my hair color.

[tafkad.livejournal.com]

Maybe if you thought of your hair as a canvas, it would help. When I was that wonderfully, gloriously not-found-in-nature shade of blond, I looked on it as artwork, plain and simple.

Hear, hear!

[etherial.livejournal.com]

If you put gunk in your hair to make it look good, be it bleach, dye, conditioner, shampoo, or saliva, you get 100% of the credit (or 100% of the blame) for how it looks.

If you get complimented on your clothes, do you feel guilty if you didn't make them yourself?

Re: Hear, hear!

[tafkad.livejournal.com]

If you get complimented on your clothes, do you feel guilty if you didn't make them yourself?

Or that you're not naked?

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I think you look good as a red-head, and you have the colouring (skin/face) to pull it off, and be believed, too. Really, it is your TRUE hair colour, nature just got it wrong. :)

[baron-saturday.livejournal.com]

When people compliment me on my hair, I'm always confused because I have *nothing* to do with what my hair looks like. The stuff just grows out of my head and I ignore it completely.

If I dyed it, then the compliment would make more sense, don't you think?