when i was a girl...

i had straight fine hair which my mother spent much of her life trying to coax into curls and to no avail because as soon as my hair came out of the curlers and into the air it immediately reverted to the fine poker strait hair it always was.   then she came at me like edward scissorhands with shears snapping and wearing that pinched look on her face and i could her her thinking i'll get you my pretty...if you won't cooperate with me i'll cut you off you son of a...the silence was usually interrupted at this point by an ear piercingly loud snip!  i had the shortest bangs known to man and hair not usually seen below my ears.  my mother was never quite satisfied with things as they were and still spends her life trying to mold things into what she thinks they should be.  fortunately for me i have only inherited that behavior pattern in very minute doses.  most of my life my hair has been short even when i was no longer under the care and control of scissorhands.   i once had a friend who used to say when asked to advise about ones hairstyle...go with god. i have taken to letting my hair be what it is for some time now and have also taken to letting it be long.  it's easier.  it fits my lifestyle.  i mostly wear it in braids to keep it confined but as i was the child of scissorhands i have very little skill in braiding hair myself.   every once in a while my friend braids my hair for me. she has been braiding hair for a long time and every time she braids my hair not only does it stay put but i hear a story from her life that revolves around braiding.  in our culture hairstyles come and go and change with the wind.  short or long. curly or strait.  bobbed or shagged. dyed or natural.  it seems in some cultures hair style is more a part of the way of life.  at any rate in and of itself the braid is a pattern for sure and braiding is a family pattern for some and for others the pixie cut is!  see more patterns here!

Comments

[Jeremy Stockwell]

Great idea for patterns, Gay. Wonderful execution, too. Love the crop and framing that you've chosen for the photo.

[Vedrana]

great portrait, love the story :)

[Jan]

I remember those days...when my mother cut my bangs. I spent years sporting u-shaped, left leaning, very short bangs.

Then there were the days of the braids. She wet her fingers and my hair stuck to them as she braided.

Now that I am a grown up, I braid my own hair. What seems strange is that I can only braid my own hair, behind my back. I cannot braid someone else' hair????

[Nicole]

i love your braid. it is elegant and the brick wall is a fitting background.

[madwag]

do you have any pics of your short hair? I can't imagine you any other way than w/ long hair.. .long hair suits you so well. the braid looks great... here we call them plats... when I say braid my kids always correct me... ugh.

[miriam]

I just can't picture that most of your life your hair was short. Funny how impressions weave their way into our consciousness w/ just a few photo's! I've been all over the map in my hair lengths myself. I'm ready for a pixie w/ all this heat!

[psumommy]

Your hair is absolutely beautiful, and I love the photo, too...your soft hair against the rough brick.

[melanie]

i have straight fine silky hair...it doesn't curl. in fact it doesn't HOLD curl at all. i have the same hair i had when i was 5 years old...i think i'm freak of nature. I like the way the french braid looks on you. my girlfriend loves to braid my hair, but i can't french braid my own hair so i never wear my hair like that. i do however frequently braid my hair in a loose, low, & off to the side braid that you see girls doing now and again...life is easier that way.