Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

If you have been following the progression of my old family slides, you may have noticed that I have a somewhat tortured past when it comes to my hair.  For most of my early years my mother kept my hair short -- she favored the pixie cut but as long as it was short she was happy.

May 1959, Age 6

May 1960, Aged 7 (In my best future-game-show-hostess pose.)

April 1961, Aged 8

January 1962, My 9th Birthday (There must have been a temporary lapse in Mom's diligence to 'keep my hair out of my eyes'.)

July 1962, Aged 9&1/2 (Scalped for the summer.)

December 1962, Almost 10 (Scalped through the winter.)

September 1963, Aged 10&1/2 (The Ugly Perm.  Thanx, Mom.)

May 1964, Aged 11 (Very slowly recovering from the perm.)

June 1965, Aged 12 ( I think I did this to myself with curlers --no excuse except that it was the style)

July 1966, Aged 13 (Finally my hair is long which makes me wonder why I was about to get it cut.)

July 1966 (The next day, after the haircut -- at least it wasn't extreme.)

And from 1966 on my hair was long and straight for many, many years, as represented here, August 1972 when I was 19.

There were a few more haircuts when Gus was young.  Never too short or severe.  Except for one more horrible perm in 1985.  I can't believe I did it -- again my only excuse is that it was the style -- really, even men got perms in the 80's.  (I am so happy to say there are no digitalized photos of that perm; even if there were I would not admit to it.)  And then in 1993 I turned 40 with long, straight hair.  On my 40th birthday I was quietly sitting at my desk and one of the women I worked with approached me.  This was one of my least favorite co-workers (and I'm sure that feeling was reciprocated) so I knew I was not going to get a simple Happy Birthday greeting.  I didn't.  Instead she said "Thank God you're 40.  Now you'll have to get your hair cut because you are way too old to leave it long."  Needless to say I did not take her advice.  Other than some trims through the last 20 years, my hair has remained long and straight.  I just looked for some recent photos of my hair but it occurred to me that I have, for most photo-worthy opportunities in the last few years, worn my hair pulled back and up.  As in this photo with Rosie, taken this past August.

The best I could find is a photo from last October.  This was taken at my 40th high school reunion.  The photo was taken with other people at the reunion and I avoid posting pictures without permission so this is a cropped version.  My hair was long and I was at least 35 pounds heavier than I am this October -- (I am giving myself permission to be proud of that fact).

So if you're wondering what inspired me to write this history of my hair, it's because yesterday I got my hair cut ... for the first time in well over 20 years.  It's always been cut because my Mom had control or because I caved-in to trends.  But this time I got my hair cut just because I wanted to.  And it only took 59 years.