How a haircut changes people

A theory on how hair can affect how a person acts.

Maria Ly
Staff Writer

My sociology teacher once said, when someone dyes their hair a color of the rainbow, they’re going through something.

I always believed that hair is a part of your personality. It shows who you are at the moment and expresses parts of your personality. I feel like with every new haircut comes a big change.

Before my nine-year-old brother got his haircut he was dorky, played Yugioh, and was quite punny. After the haircut, with his spiked hair, he lost the dorkiness, and exuded a big-bad-wolf vibe.

My other sister has also got a dramatic haircut accompanied by a huge personality change. She had long, curly, voluminous hair that she was very well known for. She looked like a girl who sang indie songs and smoked weed with her friends. She looked like a girl who started trends and forged signatures.

Now she has wavy short hair, less definition, and bangs across her forehead. She looks innocent. She looks like a girl who listens to k-pop, makes cookies for fun, and gets straight A’s.

Before the haircut she stayed late and had friends to hang out with every day. Now she sits in her room watching Netflix and baby talking with her boyfriend on Facetime.

My point is, I think hair is a part of you, not just physically but emotionally. When you cut your hair, you’re letting go of the past. You’re not only changing how you look, but how you feel. How you feel is a major part of who you are. People dramatically change their hair to make a statement.

A rebellious girl shaves half of her head to say, “Suck it mom!” A newly out lesbian cuts her hair short as a way of coming out to strangers on the street and annoying acquaintances.

A person who got their heart broken by a lover cuts their hair, so they no longer look like the person in the pictures with their exes.

A person who lost their hair due to a medical issue could definitely argue about these statements. To me, their bald heads shows their strength, their journey, and the tiny hairs growing back shows the future that lies ahead.

Hair was made for a reason, and it’s not there just to make us look pretty. It’s a lot more than that. It’s everything we are. 

Feature photo from Reporter Archives.