chopped hair myself / hair in the workplace

last week i chopped off 4 inches of hair myself! i think it turned out not bad (see photo http://picasaweb.google.com/jmjmjm01/UntitledAlbum) and was quite a cathartic experience having always had very long hair and been quite precious about it.

it took ages and i had to do it in tiny bits to make sure it was all the same length but i was quite pleased in the end.

why did i do it! well i'm 23 and started a new, very corporate job at the beginning of august. before i started i spent around 300 dollars at my usual salon getting highlights and a trim. my hair had grown even longer than usual over the hot summer (about 2 inches below the bra strap). i've always always had my hair long but my new job is really corporate and i debated whether to get a shorter, more conservative hairstyle. however i chickened out because i thought my long hair was looking quite attractive at the time.

however, 3 weeks into my role i discovered that my very long hair (which looked great with my casual trendy student clothes) just didn't sit right with my new business suits. furthermore i felt very young-looking compared to my new colleagues. i developed a really strong urge to chop off the bottom of my hair so it was no longer uniquely long but average medium length- the aim for it to sit better over my shirts, make me look less young and make me look more formal.

why not go to a salon? after spending money only a month ago (with another 4 weeks to wait for more highlights) i didn't want to splash out on any more! i also didn't want to ask friends to do it because i felt quite secretive about it, feeling they might put me off it, having only known me with very long hair. so i went for it myself with two mirrors, kitchen scissors and lots of patience!

after the initial shock of having 4 inches less hair when washing/combing etc (as other long hair girls will identify with, 4 inches feels like a lot!) i do like it, think it looks good with my work clothes and feel more confident at work.

i think next time i go to the salon i will go even shorter (maybe a long bob) as i have taken the first big step away from always having v long hair, after which i can always grow it back out if it doesn't suit.

i was surprised that i felt this way about corporate hair in the workplace- has anyone had a similar experience of feeling they needed to cut their hair in their first cororate role?



Edited by jmjmjm01 - September 06 2007 at 4:03pm