I went for a haircut this week and my hairdresser asked if I wanted to maintain my hairstyle, which was about shoulder-length hair cut into layers with a long fringe. I asked if he had something in mind, whereupon he animatedly asked if I’d mind having it cut into a short bob.
I’m pretty adventurous so I told him to cut away as he wished (after all, hair grows), whereupon he set about my hair happily, resulting in my current hairstyle – a short bob.
Its not the first time I’ve had short hair and I rather like it now, because its easy to dry and in our present hot spell, its nice and cool. I rather like it, even if it makes my already big face look bigger 😛 But Mom said she liked it on me so I guess its a good thing.
However, having had this much shorter hair for about a week now, I find that my personal fashion style has changed a little.
I realize when I have shorter hair, my fashion sense gets a little quirkier. I do more clunky jewelry and more adventurous colours and clothing styles. The Cambridge Satchel Company satchel fits right into my present style, which is great! Its almost as if my inhibitions are shorn off with my locks. But when I have longer hair, I tend to take on girlier styles.
Ditto my makeup. With shorter hair, I tend to be more daring – smokey eyes and red lips are de rigueur most days, but when I have longer hair, I tend to go more neutral and more demure. Its quite strange the effect my hairstyle has on my personal style.
Do you experience this too? 🙂
Paris B
Photos were from the Redken 50th Anniversary she-bang recently held at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Hairstyles featured here were inspired by the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. No prizes for guessing which is which.
Hanny says
August 15, 2010 at 9:15 amHmmm, I rarely do anything with me hair, ahahha ^.^ So I guess the clothes and the makeup stay the same.
ParisB says
August 15, 2010 at 10:55 amHaha! I’m terribly adventurous with my hair which is why I noticed 🙂
Jasmine says
August 15, 2010 at 9:34 amHi Paris! I *absolutely* agree with you! I got my hair cut from long permed locks to a short, curly bob. While long permed hair looks girly and young, a short and curly bob just spells MUMSY. I find myself trying to compensate for its ageing effects by being especially determined to display my youth cred with all the weird trends and devil-may-care looks. 🙂
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PqiBa3goTJ8/TGKsIEWPyRI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/KrY3x-lRp3E/s1600/haircut.jpg
ParisB says
August 15, 2010 at 10:56 amIronically for me, I look way younger with short hair than with long! Long hair tends to age me but no you don’t look mumsy in your picture 🙂
Jasmine says
August 15, 2010 at 11:09 amWhy thank you 🙂 I think it’s the curly + short that ages… Anyway, about dressing girly with long hair, I totally agree. Maybe we dress to fit the stereotype…
Gette says
August 15, 2010 at 10:05 amOh yeah. When I’m bald or growing it out, I have two looks: (1) girly, so I don’t look too butch; and (2) rocker/punk edge.
Normally I don’t think much about how I dress, but that really made me give my wardrobe a good hard look.
ParisB says
August 15, 2010 at 10:56 am*kowtows* I could NEVER pull of the bald look 😀
Julia says
August 15, 2010 at 10:37 amFunny, I also got my hair cut two weeks ago!
When I have shorter hair, I feel like my face gets more attention, and I put in bolder eye make-up. Long hair is more romantic, I guess, so I keep the make-up girlier, too.
Which reminds me, a “friend” of mine has really short (boyish) hair and when I told her she had to put on more make-up now in order not to be mistaken for a guy, she gave me a strange look and said: “I don’t want to look too needy.” Um, hello?
ParisB says
August 15, 2010 at 10:58 amPerhaps she didn’t feel she needed to use makeup? 🙂 I guess we all have different styles and how we handle things. Its funny how we have different styles to suit our different hairstyles 🙂
Julia says
August 16, 2010 at 11:58 amWell, yeah, but she really did look like a boy.
Plus, she implied that I looked needy and slutty because I am wearing make-up.
Why do some people interprete “wearing make-up” as overdone blue eyeshadow and too much lipstick, when all I was talking about was some mascara and blush?
amber_ says
August 15, 2010 at 2:52 pmi looked younger with short bob. people always mistaken me for a senior high schooler. so i need to change my clothes to a more matured style. most of my clothes now just make me look like a kid which is not a bad thing i think. i can hide my real age! ^^ yeah, i change my makeup too to make my appearance more balanced.
ParisB says
August 15, 2010 at 3:39 pmI’ve past the stage when I’m mistaken for a schoolgirl. At least I think so 😉 But its fun NOT to look your age right? 😉
mandy says
August 15, 2010 at 5:37 pmyes hairstyle really affects my overall style! when i had long hair, i loved to buy dangly earrings and buy demure looking clothes but when i cut my hair really short, i looked for clothes that were more cool than sweet and i’ve also been more motivated to put makeup more often so as not to look boyish (esp cos i’m not well-endowed hahaha). ultimately it’s linked to image so i think it seeps down to the attitude too!
ParisB says
August 16, 2010 at 10:21 amIronically though I wear bigger jewelry with short hair vs long – interesting how we all react 🙂
Nikki says
August 15, 2010 at 6:13 pmOn my part, its more of the “hairstyle”, if I sported a high ponytail, my fashion will be more on the quirky and childish/cute side. If i let my hair down with studs, I would go for really formal or semi formal look ….it does affect my fashion statement 🙂
ParisB says
August 16, 2010 at 10:22 amThat’s another way of looking at it too! Glad I”m not alone in this 😉
Sugar says
August 15, 2010 at 10:38 pmi’m the same as Nikki. i have butt length hair, so when i leave it down i find i can do most fashions…but when i tie it in a sloppy bun, i do minimal makeup and slippers and shorts, and when i tie it in a high ponytail i wear all my sporty stuff. lol!
ParisB says
August 16, 2010 at 10:23 amGoodness me! How on earth do you maintain hair that long… especially in this heat?! I can’t grow my hair past my shoulders. I get irritatble 😛
Kidult says
August 15, 2010 at 11:20 pmI totally agree with u.But I scare to cut the short hair cos my face is very round.I see the short bob hair is very nice and it look young but I still not ready to cut mine,maybe someday …….:p
ParisB says
August 16, 2010 at 10:23 amI was afraid a short bob will make my face look round too but interestingly it did not. Perhaps its tempered by the long fringe? I’m not sure but my hairdresser was excellent!
gio says
August 16, 2010 at 12:32 amI’m not that adventurous with my hair. I usually always have the same hairstyle so I wouldn’t say my fashion style is affected by my hair. Even now that my hair is a bit longer than usual and in desperate need of a cut, the way I dress and do my makeup hasn’t really changed.
ParisB says
August 16, 2010 at 10:24 amI think I’m just fickle hence my adventures with my hair 😀
Stephanie/Yukaeshi says
August 16, 2010 at 2:37 amI don’t look good with short hair- I look like a boy, and that’s not necessarily a good thing! Re: My IC photo, people look at it and call for “Mr” instead- it’s embarrassing to say the least haha! Also, my face is too long to carry off short hair now, though I do miss my crew cut!
ParisB says
August 16, 2010 at 10:25 amHaha… yeah that sounds like it could be very embarrassing indeed! Glad you worked out what sort of hairstyle suits you 🙂
Stephanie/Yukaeshi says
August 16, 2010 at 2:38 amOh, but having long, wavy hair, I think I’m pretty adventurous with it- every year I have a different type of perm and colour!
addy says
August 16, 2010 at 6:49 pmIMO, you seemed to be more confident when having short hair hence becoming more daring. While when having longer hair, you felt/seemed to be pretty reserved and felt like being ‘girlish’..heheh