During the past couple years there haven’t been as many family gatherings as usual for my clan. We’ve tended to put things off until the birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other special occasions pile up to the point where we all feel guilty about the neglect and decide to do something about it. We usually end up with a cook-out or potluck populated with in-laws, kids, dogs, all available family members, sweethearts and a few friends who are almost family. We eat, talk, sip a few brews, tease the kids and each other, catch up on recent developments, exchange little gifts, tell jokes and play silly games. One thing I’ve noticed, during the most recent few get-togethers, is that everybody’s hair is noticeably longer, not necessarily by choice.
My hair, while considerably shorter than it has been since I was in high school (almost exclusively and continuously a pony-tail) has grown quite a bit since it was cut last summer. Having suffered with painful shoulder joints and muscles, I’d found it difficult and painful to comb my long hair in that style, so one day I grabbed the scissors and chopped it off to a little less than shoulder length. Before I could manage arrangements or courage to get to a hair-dresser and get it tidied up, I found myself in the hospital for emergency surgery and then in rehab where I was able to get an appointment at their beauty shop. I’ve always had very fine, baby-soft hair which doesn’t hold a set and is a disaster when it comes to having a permanent. The new, short cut tended to stand on end without a touch of gel or a wet hairbrush, so I was happy when it grew out enough to be a bit more manageable. The problem, as with all hair, is that once you get it the ideal length it keeps right on growing.
I grew up in a family of hair-dressers and beauticians and married into a family that included my father-in-law who could give a decent enough haircut to allow him to exchange haircuts with the town barber. As a result of having access to all those “hair people” I never had to learn much about cutting or styling hair and, consequently took the easiest way out and settled for braids or pony-tails that didn’t require perms, pin curls, curlers, blow-dryers, setting solutions, hair spray or beauticians. I’d had enough of all that from my mother and her sisters who had all attended “beauty school.” I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to a beauty shop as a customer (though I did take my daughter to one because I was too inept to cut her hair myself.) My lack of experience with the barber shears caught up with me when it came to my sons’ hair, too. I discovered that I could cut curly hair because the mistakes didn’t show too much and the one son with curly hair was willing to let me pay him to cut his hair rather than my paying a barber. The other sons didn’t trust me with their Beetle locks, so I never had the opportunity to develop any talent in that area.
I’m sure you’ve noticed all the long hair on television these days. Not only the actresses and women on talk shows are sporting extremely long tresses, but also the female newscasters, meteorologists and talk-show regulars. I have to assume that the reason such lengthy manes are becoming the norm is that it’s easier than getting an appointment or surviving the Covid precautions in the necessarily close confines of the beauty salon.
My daughters-in-law and granddaughters all seem to have let their hair grow longer than usual and I can only assume because of the problems mentioned above. I’m beginning to wonder just how long my own hair will get before it becomes, again, a problem for me to keep it tidy. Somehow, I can almost believe that it might be better if, like many elderly women, I might lose enough hair to merit wearing a wig. I’ve seen some very attractive ones and almost envy the women who are spared the rigors of maintaining their natural hair. Not yet, though. While I’m waiting to find out what will become of my own hair, I’ll spend a bit of time pondering how something like a pandemic can have such a profound effect on hair styles.