I recently cut my bangs. Now bangs are not a new hair style for me. I rocked bangs pretty much from the time my hair started growing until 8th grade, with a small interlude in third grade. In general looking back at pictures of my bangs I guess they weren't that bad. But there were definitely times that I look back and cringe in horror at what I see.
8th grade is a perfect example. In 8th grade I was right in the middle of my awkward years, so luckily there isn't very much pictorial evidence, but the memories are bad enough. My hair changed from straight to curly around that time too, so instead of my bangs drying nice and straight and flat like they did my whole life they started to do funny things. Because of this I had to blow dry them and curl them every morning. To make matters worse if they got wet or if it was humid, my bangs would split in the middle and flip out. Like completely change directions of how I had curled them that morning. It was bad.
You would think that because of all that trouble I would just grow them out, right? Everyone was growing their bangs out, it was the cool things to do.
But see, I had a huge forehead when I was little.
No joke. I'm totally serious.
And someone who I love very dearly told me that I had to have bangs because my forehead was too big to not have bangs. (Recently I was showing my roommates some picture of me without bangs when I was little and one of them said that this was kinda true but that luckily I have grown into my forehead. I was very relieved.)
I remember being jealous of Laura Ingalls Wilder for not having to have bangs and thought that she was a complete idiot when she cut her bangs. I was internally indignant about this. I always thought why in the world would you cut bangs when you have a normal sized forehead!? Besides who wants to curl their bangs with a pencil that you heat over the fire? It was the one shortcoming I found in Laura. It almost ruined my hero worship of her. Just kidding, I don't think that was possible...
But anyways, like I said before I had bangs all growing up, expect in 3rd grade. Most people experience their rebellious streak in high school, but not me, I had mine in 3rd grade. And it was over my bangs.
One day I told my mom that I didn't care if my forehead was too big and that I was growing my bangs out and she couldn't stop me! I think she was tired of me complaining when she trimmed my bangs. Or maybe she just knew that this was going to be my one really rebellious fit.
This ushered in a period of my showing off my large forehead and pinning my bangs back with these heart-shaped glittery clips and way too much gel. I think I was too emotionally involved to make wise fashion choices and can't be held accountable. Eventually, sometime in 4th grade I realized my forehead really was too big and so the bangs made a return.
Now fast forward to right before 9th grade. After the huge 8th grade bang debacle where my bangs took over and grew a mind of their own, I was blessed my the popularity of sideswept bangs. Sideswept bangs solved all of my problems! They generally covered my forehead, but they were easier to control and if they misbehaved you just tucked them behind you're ear. Really, whoever made sideswept bangs popular deserved an Oscar, a Nobel Peace Prize, etc.
Sideswept bangs have been my go-to hairstyle ever since. Recently though I was feeling a little daring, so I cut my bangs again, and I have to say bangs and I have reconciled. I actually love my bangs, and I have gotten a lot of compliments so they might be here to stay awhile. Luckily I no longer have the desire to curl and tease them, and I can control them with a straightener.
As a reward for reading this very long post chronicling the history of my hair, here is a picture timeline of my bangs.
*Note: I could find very few pictures of my "no bangs rebellion" probably because my mom just couldn't bare to have proof that I walked around for several months with out bangs. I really don't blame her, my forehead was huge and probably took over the pictures. Also I refused to have my picture taken in 8th grade so luckily that AWKWARD time in my life is inadequately documented that we could all just pretend it never even happened...
They didn't start out too bad. In fact I really like them. If only I knew what was awaiting me... Eventually even matching Pochahantas sweat suits wouldn't be able cheer me up...
Don't the bangs go perfectly with the sponge-curler hair? It was all th rage among the 2nd graders.
Isn't my forehead HUGE?! If you don't think so, just wait till the next picture...
See what I mean? But its ok, Brendan's looks just a little bigger...
The return of the bangs. Notice the Winnie the Pooh jumper. I was pretty darn cool even then.
It is my personal opinion that from 6th grade through 9th grade the school photographer should just take a step back. We look funny enough without the camera close enough to see every freckle with our faces filling up the ENTIRE picture. See following pictures for further evidence.
I just realized that I also had this weird, reoccuring phase when my bangs just split in the middle. Kinda weird.
The infamous 8th grade bangs. There are no words.
The birth of the sideswept bang. It was a work in progress.
Sideswept bangs were a lifesaver.
And luckily I grew into my forehead.
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