high school and high-end salons: a change for all reasons

I'm going to cut my bangs, and am looking for help on finding a good place to get it done so that I look Chique for HighSchool. I'm also thinking about Hi-Lights also.

Help

you be muy... muy... Helpfull! YAY

EMA

dear ema,
high school is an entity of it’s own. it’s a place where nearly all people in our culture go, during a time in our lives when we are undergoing big changes on every level of our existence. it is a place to take what we have learned in life so far and embark on a journey to define who we are.

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every single person who goes to high school thinks about how they will be perceived by others, and the three m’s, media, marketing and money, play a huge role in defining what mainstream culture will look like at any given time. the best thing anyone can acquire in high school is one good friend.

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in high school i was teased terribly. big bad bully boys ritualistically picked me up and threw me into the dumpster behind the school. black eyelinered, blue frosted eye shadowed, camel toe girls, tripped me up in the hallway, pulled my hair and spat on me. preppie prom peddling perfectionists pursued pastimes of poignant intellectual mocking.

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teachers quipped, ‘boys will be boys’ or ‘don’t be a tattle tale’ or ‘if you were as smart as them you wouldn’t have so many problems’. none of them knew my brain actually had an extra lobe for organizing karmic clutter.

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it was 1980, disco was dieing, and shoulder pads, bold prints, big belts and big hair were being born. as an artist and sensitive creative person with aesthetic values, i could not bring myself to submit to wearing something i considered hideously ugly and repulsive.

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i chose to create my own style instead, rejecting the trends of the time. looking back, i see why classmates questioned such individuality, but standing here in present time, individuality is still a major driving force in the continued expression of our true selves.

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a couple of years ago, i attended my 20 year high school reunion. people didn't recognize me, except for my one good friend, who looked fabulously gorgeous and happy. i walked through the room and talked with people; some were content, some were full of regret, some looked old and grey and tired and weary and some apologized for what they had done to me so many years before. everyone talked about the struggles of high school.

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this one guy told me that after school one day, he kicked the crap out of a bully who had been notoriously tormenting me. then, a girl told me that the reality of my life, and the fact that i pursued a career doing what i love to do, was now an inspiration for her to change her own life.

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nobody denied anything, and nobody held judgement. it was high school, an anomaly, both significant and insignificant at the same time, the ultimate paradoxical place in the space time continuum.

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scared yet? well don’t be. things are much different nowadays, what with the metal detectors and gang wars and all. seriously though, the youth of today have many more rights and schools have zero tolerance for bullying. teachers take sensitivity training and students have more choices for what they want to learn.

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high school today can be a very positive experience, as long as you do these three things: stay committed to learning about what interests you, what challenges you and what makes you tick, eat healthy food and exercise your body, and make sure you have the right hairstyle.

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i had a haircut five years ago that made me look like i was going to a head-banging kiss concert in the eighties. i made two mistakes. i deviated from my regular salon to try and save some money and i did not trust my gut reaction to the appearance of the stylist himself. needless to say, i wore my hair short for a while. it cost two haircuts and a honking slab of humble pie to repair the damage.

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i woke up sweating buckets one morning, with my long, thick hair wrapped around my neck. while walking to work, a big gust of wind blew my hair into my mouth, just as i chomped down on a wad of gum, leaving me with a mouthful of hairy gum for the dealing.

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it only took me a split second to march on over to thumpers salon, and as perfect timing would have it, they’d just had a cancellation.

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my stylist told me that it is every stylists dream to give a short haircut to someone with really long hair, but that most long haired people who come in looking for short hair, decide against it during the consultation.

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she told me that it’s risky business because people often aren’t really ready to alter their appearance so dramatically and they end up regretting it in the end, crying or freaking out. it was her lucky day, and mine. i walked out of there with a feeling of weightlessness, and she lived out a fantasy in real life.

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so, to make long words shorter, to cut to the chase, the handiest advice i have to offer is this: please go to a high end salon. it will cost more money, but you will never, ever have a first day of high school again. make the appointment for two weeks before school starts so that your hair has time to settle and you have time to adapt.

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if asking your parents to spend that much cash on a cut and colour is problematic, then approach them with an offer to earn the money by doing chores and other jobs for them. explain to them how important it is for you to look and feel your bestest best. be very thankful if they agree to cough up the cash.

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to find a good stylist, ask around. if you like somebody’s hair, ask them where the had it done. high end salons will not employ stylists who aren’t tuned in to interpreting what the client is looking for, so collect pictures of styles you like and bring them with you to your appointment.

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talk with the stylist about yourself, and get a feel for who they are, because trusting them and how they wear their own hair, is very, very, very important.

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adding highlights is a better idea than all-over colour because you don’t have to keep going back to get your roots done. choosing the right shades depends on your personality. stay with shades that are slightly lighter than your hair colour if you want it to look natural, or add some hues outside of your range to spice things up. your stylist will show you samples of what they have available, and this can really help you to decide what’s best for you.

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if you’re thinking about getting bangs, think very carefully. bangs are often drastic if you’re not used to them, but they also have charm and help to frame the face. it’s easier to wear your hair down when you have bangs because you don’t have all that front hair falling in your face all the time. another good thing about bangs is that you can clip and pin them, tuck them under a hair band or slick them back with product, whenever you want to go for a full faced look.

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high school is all about change and i imagine you’ll go through many different ways of wearing your hair. sometimes we need to make the changes subtly or slowly over time, and other times we’re ready for something more drastic. a good stylist is going to be able to gauge just where your head space is at any given stage in your life, and when you find one, make it a permanent relationship. stay faithful and loyal to the end and they’ll help you out through thick and thin.

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