Be thankful for someone who tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear
By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times
I have had long hair for a long time. So, when Sienna Miller cut hers into this adorable MUST HAVE style of 2015, I became obsessed with the idea of “the chop.”
*author side note: when I fixate on something like this, it is not good for anyone around me. I will stop at nothing until I have drained the life force out of friends and family with my incessant questions:
1. “Can I pull this off?”
2. “How long until I hate it?”
3. “Will short hair make me look…
a. older or younger
b. smarter or dumber
c. fatter or thinner?”
Thankfully, I have a close, loving relationship with my cousin Chris who (all too willingly) provides the answer key:
1. “No. You are no Sienna Miller, nor do you have a team of stylists at your beck and call to fix your hair every day.”
2. “The over/under is twenty minutes.”
3. a. “older (and soccer mom-ish)
b. probably dumber
c. definitely fatter”
Ego bruising? Oh, sure. But, if a look back in history is our guide to predicting future outcomes, he is spot on. Because, I HAVE cut my hair in a version of the bob that felt like decades to grow out. For me, it’s similar to forgetting the pain of childbirth. I look at pictures of Sienna in her flirty, tousled asymmetrical do and think “I can rock that! It will be GREAT! I will feel refreshed and sassy and chic!” …until I wake up and take one look in the mirror and dissolve into tears.
Everyone needs a “Chris.” Because, if you don’t have someone who will be brutally honest when you ask for advice (fashion or otherwise), then you are bound to suffer the consequences.
As I type with my same ol’ boring tresses, I am satisfied that Chris has chosen the right direction for me. After all, he is no Matt Bomer (as much as he longs to be) and I remind him of that fact as often as possible.
*gratuitous shot of Matt Bomer, just because…
Happy Weekend
