This is such a great essay. I, too, have a draft about my hair loss that I can't seem to get quite right. Who knew that such a seemingly straightforward topic would be so challenging?
I loved this essay. Really appreciate the way you convey the ambivalence and resist easy moralizing. Loved ending on the hair serums. Thank you for this.
"I start to write about how maybe the reason I haven’t yet bought any Dyson hair tools is because I want to hold onto the fantasy for just a little bit longer that a Dyson will give me perfect hair."
Perfect -- if we spend the money to buy the Dyson and it arrives and it doesn't give us perfect fantasy hair, what hope do we have left??
This is the perfect Mother’s Day essay, if there was one, Caroline! Thank you for posting it here, I love it so much. It captures the messiness of our identity in motherhood, especially in our 30s; the weird push-pull of newfound confidence right alongside new insecurities, and the constant changes to our bodies, which we’re told to accept and love but also to fix. I, too have had a wild ride with my hair after two rounds of postpartum and two 18 month-breastfeeding stints. My issue wasn’t really so much with how much fell out, but in the truly bizarre ways it grew back.
Just last night, before we attended the seminar together, I was standing behind a mom (of 3!) at my daughter’s soccer practice who had a long, straight, thick ponytail and was wondering how her hair could look like that after motherhood. But what I love is that even on my craziest hair days where I truly hate how it makes me look and feel, my six year-old will tell me my hair looks beautiful and I really think she means it. As cheesy as it sounds, it really does help to see myself through her eyes. Thanks again for your lovely piece. :)
Thank you for your kind words, Ariana, and for sharing your experience! I’m sorry that you’re struggling with your own wild hair journey, but it does make me feel less alone. I can so relate to that feeling of icky envy while admiring another mom’s hair. More thoughts to come in one of these longer forthcoming essays!
This is such a great essay. I, too, have a draft about my hair loss that I can't seem to get quite right. Who knew that such a seemingly straightforward topic would be so challenging?
Thank you, Allison! There is so much wrapped up and held in our hair!
Just here to bemoan that my hair is going through another thinning phase. Truly why!!!!!
I loved this essay. Really appreciate the way you convey the ambivalence and resist easy moralizing. Loved ending on the hair serums. Thank you for this.
Sooooo which two serums? Asking for a friend 😉
But truly, you know I resonate with this. Seeing the disliked parts about ourselves in our children maybe make it easier to love ourselves.
"I start to write about how maybe the reason I haven’t yet bought any Dyson hair tools is because I want to hold onto the fantasy for just a little bit longer that a Dyson will give me perfect hair."
Perfect -- if we spend the money to buy the Dyson and it arrives and it doesn't give us perfect fantasy hair, what hope do we have left??
This is the perfect Mother’s Day essay, if there was one, Caroline! Thank you for posting it here, I love it so much. It captures the messiness of our identity in motherhood, especially in our 30s; the weird push-pull of newfound confidence right alongside new insecurities, and the constant changes to our bodies, which we’re told to accept and love but also to fix. I, too have had a wild ride with my hair after two rounds of postpartum and two 18 month-breastfeeding stints. My issue wasn’t really so much with how much fell out, but in the truly bizarre ways it grew back.
Just last night, before we attended the seminar together, I was standing behind a mom (of 3!) at my daughter’s soccer practice who had a long, straight, thick ponytail and was wondering how her hair could look like that after motherhood. But what I love is that even on my craziest hair days where I truly hate how it makes me look and feel, my six year-old will tell me my hair looks beautiful and I really think she means it. As cheesy as it sounds, it really does help to see myself through her eyes. Thanks again for your lovely piece. :)
Thank you for your kind words, Ariana, and for sharing your experience! I’m sorry that you’re struggling with your own wild hair journey, but it does make me feel less alone. I can so relate to that feeling of icky envy while admiring another mom’s hair. More thoughts to come in one of these longer forthcoming essays!