Tuesday, April 10, 2007
How Important is Hair? No really--is it your identity? That's just sad, man...
Sometimes I watch reruns of "America's Next Top Model." I can't explain why; I just can't seem to help myself.
At any rate, the other day during a marathon showing of season six, in the makeover episode, one girl (a pageant queen) was traumatized and horrified to find out that they wanted to cut off her long hair to make her look like Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby. She cried and carried on, and they ended up not cutting her hair as closely as originally planned. I can certainly relate to the emotional trauma of losing one's hair, but it's not like she was going to be permanently disfigured, and she'd look a bazillion times better than I do with ultra-short hair.
The thing is, Tyra Banks and her crew of fashion professionals didn't like the short-but-not-so-short hair, and insisted that the girl have another inch cropped off. Keep in mind that these people are competing for a $100,000 modeling contract and for their (admittedly somewhat shallow) dreams to come true. Keep in mind also that the people directing the makeovers are highly successful in the field into which these girls are trying to enter. Furthermore, a model's job is to look like what the client wants, not the other way around. Even further than that, hair (usually, at least in healthy people) grows back or can be supplemented at any time with hair extensions.
She refused, claiming that she had to remain "true to" herself.
For f*ck's sake, if your "true self" can be boiled down to one inch of HAIR, what kind of person are you?
I submit that if any of those girls ever have a problem with getting their tresses lopped, that they be sent to visit a cancer treatment center. Better yet, a children's cancer treatment center. Then ask them whether it's hair that makes someone beautiful.
At any rate, the other day during a marathon showing of season six, in the makeover episode, one girl (a pageant queen) was traumatized and horrified to find out that they wanted to cut off her long hair to make her look like Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby. She cried and carried on, and they ended up not cutting her hair as closely as originally planned. I can certainly relate to the emotional trauma of losing one's hair, but it's not like she was going to be permanently disfigured, and she'd look a bazillion times better than I do with ultra-short hair.
The thing is, Tyra Banks and her crew of fashion professionals didn't like the short-but-not-so-short hair, and insisted that the girl have another inch cropped off. Keep in mind that these people are competing for a $100,000 modeling contract and for their (admittedly somewhat shallow) dreams to come true. Keep in mind also that the people directing the makeovers are highly successful in the field into which these girls are trying to enter. Furthermore, a model's job is to look like what the client wants, not the other way around. Even further than that, hair (usually, at least in healthy people) grows back or can be supplemented at any time with hair extensions.
She refused, claiming that she had to remain "true to" herself.
For f*ck's sake, if your "true self" can be boiled down to one inch of HAIR, what kind of person are you?
I submit that if any of those girls ever have a problem with getting their tresses lopped, that they be sent to visit a cancer treatment center. Better yet, a children's cancer treatment center. Then ask them whether it's hair that makes someone beautiful.
