Behold! :)
My first ever perm!
(not true, I tried something out when I was 12 and it failed so it doesn't count lol).
The story behind it..
It all started last spring when I realised, I like big curly hair, a la Shakira. I think it's sexy, it's fun and it adds more character. However, as with any girl doing something drastic to her hair, I was really scared. However, over the last few months I've started to realise how flat my hair is, how low maintenance I really want it to be, and how I just needed a haircut (and I always wait til I'm back in Japan because there are different consistencies in hair between people from the UK and Japan, and so stylists are better on me in Japan!). So literally, I arrived in Japan at 9AM, and at around 2PM, I was in the hair salon.
What it's like now..
It's a bit smaller, more tame, and bit more curly now. This kind of perm is curlier when it's wet and so if I ever blow-dry it, the curls don't come out as nicely. In the picture above, I'd blow-dried. These days I usually just let it dry or I blow dry the roots only. You can see it a bit better in my recent videos..
How I feel about it..
I love it! Much lower maintenance, and I don't need to get it cut as often, and it makes my highlights look better. However, the best thing about it is that it's much more 'me' than my normal straight hair. I'm bouncy, I'm giddy, I'm loud, and my normal straight hair did not reflect that (totally did not notice it until I got it done). I think people get a better preconception of who I really am with this hair.
I absolutely hate the assumptions that I have to face a lot of the time when I meet someone, or someone looks at me. There are a few that I never ever mind - that I might not speak very good English, that I grew up in Japan my whole life, or that I'm American. But the ones I cannot stand are like the ones when people assume I am shy, naive, quiet because I am Asian, and the confused looks I get when I don't match their preconceptions. They are massive generalizations and stereotypes, and no one likes people assuming things about them. I feel like I get less confused looks now that the hair gives some kind of signal LOL ('prepare for noise!'), and I think I must look more comfortable with myself in general :)
So.. I hope you guys like it :) It's a step towards being truly happy with myself on the outside (like this whole make-up fiasco), and matching it to who I am on the inside (I'm quite happy with myself on the inside, how cocky ;P). Everytime I feel like I succeed, it's another boost in confidence levels! :)
<3yu