to dye for

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye." - Miss Piggy

Well, I'd like to inform all of you that I have decided to go through with it. Not without reservations, of course. But I am going to commit the cardinal sin of going from brunette to blonde. Not bleach blonde, mind you, but more of a Jennifer Aniston brown-blonde that will brighten up not only my visage but hopefully also my mood.
That's right, you heard me. My hair color is going to change my personality...sort of.
Dying one's hair may seem like a simple change to you (especially if you are male), but its implications are, in fact, numerous. Just think about it: if you've heard one blonde joke, you've heard them all. And although there may not be that many (if any) brunette or redhead jokes out there, there are definitely stereotypes. "Hot headed redhead" or "mousy brunette" are two of the many (some even contradictory) characterizations that come to mind. You can't escape the fact that when you are describing someone, hair color is one of the first things that comes to mind. Many guys have even told me that they are only attracted to girls with certain haircolors. Yet, it means so much more beyond being a defining adjective of tangible features.

After facing hardships or life-changing events, people often feel the need to change their view of both themselves and the world. Someonewhere in this identity crisis, people want to change what they see in the mirror everyday. The last year has been nothing short of tumultuous for me, but I will be the first to say that I am happy with my looks. As an athletic, energetic blue-eyed brunette, I have lived the last 21 years to the fullest, through the triumphs and the tragedies. But I think it's time to give the color a rest, for a few weeks or a few months and try to develop both a new look & outlook.

You may ask, why blonde? Truth is, I have always been fascinated by blondes. They've captained the cheerleading squad, charmed employers, stolen boyfriends from me, and are known stereotypically as "having more fun." Who doesn't love fun? Yes, I have friends who are blonde, and I know that not all blondes are the stereotypical peppy, outgoing, sexy image that media (and some real-life blondes themselves) even promote. Despite my happiness with my looks, part of me always wanted to experience the life of Malibu Barbie...or at least her sun-kissed locks.

Superficial? Maybe. But what's important to keep in mind is that whether or not the change makes me look (or feel) attractive or awful, renewal of confidence or reappearance of insecurities is not due to the color itself. It all comes back to my perception of myself. I've looked at plenty of those "What does your hair color say about you?!" web sites to know that no matter what color your hair is (brown, red, pink, blue, green, etc) it's up to you to make the actual life changes. My mini identity crisis is not going to be solved by a trip to the salon, although it's a step in the right direction if it boosts my confidence further.

Plus, it is, in the end, just hair: if I don't like it, I can always dye it back.
By the way...how many blondes does it take to change a lightbulb?
One: she holds the lightbulb & the world revolves around her.
(Sorry. Couldn't resist)