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Another Lesson in Taking the Simple Things for Granted

I have never really been vain about my hair. I'm always quite confident that no matter what happens, I will like the cut and hey, if all else fails, it WILL grow back.

When I was younger, I would go for months at at time without getting it cut. This is why in many of the photos of me in highschool you'll see a very Crystal Gayle looking figure. That's until I got the Jennifer Aniston, which sadly, after most cuts, my hair seems to still look like after all these years.

(Ask my sister C about when I get my hair cut and I'm confident she will roll her eyes, smile and say, oh, so you're back to the Jennifer look again?)

I went through a dying stage but it was VERY brief as I suddenly realised there was UPKEEP involved. C'mon people UPKEEP. You mean I have to SCHEDULE IN hair appointments to keep it looking like this? I've now decided no dying until I see a gray hair. Sadly, I can't go by when my mother first started going gray because she was a 'natural' red head for as long as I can remember.

(It's always funny when people look at my mother's hair and say, 'oh, that's where you get your red hair from'. Yes. That's it. From the chemical bottle at the hair dressers...whoops! Sorry Mother Ship, I think I just gave you away...)

My hair certainly wasn't something I was even thinking about when coming to Korea.

It was only after the America teacher L began talking about her nightmares that I stared to become a little cautious. Then again, she seemed a bit OBESSESED with her hair so I took her word with a grain of salt.

The most important thing I was told to ask for a 'trim'. For some reasons, Koreans will just start chopping and next thing you know you've got the Demi Moore from G.I Jane.

So, I stumbled into a place that had English on the sign and was pleasantly surprised to find that the woman spoke English. She had lived in Toronto for 7 years and was able to translate quite well.

I walked out of there, with little difference as I had only asked for a trim but certainly not with a style that I couldn't live with.

I decided last Friday to get my hair properly cut, as the trim had been about 8 weeks ago and the hair was become an unruly nest.

My friendly Toronto lady translated my Aniston-esque cut (just to my shoulders and layered around the front) with little effort.

I sat in the chair, confident that I would walk away with my usual.

I've never cut hair but it's funny how you can tell HOW people usually cut your hair. I noticed he was not doing the same thing that other hairdressers do. He seemed to be cutting very little off the ENTIRE head and more concentrating on the ends.

To make matters slightly worse, they don't actually wash your hair before the cut, so it's bascially a dry cut with some spray-bottle wetness, leaving the top of your head basically dry and the ends (where most of the cutting was going on) wet.

Stream of consciouness time...

'He's not actually cutting all the hair...why does he seem to simply snip at the ends but not take the weight of the top?...why am I seeing two of...oh yes, glasses off...

'The top is really looking much bigger than the bottom....like reallly a lot bigger...WHY is he STILL cutting the ends????....He's been doing that for the last five minutes????...this does not seem right.....

'It's just because it's dry....I'm not used to seeing my hair half wet and half dry.....but he is still hacking away at the ENDS!!! I WON'T HAVE ANY END LEFT!!!!...oh, more water...YES!! Make it all wet then perhaps it will make sense to my fuzzy eyes...

'Okay, it's official. I'm getting a mullet. A MULLET!!! BUSINESS IN THE FRONT!! PARTY IN THE BACK!!! I'LL BE ABLE TO PLAY FOR AN NHL EASY!!! IT'S THAT UGLY HAIR CUT ALL THE KOREANS HAVE THAT IS BASICALLY A MULLET!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! I CAN'T STOP IT!!

'Okay so what? So I'll have a mullet. I'll be in fashion. I'll look hip. Everyone will say, 'Oh Teacher, very beautiful'. It will be just fine. It's just hair...

'BUT IT'S A MULLET!!!! A MULLET!!! YOU WILL BE GETTING YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT SOME POINT OVER THE NEXT MONTH AND YOU WILL HAVE A MULLET!!!..'

'It's a talking piece. I'll just point my mullet out every time someon asks so that THEY will know that I KNOW I HAVE A MULLET!...

'Maybe it's not a mullet. Maybe it just looks that way. Maybe I will be saved from the mullet...'

(after wash and dry)

'Okay, it's looking kinda mullet-y. Okay, don't panic remember? Rise above the hair vanity. Think of the starving children in Africa. Think of all the poor people in the world. They wouldn't be complaining about the mullet. They'd just be happy to have the lice removed from their heads....

'Oh, he's going to straighten it. Okay, look SEE? SEE? IT'S FINE!! he he he IT'S NOT A MULLET!!! IT'S NOT A MULLET!!!..

'Well, it certainly isn't a mullet when it's straightened. No problem. I'll just straighten it every day...

End stream of consciouness.

For two days my hair looked un-mullety. Then I washed it.

I've a a semi mullet. There I've said it. Now I'm off to find a hair straightener so I don't get drafted to the Toronto Maple Leafs....although D would be my biggest fan.

(ps. I thought about posting a picture, and for humour's sake, I probably will, but I need it to look it's mullety best...and perhaps have the straightened version for you. Watch this space)

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hey A - I actually have the mullet cut too! I went to get it cut the other day by the same stylist I always go to and she gave me the mullet cut -- it doesn't look back when it's straightened by sometimes it's just long in the back -- I'm afraid for the grow-out process :|

later!
Steph
so glad to hear it's hairdressers across the globe GONE MAD and not just those in Korea....moral support right back to you!!

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