When’s the last time you cut your own hair? If the answer is sometime in elementary school, Lena Dunham is making a case for throwing it back. The actress and activist penned a personal essay entitled “Why You Should Cut Your Own Hair at Least Once” for Vogue‘s November issue, in which she exalts the power of chopping her own locks (with support from peers who feel the same). Lena’s never been afraid to reject conformity (in this case, avoiding the salon chair), and now we know that extends to how she settles on a ‘do.
“The sound of the first chop, thick and harsh, was thrilling. I watched my hair pile up in the sink, then looked into the mirror: I had given myself blunt, successive layers that resembled a staircase headed to nowhere. Nothing about the haircut could have been perceived as skilled, fetching, or even sane. But I had never felt more alive,” she wrote.
She continued to explain her logic, and the sense of power she feels in taking control over something that otherwise lies in another person’s (aka a hairstylist’s) hands: “I want to feel beautiful in a way people can understand, and yet I want to feel like my own tiny revolution. Every time my hair is blown flat or (God forbid) curled with a small but mighty iron, I lose a piece of myself.”
Not everyone can agree they’re as brave as Lena when it comes to hair experimentation, but we can surely admire her for it. Plus, expressing yourself is never a bad thing, and if that involves chopping your own mane, then so be it. For those of you who are gutsy enough to self-style, peep our current favorite hair trends for inspiration.
