Student Life September 2019

GETTING THE CHOP!
BY LEANNE ARNOLD
So recently I
went and got
my hair cut… in
a hairdressers…
a proper
hairdressers!
This may seem
like child’s play to many of you, but I don’t
make it a regular trip as I often have my
hair cut and then leave it to grow out. So,
going for the first time in a very long time
was actually quite anxiety provoking.
I decided to have my hair cut from very
long to pretty short; like that wasn’t anxiety
provoking enough… I had to deal with the
social anxiety battle that was raging in my
mind too.
never been the ‘popular’ person, so I’ve
always felt uneasy in situations like that.
I think what I need to take from this is that
I need to push myself more, I felt proud
of myself, even though I was then onto
battling the adjustment of the haircut!
I need to not pay so much attention to
stereotypes – although this is something
I pride myself on, I do believe that if you
see something enough it almost becomes
embedded into you.
Anyway, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to
the hairdresser that made my experience
a comfortable, safe, and enjoyable one. I
hope they see this, even if they don’t know
who they are.
I was encouraged by friends and reassured
too, but that only gave me a small amount
of confidence. In my head I kept telling
myself ‘people do this all the time’,
‘children go and get their hair done, if they
can so can you’.
It seems almost daft writing this now,
especially after going and experiencing it. It
was fine. I was okay. I actually enjoyed the
experience. The hairdressers that I went
to were very welcoming, the particular
hairdresser I had was lovely. I felt at ease
and I felt comfortable. She was very chatty,
and I got a head massage and cuppa!
I think the reason why I was so nervous
was because of the stereotypical
hairdressers you see in soaps; bitchy,
selective, and super judgemental. I’ve
49 • AUGUST 2019 • STUDENT LIFE