New Delhi, May 18: So we live in a post-feminist era where women can keep their hair any length they want, right? Wrong. As I discovered to my painful surprise, chopping off a few inches of my glorious flowing tresses led to long-lasting repercussions. A sample of the various reactions: Frozen silence — Mom. “Ooh, you used to look like Cleopatra, what have you gone and done to yourself?”—An aunt. “So, trying to look like a true city girl, eh?” — A family friend. I can’t reproduce the intonation, which dripped disapproval. Nothing, of course, to beat the hairdresser herself, “Are you sure you want to cut such lovely hair?” Well, yes. So what’s with cutting hair? The usual arguments about convenience and easy maintenance only get me disbelieving glances in reply. Besides the arguments about Indian culture and the approval of society, of course.
Its difficult to believe that the weight of the traditions of this enormous country rest on my head alone, and quite literally at that. Equally difficult to digest is the thought that long oiled hair laden with jasmine is the only way such traditions are going to be maintained. So much for those convincing arguments and reasons for not cutting hair.
Of course, it’s convenient. I just need to run my brush through my hair a couple of times to feel ready to take on the world. I can’t really be bothered with a hundred strokes or half- hour long shampoo baths. Not much of a price to pay for looking beautiful? For me it is. Not because I have no time for these things. But because I would like to feel that I control and decide how much time I will devote to my hair. Not the other way around. And it would make life easier for me if I didn’t have to go around giving explanations to every other friend and relative about why I cut my hair. I cut my hair because I wanted it short. Period.