De ja Vu

This morning, I broke out my big curling iron and started styling my hair. After curling a couple of pieces, I was overcome with this overwhelming sense of de ja vu. I couldn't place it at the time, but on the way to work it dawned on me.

Right before the beginning of eighth grade, I got my regular back-to-school haircut. This wouldn't have been any different than the previous years except that we had just bought one of those makeover software programs. After some distorted, cheap photoshop, I printed out my dream haircut and headed to the corner Supercuts!

Word of advice: those makeover programs are horribly misleading. Never trust one. I looked like a red-headed Florence Henderson from her Brady Bunch days. I absolutely hated my hair. I poured through every magazine I had, trying to find one of those ads in the back for long, luxurious hair. It took a year of growing out and a ton of split ends before I got another haircut. And since I didn't know how to style it, every day for a year, I woke up early, showered, blow-dried, and curled it.

When I was curling my hair this morning, it was the exact same way I did it through all of eighth grade. My immediate reaction was panic. I hated my hair for over a year because of that cut and now my hair was so similar. But I LOVE my hair now! After some brief analysis by my mom, we determined how much of a difference a side part, some bangs, and a good hairstylist can do.

 Carolyn: Age 13 and Age 24