Janey wanted bangs.
She'd been wanting them for a long time and tonight was the night she
was gonna get those straight, smooth, edgy bangs.
I had bangs once.
Those were the days when boys would run from me
And girls would take me to the playground to beat me up
Screaming how I looked like a poodle and how frizzy I was.
I hated bangs for years and years.
Haven't had them since 6th grade.
Last night was my first sleepover.
Probably my last, too, but Fortune was kind.
We were gonna be wild.
Originally, I suggested wacky hair dye--my preference in "rebellious".
But Janey wanted bangs.
It was 3:30 or something. We were watching Eat Pray Love which is absolutely horrible
We were all hyped up on lack of sleep, celebration, cookies, and Limited Edition Mt.Dew
I turn to Janey. We whip out the 17 Magazine "Cut Your Own Hair" article.
She cuts her bangs and they are beautiful. She looks like Feist. She looks Hipster.
I look in the mirror. I look hard. And I can't see Bangs on my Forehead.
All I see is this dorky, geeky, frumpy blob staring at me with a pasty face and droopy eyes.
"I want bangs, Janey. Can you cut them for me?"
Snip! Snip! Snip! Already the grief is settling in me. Already I start to feel hollow.
I'm not letting it show yet though. I'm cracking jokes and smiling and squealing.
Snip! Snip! Snip! It's getting shorter and shorter. This is a Bad Idea.
I'm still laughing and joking, but I can hear panic creep into my voice.
Snip!! Snip!! Sn---"That's long enough. Let's go look!" I sound so happy.
We straighten them. We examine. She looks sort of, well,
unsure??
I look into the mirror and see a blob staring back.
A blob with men's hair from 1973.
A blob that looks like a shaggy dog.
This wasn't a Bad Idea.
This was a Monsterously Idiotic Idea.
I can see my smile shatter and I can see my eyes dim.
We finish the movie and I silently fret. No big deal. No big deal. No big deal.
I crawl into bed. I crawl in and
I
fall
asleep
crying
over
hair
and
the
lack
of.
I wake up. I have forgotten. I touch my hair. There they are. Ugly Bangs with Fangs.
And I can think is how Ugly Ugly Ugly I am. And how I wanted to see my boyfriend the next day and now I can't because I look absolutely hideous and I would die if he could see me and what will my mom think when she sees how stupid I am and what will all my rich fashionable skinny friends think when they see how poorly cheap and stupid I am.
We call the Hair Stylist. She can get us in at 3. We wait and wait. I get in finally at 4:something.
Snip snip snip. "All about texture, Jenna. You just need texture."
I walk out feeling a lot better.
Till Wal-Mart. Where I can see my reflection flash on the glass doors holding frozen food.
I am five again. I look like my mother. I am five again. I am hideous. I am stupid.
I'm still that frizzy girl on the playground.
I see myself as a ghost because of hair.
Today, I've been banging my head on walls until I'm numb.
I can't handle stress and disappoint very well...
Today I've been crying on and off when Janey turned around.
I can't handle change very well either...
Today I've been wishing I didn't exist.
I have a self confidence issue.
That's my summer misadventure.