Why haircuts are psychological AKA makes you feel better

Ever wondered why a haircut makes you feel better? Because haircuts are emotional.

YES! You read it right. 

Today’s topic is different from what I regularly talk about but you need to know.  

The way your hair looks is part of your whole style / your whole image. Did you ever think that the way your hair falls or is tied up is psychological?  

I am going to explain this with pictures now so you get a clear understanding. 

Now if you are an 80’s kid, let’s rewind to the 80’s cinema of Hollywood and Bollywood. 

Short hair v/s Long Hair 

Have you observed how women with short hair like a pixie are always portrayed as chic, smart, out of the box thinker, and creative. They could very well be an introvert but the image of short hair is of an extrovert.

The goody two-shoes actress had long hair, long hair was portray was sacrificial, caring, nurturing women and the actress playing a negative role will invariably have short hair (or red lips). So here the stereotype / image created was that if you have long hair you are feminine and not outspoken, you will listen to orders and do as your role is designed to be. 

Straight hair v/s Curly / Wavy Hair

Do you remember this movie Chaalbaaz ? Sridevi plays an extrovert, devil may care attitude in super wavy hair and Sridevi plays another character that is introvert, will listen to everyone with straight hair.

Yes, like the above, the texture of hair has been used to create connotations of a character.

The straight hair girl is always without fail, everyone’s favourite 🙂

Hope you are reading along, because I promise I will share how you can use this information to your advantage. 

In the above film, the shy, homely and coy girl is portrayed with straight hair and the free spirited party girl with wavy hair. Another example of hair being used to stereotype the personality of a woman.

Tied up Hair v/s Open Hair

The Goodwife is one of my favourite series to watch. It’s the character arc, journey of Alicia Florrick, depicted through hair and clothes.

The tied up hair has forever been associated with Ms. goody two-shoes and open hair meant you are headstrong. 

So if you look at the above example, TV Movies have a clear stereotype of what a good girl should look like, right…

Yes we don’t think about this, but we have also stereotyped this. When I was going through a breakup, actually it was a puppy one-sided crush…hahaha. But that’s a story for another day. So when I was going through this heartbreaking incident, even as an 18 year old, my first instinct was maybe I should cut my hair. I had no idea why, but the moment I cut my hair, I felt that a weight had been lifted away.

When I started Image consulting, I was very sure I wanted to make a mark for myself and that’s when I got my first pixie done. To look like someone who had toughened up.

The whole idea of sharing so many instances is that hair plays an important role. Every single haircut we go for, we either ask for a drastic change or keep the hair the same. This is our psychological play. We don’t realize this, but our emotional charge to change the length of hair is not just dependent on “Oh I love my hair”, it’s also dependent on how  we see ourselves psychologically.

Traditionally women are considered “homely’ with long straight hair.

Thanks to all marvel avengers movies, straight tied up hair also got a badass status.  

So, the next time you feel like a change in hair length, colour or the way you style it. Remember that it reflects more about your personality and emotional state than you think.