I thought I might do some sort of vaguely political posting here--something along the lines of, "Just because I challenge beauty culture doesn't mean that I enjoy frizzy hair," or perhaps, "While I acknowledge that my dislike for frizzy hair is culturally constructed, I still want to partake in some of the pleasures of bodily performativity." But because it's late--again--I'll just say that, like most women, I have a love/hate relationship with my hair, so I decided to spend big money and go to the fancy curly hair salon in New York and get my frizzy hair transformed into curly hair.
BEFORE:
I don't think the AFTER photo is particularly flattering (I'd been walking in the heat to get to the Bust offices--more on that in a moment), but here it is:
(and one at the salon:)
I feel like a look like a lion, but Meg assures me that I don't.
Immediately after my salon visit, we had our lunch interview with the editors of Bust. The lunch was great--they admitted to us that they'd deliberately not responded to our many, many emails, letters, and phone calls because they feel inundated with requests for interviews. If we hadn't shown up unannounced at their office on Monday, we wouldn't have gotten an interview. The moral: being relentless and annoying pays off. Considering that they were trying to avoid us, they were actually really talkative and friendly once we finally got them to a restaurant. And then tonight I had dinner with my friend Jenn Pozner. So it was a good day.
Here's a just-before-bed AFTER photo:
10 years ago
11 comments:
Well, we (me, Sarah, and James) really loved your hair :). Was it really complicated and involved? Do tell what it took to see that amazing curl. Like, would you ever do it again or was it a complete pain in the ass?
Thanks for sharing.
love,
C
p.s. Sarah Bush suggests that you continue to part your hair to the side, rather than the middle :). She also says she really loves the curl. And James says you're really hot!
And uh, where did you get that coolio blouse?
Ok, enough :).
And my completely unsolicited opinion is:
Not to detract from the spiffiness of your new do, but you look no less attractive in your "BEFORE" picture than in any of your "AFTER" picture. =)
-shafi
(In case you've forgotten who i am from my last comment on this blog, i'm one of Connie's former students who knows of Alison through Connie's mythologized history of the Honors program. =) )
i like the before bed photo of your hair the best! it's such a rockin new doooo!
The hair looks most excellent! So what's up with nagging the editors of Bust for an interview? Maybe the rest of the story's in your archives somewhere?
My dad saw the article on you in the College of Charleston magazine and we had this conversation:
Joe: She looks how I thought. Definitely a SWAF.
Me: What? Dad, what? What does that mean?
Joe: You know, Straight White Academic Female.
Me: Dad, that's not an acronym.
Joe: Well, I just made it up, but that's how she looks.
The mysteries of haircare--why does your hair look longer after the cut than before? The curls are beautiful.
Glad to hear that the interview was successfully accomplished, too.
-djl
I love the look of hair parted on the side (and Sarah Bush wears it so well) but I think it's really refreshing to see a different look and I like it parted in the middle.
Aesthetically, you new hair is awesome! It looks healthy and fresh, more shiney, too. But you should wear you hair how you feel comfy. :)
I *personally* think that the best part of this blog is the facial expression in the before picture. But the hair is good too.
ok, so being probably the only person to see your hair on the day-of (other than your stylist at the facsistically expensive curly salon, your student assistant, and the couldn't-be-bothered Bust eds), i have to say:
your hair looked AMAZING after the cut, all bouncy and full of movement. the "after" picture conveys only a fraction of how cool it was. BUT, i've always loved your hair even without curling it into submission. then again, i have frizzy but only slightly wavy hair that i want to look more like yours, but it is prone to late 70s Rosanne Rosannadanna triangle pyramid "Jew-fro" hair that i get from my Eastern European Jewish ancestry, so you can take my feedback from where it comes.
hey, by the way, i'm transforming my kitchen walls into the look of a cheesy diner -- can you send me a copy of any one of these pics, in 5x7 or 8x10, and Sharpie a message to me as if you were an actor sending me a cheesy headshot? i'm collecting photos of my friends and my inspirational activist cohorts, and they're going to line my walls, Carnagie Deli style. lemme know if you need my address.
--jenn
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