I DID THE BIG CHOP!!!

Well, I just called my mom . . . she hadn't seen the pics so I had to actually guide her through the process of hopping on FB to see them :spinning:

Her response? "It's...cute."

When I pressed, she admitted that she didn't like it. And she asked me NOT to tell my grandmother for a few days. "Don't ruin her holiday!"

She then went on to ask me how this would affect my job and warned me that "short hair is HARD to maintain . . . it's your head . . . I guess you will just have to learn for yourself."

Okay, here's the kicker - MY MOM IS NATURAL! She sports a short afro. :wtf: :huh: And it's actually not a cute look on her . . . her hair is so thin that she looks practically bald :nono:

I guess her reaction is based on the fact that she feels like she doesn't need to look a certain way because she's about to retire and been married for 30 years. She, unlike me, doesn't need to satisfy The Man or catch "a man"

Oh well.

Haven't heard yet from my dad or brother . . . and I don't really care to . . . other than my immediate family, the overall reaction has been positive. (Okay, one lady at church was like, "Oh. You cut your hair. Oh." LOL.)

I still feel good about my decision, though.

You know, before hand I was really worried about not looking a certain way . . . after all, research has shown that men like women with longer hair. (And I can understand that - I mean, long hair is one of the basic physical trats that separates men from women.) But, you know what? My experience on the single scene has shown me that most of the IBMs (ideal black men - you know the ones - with the advanced education, good jobs, etc., etc.) aren't checking for me anyway. Whether it's related to my weight or any other factors, I just haven't been lucky in that arena. So instead of trying to grow long hair so maybe, just maybe, I can be considered "dateable" by some of these eligble bachelors, why don't I just focus on me, what I want, and what works for me?

*snip-snip-snip*

Out of concern for maintaining my "femininity" I had already armed myself with lots of makeup and big earrings. But you know what I realized when I got dressed today? This shorter cut actually makes me feel MORE feminine. You know like the idea of "being man enough to wear pink"? I feel woman enough to rock short hair! I feel bold. Powerful. Sexy.

I did it and I'm glad.

Here is to happy hair growing!!!!
 
Glibby,

There is no better way to start the new year than feeling good about yourself. Not limited to how you look, but also how you feel inside. I can tell you feel better, stronger, and more confident just by what you have written. Don't let them steal your joy. Rock on!
 
I love what you said about not trying to fulfill others' expectations of how you look. Do you, and congratulations! :D :congrats:
 
Glib Gurl said:
Well, I just called my mom . . . she hadn't seen the pics so I had to actually guide her through the process of hopping on FB to see them :spinning:

Her response? "It's...cute."

When I pressed, she admitted that she didn't like it. And she asked me NOT to tell my grandmother for a few days. "Don't ruin her holiday!"

She then went on to ask me how this would affect my job and warned me that "short hair is HARD to maintain . . . it's your head . . . I guess you will just have to learn for yourself."

Okay, here's the kicker - MY MOM IS NATURAL! She sports a short afro. :wtf: :huh: And it's actually not a cute look on her . . . her hair is so thin that she looks practically bald :nono:

I guess her reaction is based on the fact that she feels like she doesn't need to look a certain way because she's about to retire and been married for 30 years. She, unlike me, doesn't need to satisfy The Man or catch "a man"

Oh well.

Haven't heard yet from my dad or brother . . . and I don't really care to . . . other than my immediate family, the overall reaction has been positive. (Okay, one lady at church was like, "Oh. You cut your hair. Oh." LOL.)

I still feel good about my decision, though.

You know, before hand I was really worried about not looking a certain way . . . after all, research has shown that men like women with longer hair. (And I can understand that - I mean, long hair is one of the basic physical trats that separates men from women.) But, you know what? My experience on the single scene has shown me that most of the IBMs (ideal black men - you know the ones - with the advanced education, good jobs, etc., etc.) aren't checking for me anyway. Whether it's related to my weight or any other factors, I just haven't been lucky in that arena. So instead of trying to grow long hair so maybe, just maybe, I can be considered "dateable" by some of these eligble bachelors, why don't I just focus on me, what I want, and what works for me?

*snip-snip-snip*

Out of concern for maintaining my "femininity" I had already armed myself with lots of makeup and big earrings. But you know what I realized when I got dressed today? This shorter cut actually makes me feel MORE feminine. You know like the idea of "being man enough to wear pink"? I feel woman enough to rock short hair! I feel bold. Powerful. Sexy.
I did it and I'm glad.

Here is to happy hair growing!!!!
Click to expand...

This made my day!! You go Glib!:grin: I had a lot of these same feelings:yep:
 
I love it Glib Gurl. I honestly love it on you more than I did your straight hair. I am excited for you and hope you are enjoying it and yes, getting to know your hair when it's little is fun and less frustrating so do have a blast. Also enjoy that length coz it goes by so fast and then you start missing it. So look for threads on styling TWAs so youc an explore all the fun things for that length. :)
 
Glib Gurl said:
Well, I done did it! After a week of drama with my family over my transitioning hair, I finally did the deed and got a big chop.

The stylist cut off about four inches of straight hair, leaving me with about 3.25 inches of natural hair. I have to admit that I wasn't prepared for how it looked when it was just a big puff. But then she did a wash and conditioning and my texture popped right out. We then did a twist out/flexirod set. The finished product is attached. (Sorry, don't know how to make it bigger.)

While it's shorter than I expected I think I will grow to really love it . . . right now I *like* it . . . looking forward to getting to know my hair even more and experimenting with different styles . . . suggestions (youtube videos, links, etc.) are welcome :grin:
Click to expand...


Now Glib... you know we need more pictures than that!
 
Last edited:
Glib Gurl said:
Okay - more pics . . .
Click to expand...

Oh good... these show your curl pattern better.

I can't tell how long your hair is (shrinkage is a ****)! But, at about ten months post ( I am almost 14 months post now) I started doing 2 strand twists on my natural hair--after two failed attempts to do braids with extensions--so that may be an option for you. Do mini-twists until your hair grows out more to hide the parts. I have been getting a lot of compliments on my two strand twists.
 
@Glib Gurl, you didn't ask me but I do have a slow demo of how I do my twists which work well as they don't tangle and they last long. You can see that demo here. (Notice I'm twirling the strands in one direction, both of them same direction...then I wrap them in the oppositde direction)

Don't let how slow that looks discourage you. With practice will come speed. You can see real time twisting in this clip. Twisting like this, by first twirling each strands makes undoing the twists so easy and because the hairs in each strands are kept stretched and twisted away from those in the other, there's no tangling even with many washes..
 
So, my mom called me early this morning and told me that she decided that my hair looks cute on me. And that she's going to visit my Grandma today to show her the pictures on facebook.


"So," I said, "You've come down off the ledge?"


"I decided not to jump."


She then reiterated her concern that short hair is hard to take care of. I explained that I've done a lot of research and there are a lot more resources out there today than when she first cut her hair.


Expect a follow-up post at some point about a conversation with an irate Grandmother. *lol*
 
Nonie said:
@Glib Gurl, you didn't ask me but I do have a slow demo of how I do my twists which work well as they don't tangle and they last long. You can see that demo here. (Notice I'm twirling the strands in one direction, both of them same direction...then I wrap them in the oppositde direction)

Don't let how slow that looks discourage you. With practice will come speed. You can see real time twisting in this clip. Twisting like this, by first twirling each strands makes undoing the twists so easy and because the hairs in each strands are kept stretched and twisted away from those in the other, there's no tangling even with many washes..
Click to expand...

Thanks Nonie! Wow - yeah, that is definitely going to take some practice!!
 
Okay so I just got another call from my mom.

When I saw the number, I fully expected her to say that they had to rush my Grandmother to the hospital after she passed out in rage.

Instead my grandmother said, "Oh WOW! Thank you, Lord, for helping my Granddaughter. You look beautiful!"

After recovering from the initial shock I said, "You really like it? I thought you would hate me with short hair."

"I don't care nothin' about short hair. I just didn't like how it was raggedy lookin' . . . I said a prayer that the good Lord would help you get it together and he did. So, how are you going to wear it for [my younger brother's upcoming] wedding - curls?"

So then we chatted about a little bit about my plans. I explained that it depends on how long it is but that I have a stylist and have all of the tools and research together. But overall she sounded genuinely happy.

I am completely floored. If I would have known that she would have embraced it so well I would've done this months ago. (Not that it matters what she thinks but it certainly makes the transition easier.)

So yeah. If Grandmama is happy, everybody (including my mom) is happy.

:yay: :grin: :yay:
 
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