Day 1

For my entire life I have always had long, dark-brown hair. Apart from straightening it, I have never drastically altered my hair by cutting it short or dying it other colours. For the next nine days I want to experiment with a variety of hairstyles and unpack the societal norms and conventions of hair length, colour and style and the symbolism and significance thereof. In addition to altering the style of my own hair, I will be making use of short, blonde wig, which will allow me a wider variety of experience with different hairstyles.

Whether having blonde, brunette, long hair, short hair, smooth hair, shaggy hair, “hair is one our most powerful symbols of individual and group identity – powerful first because it is physical and therefore extremely personal, and second because although personal it is also public, rather than private” (Synnott, 1993: 103)

• Synnott, A (1993). The body social: symbolism, self and society. London: Routledge. p103.