By: Aalam Singh Batth
Hair, we are born with it, maybe if you’re lucky they’re everywhere. They are so omnipresent that, I have seen them influence politics (pls refer to politics of the hairy), personalities and perceptions. Ironically, all hair influences has something to do with ‘P’. Although it may vary according to make of the product through which one may pee, the levels and degrees of its affect on one’s personality and people’s of them perception may vary. It feels as if its layers often end up masquerading how one feels about themselves or how other people perceive them to be. So much so, that people often put hours and money into mowing it, cutting it, colouring it, dumping it with fertilisers (products like serums, wax, masks etc) and ingesting probiotics to make up for lost strands. I found myself thinking about it when I was forced to go and have a haircut, for alleged ‘overgrowth’ and ‘shabbiness’. Maybe it’s because the layers of hair along with our physical self and clothing articles come together to form an image of ourselves based on which societal norms and our hypnotised brains end up adjudicating our own personality and the way we are perceived. Basically we end up feeling good because we think others will think that we look good. Now, don’t get me wrong, looks matter, but the degree of its importance along with what’s beneath all these layers of clothes, hair and skin is often overlooked.
Ageing is also one such thing that ends up influencing one’s relationship with hair. One such thing is an ironical reversal from ‘racism’, black is preferred over white. Basically, any colour except white is usually desired. As baldness or reduction in hair density approaches the scalps of our frail and look conscious heads, we lament, we cry, for the hair we once were too eager to cut or do away with. Will Smith slapped Chris Rock because of joke on his wife’s hair. Looks, conception and all the societal norms that affect people’s perception ends up feeding our behavioural psychology and our relationship with hair. If you have some strands of hair left, hold on to them, if you want to shave it then shave, if you want to colour it, then colour it. But never do it to feed other people’s perception of you. Basically don’t cut, shave or grow your hair to please another being. Fuck other people’s perception of you, hair or no hair, your personality is uniquely yours.
