I cut off my leash! Hair and feminity; ft. the story of 'The cheerful dog' and 'my 2021 look'

A woman who decides to cuts her hair is about to change her life

– Coco Chanel

A quote I do not believe in. It's high time we believe and treat hair as just an outgrowing body part or extension and not a beauty standard. Women, or for that matter men too, should not be pushed into lines of having a particular haircut or hairstyle. Go bald, short, long, wavy, or straight, as long as you are doing it for yourself and not to please a thought-process or stigma. But, I wish cutting your hair was not linked to so much stigma and thoughts like change in life.

On the same grounds, I will take you along on a journey or story of a dog, who was a people-pleaser.

I learned this story in the K-drama 'It's okay to not be okay'. And, I thought it absolutely suites the context of our topic. Hence, amongst all the stories that I heard and watched in the show, this one stuck around. Before we move ahead, here is the story in my own words.

The Cheerful Dog|Gondh Art

Once upon a time,

there lived a dog.

He had his leash tied around a tree.

During the day, he would be happy and delighted to see everyone. He would play with the kids of the neighbourhood and greet all strangers.

But, during the night, he used to shed tears of loneliness and longing. He used to think about the open space he could see nearby. All the flowers of the spring and field used to tease him. He would whimper and cry all night without sleep.

One fine day, a strange voice rose in the sky covering the silence of the night. It questioned the little dog why isn't he biting off the leash. To that, the dog answers him;

'I am so used to having a leash around my neck and a tie that connects me to the tree that I can not imagine a life without it'

Sometimes what we are used to having is not right for us.

(Oops spoiler) In the series, the female lead's hair shows her dominating mother's nature and when she cuts it off, she experiences a character and personality change. Had her mother not conditioned her into believing that the obedience and fear she had for her mother was linked to her hair, she would not be experiencing so much trauma cutting a few inches.

...

I have had long hair since I was probably 7-8. I do not clearly remember. I am not too thin as well. (Even though I was when I was a kid). Somehow body shaming and my mom's love for my hair, had me thinking I would never look good in short hair.

I thought my long hair would be my protection for covering all the faults of my skin whenever I had to get naked. I thought all the stares could be absorbed in my jet-black hair. I wondered if something happened to them, would people who like me, admire me as culturally appropriate and feminine, as now.

My first boyfriend, my first friend circle, my whole school, and college; literally everyone loved the long hair. I was an example, and especially for a person who belongs to South-Indian and brahmin household, this is a relatable feeling.

..

Fast forward to 2021, February. I cut off my long hair to just below my neck in an attempt to strike a thing off my bucket list. I brought upon a change which I was fearing. At first, I was so skeptical that I would look like a baboon or joker with my long rabbit teeth, big bosom, and not-so-thin body.

But, I received compliments. At least from most people I did.

My mom and so many relatives complimented me with words like I look younger. My colleagues whose opinion I was worried about (not because I cared but because as an introvert I do not like it when a lot of people look at me at the same time. It is embarrassing and makes me cautious. Where are my fellow introverts at?) did not even care to notice the change, up until I posted a few pictures of me embracing the change. I absolutely loved the freedom that came with the short hair. I am in a position right now questioning if I would ever go back to those times when my hair would be all around and under my friends.

So, in totality; what we learn from my story and the dog's? The majority of the time, the person stopping you is not your family, your circumstance, or your friend circle, and surprisingly it is not even the patriarchy, it is just you. Sometimes we have tied ourselves to a stagnant path that would not let us explore further of our lives.

I would like to sign off by showcasing this GOND art I created for this story. If you like this consider following me on Instagram for artistic and visual treats. I would like to add that even though the context of the story is about hair and dog, it is not so plain and obvious. See beyond the surface. This narrator's curtain is not blue and perhaps indicates sadness. (if you understand this, we will be friends)

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The backstory behind 'Gond art' and my 'Sadhana' in making the artwork!

Gond is an ancient art form that is said to be more than 1000 years old. Today, it is majorly practiced amongst the GOND community belonging to Madhya Pradesh and few other parts of India. These paintings are usually on a piece of fabric, and natural dyes and pigments are used for colors. Charcoal, earthy tones, pigments from flowers are huge parts of this type of artwork (and hence, I tried to use as many basic and easily obtainable shades as possible). It celebrates the essence of humans uniting with divine nature by linking it all in intriguing lines and details of shapes to create a sense of movement and motion in the artwork. Teardrop imagery, curves, lines, and geometric shapes are usually part of the same. In general, Gondh is of two types; one form of art deals with this type of pictorial representation of wildlife and such, and the other the divine intervention of Gods like Krishna Leela, so on and so forth.

This was my first attempt to carve those lines and curves I used to practice while making mandalas years ago into a painting of life. I wanted the painting to be as lively as the story. I believe these types of artwork are a form of meditation and I loved creating the same. It took me a lot more effort to create and capture the painting than it took to create and formalize the story and blog draft, which is why I put out the art in my blog first, as a treat to my subscribers.

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Before I end, I have a question, would you like a blog on 5 easy-to-do hairstyles for short hair?

If yes, let me know in the comments! I love styling my short hair and I would love to experiment and share the result.

Also, I am absolutely in love with this K-drama series!

See you all in the next blog!

Love

Lunatica Mehy

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