Asymmetrical bobs, mullets and pixies — one can see all of these styles and more on the heads of students and teachers in Urban’s halls. From natural hues and textures to fun colors and unique shapes, many use their hair as a form of expression.
“My hair is a place where I can just do what I want. … I can be lazy and I can have fun, and I can make bad choices and have it be okay,” said Harper Lind ’27, who frequently cuts and dyes their hair. “I enjoy that, and it helps me release a little bit and be … more free and not fixated on an expectation for what I’m supposed to look like.”
Not everyone experiences a sense of freedom of expression; some people encounter social expectations around their hair early on. “Especially when I was younger, I was taught [that] neat hair is straight hair,” Talia Becker ’25 said. “I really [struggle] with that because I feel messy and not put together if my hair is frizzy or in the way.”
Liya Thakur ’25 used to style her hair to conform to beauty standards and changing trends among her peers. “I was dealing with a lot of societal expectations, and my hair would be a reflection of that. … If it was cool to have straight hair, if it was cool to have curly hair, I’d manipulate that part of myself,” she said.
Now, Thakur embraces her natural hair regardless of what others think about it. “As I’ve become older and become more confident in myself, [my hair has become] a reflection of who I am,” she said. “And now I love my hair — I think it’s one of my best features.”
Defying societal expectations through cutting one’s hair can also be empowering for students. “It makes me feel more confident to know that it’s a choice that I made. … It’s like a little bit of a ‘f*** you’ [towards beauty standards] and myself. It feels like a way to force myself out of perfectionism and rigidity,” Lind said. “Ultimately, it’s my choice and it’s my bodily autonomy to do what I want to do. Haircuts are an exercise in intuition and impulsivity that I sometimes feel like I need.”
Styling her hair allows Kelly Nash, choral director, to feel more confident in herself. “[Hair is] definitely one of those things that helps [me] feel confident [in my outward appearance]. And I get, surprisingly, a lot of random compliments when I’m out and about,” she said.
In addition to being a form of self-expression and empowerment, hair can be a way to connect with one’s culture. “I think using Indian oils and doing my hair naturally really has helped me connect with my family and my Indian heritage and roots,” Thakur said. “It’s definitely a way that I’ve connected to myself, and it’s a peaceful thing for me to do my hair.”
Hair can also be a way to bond and express solidarity with family members. “I dyed my hair pink when my aunt was dying of breast cancer because she said that she always wanted to dye her hair pink,” Gale Woodbridge ’28 said. “But we’re Korean, [and] in Korea, you can’t really dye your hair without people being like, ‘Oh, you’re weird.’ So [I did it] for her.”
Beyond the connection to her aunt, Woodbridge enjoys the act of dying her hair. “Dying your hair is kind of relaxing, almost meditative,” she said. “You can’t touch anything while you are dying it. Like, I can’t touch my phone without it turning the dye color. And I think that’s really nice, especially because … I’m a little bit addicted to social media … and I can separate myself from that and schoolwork.”
Experimenting with hairstyles can improve peoples’ emotions and help them connect with themselves. Lind recommends everyone try out a new hairstyle. “I think being more whimsical would make the world a better place,” they said. “Lots of things are bad. But if your hair can be fun, that makes it slightly less bad. … And yeah, I support whimsy. I support freaky. I think people should have more fun in [their] lives.”