The History of My Hair: A Timeline

Hair has always been the proving ground to see where you fit in, while trying your best to look good. As I cycled through my past hair trends, I realized I was casting out and reeling back the parts that worked — and the ones that didn’t. I went through a few bad cuts, got blonder and curlier than I meant to be, but eventually figured it out. Whatever quality it was that made me want to change my haircut every year is as much a part of me as anything else.

As a very young child, I had the kind of hair I dream about having now: soft, flowing light brown curls with streaks of gold that just skimmed the shoulders. This ideal state was not to last: At four, I discovered scissors. My sister showed me how to cut paper, and soon thereafter I decided to try out my new skill — on my hair. When no one was looking, I chopped. The result was so lopsided and awful, my Mom decided to shape it up. Inadvertently, I was transformed into a stylish preschooler with a Twiggy pixie cut.

Soon after I started first grade, another hairstyle style began to crop up: the shag. Not long, not short, just lots of layers and bangs all messily mixed together. As a child, this look appealed to me — it was not girly, not total tomboy, but somewhere in between. I bugged my Mom mercilessly to get it and finally she agreed. And I loved it.

As I got older, I continued to try every cut that was currently on-trend. During my junior year of high school, my stepmother started working as a stylist, and gave our whole family perms. Not a good look.

As a senior, along with every other girl in my class, I succumbed to winged bangs.. I made friends with a Finnish exchange student named Leena, who remarked, “In Finland, we call that ‘American hair.’“ She then innocently asked, “Why does everyone have the same hair?” I thought about it. Why, indeed.

This cut is from when I was influenced by French films. Here, I’m channeling my circa 1974 inner Isabelle Huppert.

Not Jennie Garth, not Shannen Doherty — but some zip code in between.

More than a few hairs out of place. And that’s just fine.

Originally Published September 2, 2014. Updated April 5, 2021.

Jennifer Ha

Though she's mildly irked about the aging process, Jennifer is now a newbie triathlete who luckily considers shopping a sport. Ha loves outdoorsy stuff, as long as there's a great hotel nearby. Jennifer tweets at @jenniferbensko.

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Editor’s Note: Ooo la la Sasson | Tue Night

September 2, 2014

[…] Jennifer Ha give us a timeline of her ever-evolving hairstyles. […]
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The History of My Hair: A Timeline

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