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Just for the shock value

Submitted by Kym on September 17, 2008 - 2:19pm.
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So this summer, rather than pulling my shoulder length hair into a ponytail and getting on with my life, I decided to try a little experiment. I cut off all but two inches of my hair, which I styled into the common men's hairstyle of a faux-hawk, you know, that fake mohawk that it seems like every guy in my neighborhood is sporting?

It was the shortest my hair has ever been. I mean, I've had short hair before, but I've always had it longer in the front to frame my face and make it look distinctly feminine. So why the extremely short, extremely male 'do? I wanted to see how many people I could fool into looking twice to see if I was male or female.

When I run through images of people I know with fauxhawks, only one of the several dozen is female other than myself. But in my area, I'm it. Sure, there are the daring women with the actual fohawks, but they also have extremely feminine faces. Me, on the other hand, if I take off my glasses, strap down my breasts, stop smiling, leave off any make-up, take out my earrings, and stop plucking my eyebrows, I can look surprisingly androgynous.

So, has my little experiment been working? Oh, yeah. Given that I dress in pretty androgynous clothes anyway and that I have a penchant for shopping in the men's section for jeans and such (what can I say, they're infinitely more comfortable), it was pretty easy to pull off. Granted, everyone that had met me before knew that I was just "playing dress-up," but you wouldn't believe how many strangers I have fooled to date.

Not that I'm keeping track of the strange glances that I'm afforded on a daily basis, but I must say, I have been taking pride in making people look twice and challenging the gender stereotypes they have.

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I miss being able to do the

Submitted by Brooke on September 23, 2008 - 3:16am.

I miss being able to do the same. I haven't had a hair cut in forever! I started wearing skirts because it is easier to keep cool. I even like dresses now because of all the ways they can be wore, like with pants. Plus who would I fool...I have a toddler! Anyways enjoy your new look and all the fun that comes with it.

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I've had short hair since I

Submitted by Elizabeth on October 4, 2008 - 12:43am.

I've had short hair since I came out. Its currently one of those fauxhawk/rat tail/ mullet type styles.

I get called a guy quite often, and it usually makes me feel offended. I mean to think that our society is so stereotypical that just based on someones hair you think they are male.

But sometimes I love it, like when im out at night and dont feel very safe...Its nice that people think im a guy.

I guess overall im super androgynous style wise. I wear skinny jeans, boxer briefs that are usually showing because i dont keep my jeans up to my hip level and then a shirt that isnt super tight but isnt super loose.

Theres a song by Le Tigre called Viz and the lyrics say "She says I call it climbing and you call it visibility,I call it coolness and you call it visibility,I call it way too rowdy you call it finally free." its basically telling a story of a girl with short hair who just has it because she likes it to a girl with short hair who identifies as gay.

I guess I can relate to the part where they say the girl who is identifying as a gay feels finally free. The moment I chopped off my hair, even though i get stared at, and glared at...I feel finally free to be me.

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Oh I know what you mean!

Submitted by Kym on October 4, 2008 - 8:28pm.

Oh I know what you mean! I've had short hair off and on for several years now, but I can liken it to other things. I had this job at a Chinese restaurant where I had to dress really, really nice. And I even went so far as to wear skirts, heels, the whole shebang, because the pants and jackets just didn't look feminine enough with my long hair at the time. Well, when I finally quit that job in favor of my current employment, the nails that I had painstakenly grown out in a nod to femininity got chopped off to the quick. My hair was a good five inches shorter and shaggy within a week. I had totally de-feminized myself as far as a could, what with having hips and big breasts.

But it was so liberating, so indescribably wonderful. So I definitely know what you mean.

=D

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