Hair Hair! Experimenting in College

Hello Internet,

Joaquín hair! Today, I’m talking about one of my recent obsessions: my hair! Allow me to walk you down memory lane…

Joaquin and his high school haircut.

For much of my life, I’ve considered my hair as a non-essential component of my person. My mom would cut my hair whenever it got too long for my preference, but I didn’t care about the actual form of my hairstyle. However, as I entered college, I found myself questioning my previously held beliefs, and so, with my newfound freedom, I began trying different styles.

Experiment #1: Shave all my hair off!

The first major thing I wanted to try was to go bald. I had two main reasons that I wanted to go bald. Firstly, at the time, I still considered hair a burden. I prefer to shower at night instead of the morning, and that preference means that I can have some bad bed head when I wake up. That was not a look that I wanted for myself; being bald would take care of that issue. Second, I was familiar with some balding individuals who were not enjoying the process of going bald. I figured that since I might also go bald at some point, I should try to be ok with the look.

Me and my temporary mohawk

And so, my good friends Kailee Lin and Speedy Cook helped me shave my head, as I wasn’t sure I could do it by myself the first time. We actually had a lot of fun with it, as we shaved my head bit by bit, so we got to experiment with different looks as we progressed. But ultimately, all the hair was shaved off and I was left completely bald. And honestly? I loved the look!

It initially felt a little weird to touch the skin on top of my head, but I quickly became accustomed to the sensation. There’s a classic scene in The Legend of Korra where one of the newly-bald airbenders notices an ambush coming when he feels a slight gust of wind from a net flying over his head. I didn’t have those exact powers, but I definitely became more aware of the ambient air temperature.

Admittedly, my parents were not fans of my decision; my mom called me an egghead and my dad physically recoiled the first time he saw me bald. In spite of that, I felt confident and happy with my decision, and I spent the better part of a year being bald. However, after some time, I decided it was time to switch things up again. Phase two: Moustache!

Experiment 2: A Man and a Moustache

While being bald was fun, I decided that I didn’t want to both be bald and have a moustache, so I let my hair grow out again. I had tried growing a moustache in high school, to abysmal results. However, this time my face complied with my plans, and I managed to grow a decent ‘stache! So far, I’ve been pretty satisfied with having my moustache: it makes me feel more mature than I actually am. Since growing out my moustache, I’ve been called “Sir” by kids like ten times now.

I’ve greatly enjoyed taking the time to change my appearance in a conscious way. It’s positively affected my self-esteem, and honestly, is just fun! College is definitely a time to try new things just because you can, and I’m sure taking advantage of it.

Your occasionally bald friend,

Joaquín “Hair today, gone tomorrow” Fuenzalida Nuñez