Haircuts, Motherhood & Middle Age:
My Postpartum Chop
Do not be fooled—a haircut is big emotional shit. To the Greeks, hair meant power. In ancient Chinese culture, it was a sacred gift from your parents—not to be damaged or cut. To me, hair was something I’d had genetic luck with: thick, long, and low-maintenance. Until it wasn’t.
Multiple back-to-back pregnancies took their toll. And, if I’m honest, aging too. No longer the tangled thick mane (my sister once sat painstakingly removing the dreadlocks I hadn’t brushed in weeks during my early 20s), it had become more of a limp relic of my pre-kid self. Still there, but irrevocably changed.
Like the slowest, most painful breakup, I tried everything to save it—bitch plaits, giant scrunchies, colour play, crimpers, curlers, velcro rollers—but nothing worked. We both knew our time was up.
I booked into a fancy London salon whose IG made the long-to-short transition look like a cool party you wanted an invite to. I threw on an outfit, styled my hair in the bitchiest of plaits (which, naturally, looked fucking fantastic that day), and trotted off into town with my Pinterest board clutched to my chest.
Within three minutes of sitting down, a 10-year-old, 15-inch plait lay on the floor. My stylist couldn’t have been more excited—or less emotionally prepared—for what this meant. I braced for sadness… but as I watched it be swept away, I knew I wouldn’t miss it. I felt a little numb—and a lot liberated. This was me now. My middle years. My mum self. My neck and jawline!
Here’s the big shit: bodily change means time is passing. The clock is ticking. And—sorry for the existential dip—but the end is closer than it was. It’s desperately sad and scary. To mitigate these huge feelings I prefer to face the fear and embrace the shift… there’s a kind of strength or at least control in that. Every change is a rehearsal for life’s big scary shit, right?
Six months on, I’ve got zero regrets.In fact, I’m wasting far too much time building a new Pinterest board full of bleach-blonde pixie crops. So If you’re a mum considering the big chop: do it. You might lose some hair, but you’ll gain a little self.