I tweeted a joke awhile back that there's only three stages of fringe (bangs): the fringe is too long, the fringe is too short, the fringe is crooked. Those are literally the only options. Well today it is both of the last two; not ridiculously short as I used to accidentally cut it when I first took my fringe into my own hands. These days I'm too much of a pro with the scissors for that, even an impulsive snip before heading out leaves me with only an only slightly mutilated fringe. Fringe that is just a smidge too short to cover my eyebrows. That has become my metric of proper fringe length for my face: hidden eyebrows. It's not that I dislike my eyebrows, most of the time I don't think about them, or try to intentionally hide them. After all, I did have a pixie cut for years and they were constantly visible then, it's just that "hidden eyebrows" is the perfect fringe length for my face. Any longer and I feel as if I can't see, any shorter and I feel too Bettie Page. It's funny the tiny details we get hung up on; those little intricacies that no one else would even notice. It's a tiny pebble in your shoe that keeps you from being completely comfortable. Sometimes I feel like the point of the blog is to bring attention to those things that no one would ever notice if you didn't point it out. Yesterday in my Instagram stories I asked people what silly things that made them conscious and the answers were so interesting. From being embarrassed by our smiles to hating ordering food in public spaces or even worrying about the speed of windshield wipers on a rainy day; it's an interesting insight into all the different ways our minds work. There's things I can't relate to, but also repeated sentiments that feel all too familiar and in the end there is a sense of community in it. We might all be hung-up on different things, but the truth is we are all guilty of being self-conscious of something ridiculous, something minute and tiny that other people probably don't even notice but makes us cringe inside. It's also worth mentioning as well that so many of those quirks that we get self-conscious about--like the way your voice might get loud or your speech might come out fast when you hit a subject you're passionate about--are also what make us the most captivating. How often have we fallen in love with a lop-sided smile or the way someone talks wildly with their hands? Often the most quirky parts of our personalities that we tend try to polish up or hide, are our most charming features. It's the imperfections that make us approachable and endearing.
CONVERSATION