A woman is not measured by the length of her hair.
I like to say this to myself whenever I cut my hair. Occasionally, on days like today, I’ll hole up in my bathroom for an hour as I hack away at my unscrupulous hair. Today’s result is very short, and very cute. But not everyone thinks so.
Each time I tear off the disguise of my long hair (like I’m a Scooby-Doo villain), there are some who mock me because my appearance is not what they prefer. This is always a painful experience and no amount of ridicule makes it easier to bear. To be told you are ugly when you feel your most beautiful is...inconvenient, at best.
Thus: A woman is not measured by the length of her hair. No person should have their gender or identity or selves measured this way. It is ludicrous and exceptionally irrelevant.
Instead, measure yourself this way: by the freedom you feel in being yourself, despite those who would have you differently. Measure yourself by the freedom you extend for others; by the piles of judgment you withhold from heaping on them (keep your baggage to yourself). Measure yourself by the room you have left to create and to learn and to change.
The growth you have ahead
of you is more important
than the hair you’ve cut
from off your head.
Next Steps: Drink a glass of water, run your fingers through your short hair (you are freeee!) and trim up any long hairs you might have missed in the furry flurry.