Am I right?
But then, I’m not Halle Berry.
It all started when my husband mentioned he needed a haircut. I offered, but he declined.
On my way to the shower I stopped in front of the mirror, pondering my bangs. Time for a trim. And my special “notched” scissors would add some extra oomph. They look like regular scissors except they have little indentations all along the blade, so when you use them, they only cut intermittent strands of hair.
Yes, that’s how I felt.
How could I miss these?
I bit my lip so I wouldn’t scream out loud. Then I saw the chunks of hair on the paper towel in the sink and no, I wasn’t imagining the three-inch gap above my right eyebrow. It was surreal.
My mind raced as I considered options… should I cut the other side to even it out? NO. That would make me look like Bette Davis without the curl and I wasn’t not young enough to emulate Katy Perry’s do.
If only…
Fine for her.
Then I wondered if I should take a portion of longer hair and pull it forward to make more bangs? NO. What if I screwed it up worse?
How fast could I get an appointment with my hairdresser? And could she really help without chopping the rest of my hair super short to match? There was no way I could pull off a Halle Berry. Plus, I had to be at work in forty minutes. What was I going to do? I couldn’t call in with a bang emergency.
So, I got in the shower, closed my eyes and tried to pretend it was all a dream until I felt the bluntness against my finger tips. I hid until the hot water turned cold.
Back to the mirror. I swept what was left of my bangs over the nearly bald side in a comb over move designed to channel Audrey Hepburn. With a helmet of hairspray in place, I ventured out.
No one noticed at work and as long as I didn’t let the wind hit me the wrong way, I was fine.
The best case scenario
When I returned home I wondered how long it would take my husband to perceive what I’d done.
Instead he mentioned getting a haircut again, so I re-offered my services.
Surprised when he said “Sure,” I asked if he really trusted me.
“What’s the worst that can happen?” he joked. “It’s only hair; it’ll grow back if you make a mistake.”
I could hardly contain my mirth as I showed him my gaffe. His eyes widened and he pronounced I would not be allowed to butcher his hair.
After dinner, we watched TV and he said I looked pretty.
To which I replied “Uh-huh, in spite of my bang snafu?” and—sweet, sweet man—he said, “Especially with your bang snafu.”
He’s a keeper.
PS: Subsequent to this article originally posted 11-28-10… I realized I’d been a victim of short bangs all my life, though #NotMyFault #RunsInTheFamily
Sit. Desk. Write. 
You are a brave woman to post a picture. However, second picture looks good! Nice coverup!
Thanks, Jean. Frankly, I didn’t think anyone would believe the true seriousness of the situation unless I shared; plus you notice I only shared from the eyes up!
No worries. The other day I inadvertently shaved off my eyebrows. Imagine my surprise when I put on my glasses to check out my nicely trimmed……hey wait, where did they go?!?!?!
Oh my! Thanks for sharing, Julie. Did you happen to take a pic? 🙂 Hope your glasses help camouflage the situation. I’ve been dusting off my baseball caps!
I just put a new rider in my will – one case of hairspray to JD>
Thanks Paula! 🙂
A few (maybe more) years ago I decided I didn’t want my bangs anymore and cut them off at the hairline. Needless to say that is not the way it works. I think you look cute with your new comb-over.
Oh my, Judy! Thanks for your support; you didn’t happen to take any pics did you?
Glad you found a solution that got you through the day and into the rest of the week. Love your “eyes up” photo angle and celebrity references and photographs as well. The saving grace of hair is that yes, it’ll grow back. Just not always fast enough to suit us. One of my worst hair moments was when I got a perm in 8th grade (it was the 80’s and everyone got perms). I was crying and my younger sister, trying to make me feel better, said, “You look like Michael Jackson.” I just cried harder. And, yes, there ARE pictures but in an album in my parent’s archive. I did wear a hat to hide it for awhile and it did get better. Much love to you – bangs and all!
Thanks Janean for sharing; it’s always funny how we can crystallize a moment and remember precisely what happened. And, oh, yes, I remember perms. In grade school Aunt Margie always took me to Aunt Martha for a monthly perm, God rest their souls. I stayed away from perms for years and then had one last one; the bi-level they called it. (Don’t even ask.) Then I was cured! Funny, it’s hard to imagine you looking like MJ! 🙂 Again, thanks for adding your interesting slant. ~ JD
This is a positively delightful share/story! Paired with the images –very brave and very very funny!! I especially like the facebook profile image “follow up”. Bangs are seemingly their very own genre!
Thanks, Karen. Since there’s not much else to do except watch them grow out, I had to share the story! My catharsis. 🙂
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