Nothing Changed Except My Hair

 I cut my hair


It happened after a party on December 31st.

It wasn't a dramatic decision.

I just couldn't stand how I  felt afterward.


I know appearance isn't everything.

Still. there was no reason to start every first impression from a disadvantage.

That thought stayed with me longer than I expected.


A quiet winter night street in Korea, neon lights blurred and empty after a party

I had been growing my hair for about a year and a half.

Letting it go felt strangely heavy.


It was winter, and long hair keeps your neck warm.

That mattered more than I thought it would.



Once I decided, I wanted it done immediately.

I checked my usual salon, but the earliest available appointment was a week away.

A week felt long enough for this decision to disappear.


So I decided to walk in somewhere.

The first place I saw.



As I walked, I kept asking myself the same question.

Should I really do this?


The first salon was full.

I didn’t want to wait.


A winter sidewalk in Korea with people walking away, a hair salon sign glowing softly in the distance

The next place was a barbershop.

They looked at my hair and said they couldn’t cut it.

They only used clippers.

No scissors.


It didn’t make much sense to me, but I moved on.

For a moment, I wondered if this was a sign.

Maybe I wasn’t supposed to cut my hair after all.



I kept walking.


Then I saw a sign that said “Men’s Hair Salon.”

There were no customers inside.



They said they could cut it right away.

But before starting, the stylist kept asking.


Are you sure?

You’re past the awkward growing stage.

You can tie it up now.

Are you really okay with cutting it?


He asked seven times.



By the fifth time, I wasn’t sure anymore.

I started wondering why I was even sitting there.


But it felt too late to leave.

So I told him to cut it.


A man with short hair sitting alone on a bench in a Korean city at dusk, facing a frozen river with Seoul city lights in the distance

When it was done, it felt unfamiliar.

Despite all the care I thought I’d taken,

he told me my scalp was oily and irritated.



Now my head feels cold.

Much colder than I expected.


But it’s comfortable.


Washing my hair is easier.

Working out feels better.



The one thing I did learn

is a new respect for people who keep their hair long.


I don’t think I’ll grow it out again.

At least, not right now.



I wrote about that night here:

https://www.artsveen.com/2026/01/what-night-out-in-korea-taught-me-about.html


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