Cut your bangs.

- May 22, 2020

"Oh lord, what is sarah going to talk about today..."

Honestly, that's how I feel about my posts when I go through old posts and have forgotten what I talked about, lol.

I didn't address it in my last post, but YES, I cut my own bangs! For many years, I have wanted to get bangs. Not because I necessarily thought they were cute, but I really just wanted to see what they looked like on me, lol. I had a feeling they were going to look bad with my facial features, but I thought they were kinda safe when it came to changing your hair drastically compared to shaving your whole head or dyeing it. Like you can hide them with a headband if they look bad, and plus your hair grows! At least fast enough to where you can hide them behind your ear at some point, lol. And while we're in the middle of quarantine and every event has been canceled, I thought, why not? But I had a lot of fear and anxiety going into this. Because literally EVERYONE said not to do it. Not a single person I know said to go for it. Even social media was saying not to do it. The number of tweets I saw that said something along the lines of, "I don't know who needs to hear this, but you don't cut your own bangs." 😂

But the idea was planted in my head and I had to do it. So I got a pair of hair-cutting scissors from Walmart, watched a ton of youtube tutorials, said a prayer, and just went for it.

And y'all, it has been one of the best decisions I made in a long time.

(And if you don't like them, don't tell me. They will probably grow on you at some point.)

Which made me start going down a rabbit hole in my brain of other decisions I've made in my life because of what other people's opinions were. Because I am shocked by how much I like my bangs. I prepared myself to hate them because of what everyone said, so I had a pile of headbands and bobby pins ready to go when this failed. I was that confident that it was going to turn out bad. So many people have told me what I should do and what I shouldn't do in my life and that has influenced a lot of my decisions. Don't get me wrong, it was all with the best intentions! Like I have the freedom to do whatever I want, but I have always been influenced by someone or society to do something that deep down inside wasn't something that I truly wanted. Like I haven't been blatantly told, "you cannot do that." But it's been more along the lines of:

"Are you sure that's the best decision?"

"Not many people succeed doing that."

"Doing creative things are something you could do as a hobby!"

"It's not a good idea."

"Why do you like doing that?"

"Do you really need to do that?"

"You know, your family is not going to approve."

"What will others think?"

"___ is doing well because they became a doctor/engineer." (YES. I WENT THERE.)

Obviously you need context around some of these statements and if you've watched my youtube video, you'll have a better idea what I'm talking about. But if you haven't, I hope you guys still understand where I'm coming from! I guess my point is that listening to what others say doesn't always mean it's the best decision for you. Whether it's your family or friends pressuring you. I've been thinking about this for a while, but after cutting my bangs, it literally made me think, "what else in life am I missing out on because I listened to other people's opinions?" I know I'm still young and there is still so much life left, so I could be wrong. But the regrets and "what ifs" have added up. I know I ultimately made my decisions on my own and no one stopped me from doing anything I wanted to do, but the influence of others definitely played a part in the decisions I made.

But this blog was not something I was influenced to do and was something I truly just felt the urge to start. I wrote my first blog post back in high school and started up again in college. No one told me to do this and no one said it was a good idea. But this was something I wanted to do and I am so, so, sooo glad I did. Having this outlet in college and post-college has been one of the biggest blessings. Am I famous for it? Not yet, lol. Is it everyone's cup of tea? Probably not. But it did bring opportunities that I wouldn't have received otherwise. And honestly it makes me sound more interesting than just being another Indian with an engineering degree, lol. Knowing that a lot of my peers especially in the Indian community don't blog or do anything like this, so starting a blog about my life and sharing some unconventional thoughts was opening a door to criticism and judgment, especially from family, but I honestly don't care and I am happier because of this blog!! (Just ignore the fact that I am bad at posting regularly 🙈)

Side note: Please don't misinterpret this for anything else though and an excuse to continue any bad habits. For example, if your friends are telling you to stop talking to that toxic person, stop talking to them. If your family and friends are worried about your increase in drinking, listen to them! Do NOT say, "well sarah said I should do whatever I want!!" No ma'am, I did not say that and I am not responsible for any unhealthy addictions! I'm talking about the bigger picture in general and things that make you, you.

So friend, do what you feel called to do. Do what you like to do. Cut those bangs.

Posts similar to this topic: Do YOU.
Check out my last post: How to Bleach-Dye Your Clothes