Crimes Against Hairdressing

Wanted, Shorn or Shaggy.

If bad hair was a crime I would be in trouble with the law. A selfie haircut combined with bed head, and you better call the HD-CSI unit. I would be charged with crimes against hairdressing and sent to appear before a four star stylist.

My life of stylistic hair crime began when I quit paying for haircuts about 20 years ago. At that time Linda, my partner in crime, took up the responsibility for keeping my hair somewhat acceptable. We combed the Internet together to learn what we could about home haircutting.

Over the years MS changes meant that Linda could no longer manipulate the hair cutter and scissors. Oh, no - now it was up to me to make the cuts, with Linda acting as project coordinator.

One year ago Linda was in the hospital and I cut my hair alone for the first time. It turned out pretty good. Since then I haven't cut my hair again in the same way. Instead of sitting down to a total cut I have been randomly snipping at my hair when I noticed chunks getting out of control.

It has felt good to see problem hair and hack it back in a fit of rebelliousness. And I do believe it is an act of rebellion, whether you are five or fifty, because for some reason hair on the head is sacred.

I know lots of people that live simply, but none that have gone as far as cutting their own hair. Why? Because we quickly learn in life that head hair is hallowed, and only professionals shall alter it according to the latest fashions.

I figure the fashion police infringe on my freedom, so snip, snip, snip. If someone has a problem with that they can call in the hairdressing crime scene investigation unit. Of course they would discover that things are all manner of wrong, and I would be convicted of my crimes.

The punishment would be a full day spa treatment for rest, rehabilitation and better, more acceptable hair. However pleasant that might be, I am likely to be a recidivist in this department. Where are those scissors?

I Wore The Same Clothes For A Year

"No one has noticed; no one gives a shit."

Talk about simplifying your wardrobe. Image wearing the same thing to work ever day for a year - that is my kind of no-decision-to-be-made morning dressing routine.

Karl Stefanovic, a TV show host, recently revealed to a sometimes shocked public, "I wore the same clothes for a year". His stated goal was to highlight the double standard that exists between male and female TV personalities.

While his female co-hosts are often lambasted for their fashion choices, he says that males in front of the camera are not held up to the same scrutiny. Of his experiment he said, "No one has noticed; no one gives a shit."

But his project seems larger than he even imagined. I love what this might say about fashion and clothing in general for both genders - it is all a farce designed to keep you spending money. No may notice your expensive clothes. Or your inexpensive clothes. Or that you are wearing clothes at all.

While the rich and famous may be under scrutiny from exploitative tabloids and people with nothing better to do, most of us are not.

Who cares what we wear day after day? Why bother with an expensive wardrobe and a new set of clothes for every fashion season? Does anyone even notice?

Better to save a bundle and wear what ever you want, even if it is the same suit of clothes every day for a year. Or longer.

I Am Free

Simple Pleasures: Walking Barefoot

"An old, ancestral affinity between the human foot and the solid ground
 is replenished by the simple act of stepping outside without shoes." - David Abram

Walking barefoot is free, requires no special gear, can be practiced anywhere, and has health benefits. So what is up with shoes?

You might think that expensive shoes do what manufacturers claim and protect your feet, but that does not seem to be the case. Phil Maffetone says in his book “In Fitness and in Health”:

For the most part, shoes are tested on machines, not people, because machines give the results the company wants and people don’t. A quick look in the medical journals will point out the abundant problems.

Did you know, for example, that the support systems in almost all shoes can weaken your ankles? And the soft, cushioned shoes of today can harm your feet?

Scientific articles over the past decade or more strongly suggest that such protective features put in by shoe companies, including shock absorption and motion control actually increase the likelihood of injury.

Yikes! Why don't we go barefoot more often, considering the injustices our feet put up with for a bit of protection?

Why? Because it's not profitable. Today, shoes are a gold mine.

The global footwear market is projected to hit $195 billion by 2015. The global barefoot market? Not so much.

It is no wonder barefoot walking isn't promoted. You are either a hippie, nature nut, running nerd, or downright uncivilized to traipse treadless across the ground. But again, what about protecting your feet from hazards?

Nope. The industry is 95% fashion, and 5% protection. Shoes can protect your feet from sharp stuff, but they also separate you from feeling the earth under you, and weaken your feet over time.

There’s nothing like walking on sand or grass in your bare feet, and the more you can enjoy nature, the better for your well-being. Going barefoot more often can also save you a lot of money. 

Walking Barefoot - Reconnecting With The Earth

Try this when the mood strikes you: step out upon the solid earth without the intermediary of a rubber or leather sole - without another creature's tanned hide coming between your flesh and that of the earth.

Notice the way your feet pressing against the coarse ground are also met by that ground, as your skin is probed by the soil and the pliant, bristling blades. How easy it is to sense that the terrain underfoot is the palpable surface of a living presence, and to allow that depth to feel your steps as you walk upon it!

Watch how your feet spontaneously relax their pace in order to respect this odd otherness - in order to reply appropriately to the caress and the steady support of that depth, to avoid insulting the living land with your carelessness. - David Abram

Walking barefoot is one of the simple pleasures that reconnects me with the earth, and disconnects me from consumerism.

It makes me more aware of how our every footprint can affect the earth. If only we were more concerned about avoiding insulting the living land with our carelessness in all walks of life.

Dangerous Clothes Monday

Fashion can be harmful to more than your pocketbook

Keeping up with the latest fashion trends can be harmful to more than your pocketbook. Many common clothing choices can be potentially deadly.

Tight clothing such as collared shirts, and accessories such as belts, ties, stiletto heels, and 50 pound shoulder bags are all potential health hazards.

"Rarely do comfort and health get much more than a nod in the fashion picture. Yet the failure to consider them can impair performance, diminish alertness, foster irritability and even compromise health.

Headaches, varicose veins, corns and calluses, gastrointestinal distress, heat prostration and even vaginitis can result from attempts to 'dress properly' or follow fashion trends." - New York Times

Fashion is deadly, and best avoided. Have a great week.