Did you ever make a radical change in your appearance? - YouLookFab Forum

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Did you ever make a radical change in your appearance?

April

Veteran

Thinking about an overnight sort of change rather than a slow and steady shift.

Sal's post about our styles in youth compared to now made me think of being in college and going, in a day, from having lifelong long hair to the buzzed-on-the-sides, longer-on top cut popular in the 80s. Somewhere between Annie Lennox and Brian Setzer, only curly on top.

I did not like how often it had to be cut and that it now required both blow-drying and "product" but I loved the dramatic change.

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33 replies

Latest reply was from Vildy

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Nothing terribly radical for me. I did cut my longer hair (slightly below shoulder length) to a short cut after a breakup back in 1990. The short hair -- a longish pixie? -- lasted maybe two years at most. Frequent haircuts were too much to keep on top of, timewise and budget-wise, at that point in my life, when I was working a full-time job and attending grad school. And styling my curly hair was a trial, especially in the humid summer -- it became a bushy mess. Not my favorite look on me, so for 30 years now I've left short hair to others who wear it much better! (Yeah, bad pic with me making a chin face doesn't help, although my hair looks relatively OK in this one because it was taken in winter, LOL)

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Irina

Veteran

I became blond in my 20s and kept it for about 5 years. Got tired of maintenance. Had long hair mid brown, a shoulder blade length through my 40s. Cut it into a short bob and went grey. That’s about it.

That’s me in 2009.

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Tanya

Veteran

Not really. The biggest change I ever had was accidental - I got highlights in my naturally dark blonde hair. I asked for natural, sun-streaked subtle look, and instead got very obvious platinum blonde streaks. It was very noticeable, but I grew it out.

Vildy

Veteran

I notice everything is about hair. I can understand that.

I have also had radical overnight changes in clothing styles. A girl in the dorm lived in Manhattan and came home from a weekend wearing a mini skirt. Having come out of a high school with, typically, so many rules, I found the idea exhilarating and sat down and altered every single one of my skirts.

I do have some radical hair changes. I went along with a friend to get her hair cut in L.A. when we were teens. I had hair almost to my waist.
The stylist claimed I looked like Barbra Streisand - I don't - and gave me a free haircut in a bob. I liked it because of the movement and kept it that way for many years.

Another radical hair change not exactly my idea. I started treatment for inflammatory breast disease - metastized - last September. It doesn't make you bald but does cause what they euphemistically refer to as "thinning". What this realistically meant is that hair is dry and fragile and the least little thing breaks it off. I tried apple cider vinegar rinse and the cuticle lay down and the breakage stopped. (cancer in remission since December a year ago but we keep a check on it and it isn't curable)

Worse, though, this September I had a fatal heart attack. They had put some electrodes on my head and some well meaning nurses decided to get off the slight adhesive from that. Nobody asked me. I could get that off with the apple cider vinegar. They put a shower cap on my head that had a very gunky shampoo inside it, massaged it, then used a fine tooth comb - which I never own - to comb that out. Of course, they couldn't succeed but only succeeded in tearing out a substantial amount of my hair. Luckily they ran short of time. The result is that my hair is thinned - again - because everything is at slightly different lengths.

I did have an option of a free wig and the guy was touted as selecting the perfect style for you except that he did want you to shave your head.
Nothing doing. And who is he to decide what I think will be perfect for me, Barbra Streisand guy notwithstanding.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Vildy, OMG, I didn't know about your recent health issues! I'm glad you are still with us, hair issues notwithstanding. Sending good vibes for healthier days ahead!

Yes, sometimes the most radical changes are not ones of our choosing, especially when they relate to medical challenges. It's indeed a fortunate thing to be able to *choose* an appearance change.

Irina

Veteran

So sorry, Vildy, to hear about your health challenges. Sending you hugs!

Helena

Veteran

Vildy, I'm so sorry for all your been through - sending huge love and healing thoughts your way. xoxo

I don't think I've ever done anything with a radical-looking result - but I've never been scared of changing my hair - I've gone from ultra-long to chin-length short over night, and dyed it just about every colour. I' ve also gotten piercings (nose, extra earrings) and a tattoo. Excluding the tattoo of course, I always think if it's not permanent, why not?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Oh, Vildy. That's very tough and I sympathize. Sorry you had to go through that. Sending healing thoughts and hugs. Hang in there. Apple cider vinegar rinse just made it to the top of the list for best hair products!

April, YES! From long blonde hair to pixie overnight when I was in my early 20s. But have always been a version of blonde. Never anything else.

Anonymous

When I left home for college, I went from Catholic school uniforms to a total boho hippie pretty much overnight. I threw some jeans and tees into my bag and that was it for those pleated skirts with matching blouse and blazer. The hair grew longer, the sandals came out in force, and that was that for looking conservative and well-behaved!

April

Veteran

Vildy, that is dreadful and I hope your health remains good and stable for a long while.

I had not thought about a visible piercing or tattoo as one of those lightning-bolt changes but of course either would be.

cat2

Veteran

I did the 80s long perm, the 80s long mullet, and then started work and stopped doing crazy cuts. Since then I have been every trending iteration of blonde, took a detour through strawberry blonde, and then went copper red. I am now a much tamer streaky grey, but to my surprise my hair is much healthier without the dye, and has grown quite long without showing damage. I am now getting regular trims to tame the length, rather than coaxing it along with a stew of products to hide damage.

anchie

Veteran

Vidly, I am so sorry to hear what you have been through, but hope that better days are ahead.

Until 10 or so years ago, while I was still coloring my hair, I was constantly changing hairstyle. Perms, coloros and cuts. I cut it many times from long to pixie, and had every possible color at every length. I miss those days and still often crave the change.

Roberta

Veteran

Ah Vildy, what terrible times you have had. I hope YLF helps keep your spirits up!

I Find it interesting that many women who were in school uniforms enjoyed breaking out into whatever their new style was when they left school. When I was a girl, I envied the Catholic uniforms, because it looked so easy to get dressed every morning.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Vildy, what a trial you have been through. So glad you and your hair are still hanging in! Impressed with your spirit.

My style has been very consistent throughout my life. I got my first pixie cut at age 6 and have kept it short most of my life. The long hair detours of course did not happen overnight! I have dyed it different colours though. And in the 80s had a perm.

slim cat

Veteran

My haircut is mostly the same through the years - but color was a fun game for a while ( purple, blue as a fun colors ).

Sorry to hear about such difficult and terrible times, Vildy. Hope it's all behind you.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Vildy,sounds tough.l hope better days are ahead for you.
I feel very boring,l have never done anything drastic looks wise,apart from some temporary hair colours.l enjoy hearing about everyone else’s though!

LJP

Veteran

Sure I have ! I’ve made a lot of dramatic hair changes via extensions and colour . Did one last week in fact

Vildy

Veteran

I was watching Jenny Mustard and thought of you guys and others who wore school uniforms. I got a kick out of her terming school girl adjacent trend items as Angry Schoolgirl aesthetic.

rachylou

Veteran

Hair is my most dramatic change too.

Vildy, I hear you. When I became a type 1 diabetic, my hair was falling out in handfuls. Stabbing yourself with a needle is frankly not traumatic, not compared to handfuls of hair. My dramatic change was dying it Appalling Colours - I figured I’d do it while I still had some hair to dye!

Anonymous

Oh no Vildy! Glad you're doing better now!
I guess having short hair right now has been my most drastic- but I've had different colors, and had a perm once. I don't count my little tattoo as a drastic change.

hereforthecake

I'm all about the hair changes!
I've done lots of slow evolutionary changes in my clothing style over the years, but hair is where I like to be a bit daring. (Sorry about the photo quality of some of these)

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nuancedream

Veteran

Vildy, so sorry to hear about the ordeal you have been going through. I sincerely hope brighter days are on the horizon.

Not surprisingly, hair has been the biggest change for me. From encounters with lye-based relaxers as a child with below shoulder length hair to other types of chemical processing back to cropped natural curls in my early 40s, my hair has seen it all.

MsMaven

Veteran

Not long after my second child was born I decided to go blonde. Did it myself. Back then it seemed like every other young woman in Los Angeles was going blonde. A neighbor took pity on me and helped me by doing the roots when needed. I can't remember exactly why I did it, except that it was a popular thing to do.

Echo

Veteran

Huge hair changes were my thing when I was younger. I went from very long, dark hair to a very short platinum pixie. I put many different colored streaks in my hair. Went for crazy perms.

As it stands, I no longer have the time to fight with nature. My hair is dark with very red undertones and doesn't take kindly to being bleached. I have a very long face and I don't look good with very short hair (without the beauty of youth that makes everything look good). Perms are a PITA, and my hair tends to reject them anyway (the curls fall out much more quickly than they should). So I do the best I can with what I have. I have a few greys, but I'm afraid that if I start coloring I'll start looking "inky" without realizing it.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

When I decided to stop coloring my hair about 11 years ago I quickly became tired of waiting for the roots to grow out and got a very short pixie. That is the most radical thing I recall.
Vildy - so sorry about your health issues - best wishes!

Sloper

Veteran

I did a dramatic change in the very early 80’s. Over spring break my junior year in college, I cut off a grown out perm to a pixie - I’ve maintained similar ever since - it suits me best. And some fashion changes too - I found some happiness for the first time.

Unfortunately I haven’t gotten a cut since 2020 (other than self-hacking). Not happy.

Bijou

Veteran

@Vildy - so sorry to hear of your health issues and hope your hair grows back quickly.

I would say a big style change for me was in my teens when I discovered Goth music and the subculture and went from being dressed in colour to looking like I was about to attend a funeral. My style was never full-on Goth (no black hair...) as I retained my longer blonde hair, but the clothing was a very minimal palette of black with lots of texture through wearing velvet, leather and lace. I dressed like this through my university years, and it was only when I hit the professional workforce that I changed my style to be consistent with what I currently wear.

In my first year of working, I remember the thrill of buying a red woollen overcoat (which I called Big Red), the most expensive item I had ever bought up to then even on sale - it was the start of adding some serious colour back into my wardrobe. I loved that coat so much and wore it until it almost fell apart. Just thinking of Big Red makes me smile!

Vildy

Veteran

@Bijou as a university goth! Would not have guessed.

Sal

Veteran

@Vildy - gosh that's a hard challenge that you have been through, may 2023 be a kinder year.

@Bijou - what fun to think of you as a goth!

My only dramatic changes have been hair - long blonde hair to very short undercut hair with a rats tail, and a very tight perm once. I have changed hairstyle a fair bit from long to short and in between, and ranges of colours in the blonde to warm brown. Mostly not that radical though.

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