Fads of Fashion or Sense of Style

My daughter has a feather in her hair.  It didn’t sprout spontaneously from one of her follicles but was skillfully placed there by a stylist and secured with a special bead.  Her friend has one too.  So does her friend’s friend.  They’re everywhere.

I think it’s weird.  No weirder, though, I suppose, than the bushy hair and plaid bell-bottoms of my birth decade or the “bangs to heaven” and neon shoelaces of my teenage years.

Let’s face it:  Most trendy fashions are weird.  Why do we let ourselves get sucked into the madness?

At least this feather-in-the-hair is just a fad and not a long-term commitment like tattoos or piercings.  At least she won’t end up with scars or infections or wrinkly, green lines in thirty years.  No, I guess the blue and black striped feather in her hair isn’t too bad.  She wanted it.  She researched it.  She asked permission, argued her case, booked the appointment, and paid for it.

I’m glad she chose a feather and not some outrageous dye-job or cut.  Granted, this is coming from a woman who has never dyed her hair or done anything different with it since 1992.  As the gray creeps in, however, I’m beginning to see the virtues of streaks.  It may be time to rethink my conservative outlook on hair.

Fortunately, that’s what personal style is all about.  Unlike fashion which changes daily and is influenced by people who know nothing about us, style is about personal preference, lifestyle, and taste.  It’s what allows me to say no to low rise jeans that I can’t quite stuff myself into or stiletto heals that weren’t meant for chasing toddlers.

Some fads are fun, but thank goodness for the sense of style.