Last Wednesday, I had the wonderful opportunity to hear House Fellow Nicholas Carbonaro discuss his experiences in hairstyling, from Donald Trump’s wax figure to Broadway stars to newly-graduated Cornellians. Going in, I was a novice – I’ve never had my hair professionally cut before, and my only knowledge of hairstyling comes from binge-watching Guy Tang’s Youtube videos after every prelim. As such, I was excited to learn more about professional hair treatments, but also mildly terrified that he would recognize the sad state of my hair.

After the event was over, I was still a novice, and only had my novice-ness reaffirmed. The ease and efficiency with which Mr. Carbonaro dealt out treatment plans for everyone who had a question was impressive. One only needs to hear him speak about hair to realize that he is very, very good at what he does – and he knows it.

However, I didn’t leave with just a renewed sense of appreciation for cosmetologists; strangely, I was also left with feelings of self-validation. Throughout the evening, he emphasized that how each person styles their hair should be in accordance with not only their own style preferences, but also with the amount of time and money they want to spend on maintenance, as well as with the space they occupy in society – be it in a college or work setting. While he didn’t hesitate to criticize some of the choices people make about their hair, it wasn’t in a “This is ugly and you should feel bad” kind of way, but in a “This isn’t what you want, so why are you doing it?” kind of way. It was refreshing to realize just how much control I have over my own self, in the middle of a tumultuous prelim season that has been making me feel like a car without a steering wheel swerving on an icy road. At the same time, it was also a bit concerning (enlightening?) for me, because I found myself asking the same kinds of questions about my entire life – why do I do things I know won’t make me happy, or I know won’t work out in the long run? Is one cause of my stress the fact that I’m following a daily routine that doesn’t fit my schedule or my lifestyle?

Overall, I didn’t gain any solid, life-changing insight into styling my hair (except to avoid DIY purple dye at all costs), and I definitely don’t feel a need to invest in professional hairstyling yet, but I did walk out a little more conscious of myself – hair included. Do I present myself in the way that I want to be seen? Do I present myself in a way that’s sustainable and manageable for me? Would I look good with ombre hair?

Actually, maybe I will stop into Julie Stone Salon sometime – not just for the hairstyling tips, but also for an audience to vent to about my newly-developed quarter-life crisis.