Shining, Gleaming, Streaming, Flaxen, Waxen

I flat ironed my hair the other day for church and whenever I do that, I receive a lot of compliments on it. It's nice. Of course it always begs the question, "Do I look like I should be wearing a trash can when my hair is curly?" But lets not dive into that inner dialogue, shall we? (Yes, dialogue. As in a conversation between two people. Don't you always have 2 different schools of thought running around in your head at all times? Guess we could "Confession" that little tidbit for me.)

The whole Sunday Morning Straight Hair-ness made me consider a couple of "Hair Idols" of the past and how they changed over time....

The first time I remember seeing someone's hair and thinking of how I wanted THAT hair was Jennifer Keaton on Family Ties. And I don't mean the long straight hair and abundant bangs that look like they were attached to a headband. I wanted the Jennifer of the later years. Jennifer when she was learning to drive. Jennifer whose humor seemed to get drier and drier with each passing season. And it wasn't the color, I had something close to that. It wasn't the wave, my Mom had been perming my hair for awhile. It was the touchability. She could stick her hand in the front of her hair and flip it from one side to the other. Just flip it! I wanted hair I could flip. (The "flip-a-bility factor" could also be seen on the heads of Kelli Kapowski and Vivian Ward.)

Fast Forward a few years and I found another mane to desire. Thursday nights. Barely there bangs. Blonde. It was Kelly Taylor. I loved how she had the wisps of hair in the front with the rest of her hair pulled over to one side. And then the flat flat flat hair. Oh how I wanted hair that would be flat! By the time Kelly entered my sights, my previously constantly permed hair had become....curly! Like Julia Roberts curly! And the curl was NOT going away. And WHO-besides Julia Roberts and Richard Simmons-wore their hair curly in the early 90's? No one! It was all about the flat. The straight and the occasional flip. None of which I had the Hair Knowledge to achieve.

It was around that time that I got my first flat iron. It was pink and had interchangeable plates with a wave and crimp plate. It was awesome. Flat irons were not very well known but man, my hair was flat-ish-like. And the awesome smell of burning hair would fill the house.

Over time, my sights shifted to more every-day hair Idols. Including a random girl who walked into Corvette Diner one night and I turned to my friend and said, "I have been trying to get the front of my hair to look like that forever." And she replied, without taking her eyes off the menu, with "Just stand upside down and pull your bangs straight while you hit it with the blow dryer."

Oh.

See, I just don't have a whole lot of hair knowledge.

Eventually, I found my own rhythm with my mane of hair and actually have never had anyone-ANYone-style my hair curly better than I think I can do it. I keep it long because my Mister likes it so and long hair really is easier to take care of because of the great invention of the ponytail! And now that flat irons aren't quite what they used to be, (meaning that they are better now,) I can get the flat that I have always been looking for.

I can't end without a couple of honorable mentions....

Disney's Road to Avolnlea... The rolls on the sides of their heads that pulled into a ponytail was a real hit with me. I tried time and time again to make it work but no amount of bobby pins would make it work.

Katherine Hepburn... It's hard to look as great as Kate. Ever.

Jenn MacDonald....she was on "Blow Out" on Bravo and I fell in love with her pink hair. I rock a pink wig every Halloween and always wonder if I could do it full time. Man I would love to give it a try. Also, I wish I had the kind of neck that could pull off the pixie cut too.

Jamie Powell/Nicole Eggert.... I wasn't allowed to watch "Charles in Charge" a whole lot but look! Touchability! Flat! The two desired styles on ONE head of hair!

I feel like there is only one way to end this......