I will tell you why.
But, first, allow me to say a few words in my defence.
- Stop hating my Cleopatra/Emily the Strange/China doll hairstyle. I can’t help my hair being this way.
- Stop envying my naturally straight, silky, never-rebonded hair. Yes, it sounds like a shampoo ad dream but it’s really nothing but trouble.
Let me illustrate.
I was going for an audition the other day. It was for a young mother role, so I decided to gel my hair back in order to look older.
First, I tied it back in a low ponytail. Then, I brushed my Cleopatra fringe to the side with the help of hair wax. Once I’ve got it into satisfactory shape, I hairsprayed liberally all over to set it in place.
I was pleased that I was able to recreate my Kao Magiclean look.
All set, I left for my audition.
Walked to the MRT station and took the MRT to Chinatown where my audition was held.
When I reached Chinatown MRT station, I went to the ladies to freshen up and I saw that my hair had become thus:
Went for the audition, nevertheless.
Did the audition and went in search of another toilet to recover from post-audition nerves.
Alas, I saw that I was looking more and more dishevelled. Where did all the hair wax and hairspray go?
By now frustrated by my rubbish hair and also by the audition (I either get post-audition jitters or post-audition blues. This time, it was post-audition blues), I went straight home.
Another trip on the MRT and a short walk home.
By the time I reached home, my hair had gone back to almost square one.
SO YOU SEE! I HAVE TRIED BUT MY HAIR JUST AIN’T CO-OPERATING!!!
Compare again the first and last pictures. And this is like less than two hours apart. And this is also with tons of extra strength hair wax and hairspray to supposedly hold it in place.
In the past when I needed to keep my hair up, I would bring my hair wax and hairspray out with me. When that happens, you’ll see me going to the ladies every half an hour to spray my hair back to where I want it to be, because no matter how many times I spray, it just keeps falling down again.
By the end of the day, I am a walking can of hairspray and I still look like a China doll.
It was similarly frustrating when I had a long fringe.
It was forever covering my face, which was very, very annoying. And I realised one day that I had developed a very ugly head swing to shake the hair off my face.
I saw myself do it on TV too many times to count.
Cameramen hated my long fringe because they could never see my face when shooting profile angles. And they were always asking me to stick all the hair behind my ears, which just makes my whole hair look flat.
Yes, my long fringe looks really nice on photos. But those are still photos and my hair can be manipulated for split seconds, long enough to allow a nice picture to be taken.
But in real life and on TV, the long fringe is just too much trouble.
I have tried dyeing my entire head of hair. I thought if I damaged my hair, it wouldn’t fall so straight anymore.
Didn’t work. My hair got damaged but it was still as straight as ever.
I have tried perming it but the fringe still falls into the front of my face.
So, to beat all the frustration, I cut my fringe short.
Now, I can concentrate on acting without having to worry about my ugly head swing or stress about my hair covering my face.
In fact, I think my acting has improved since I cut my hair.
Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about the Cleopatra look. I have tried to wear it to the side as you can see, but it just keeps wanting to be straight.
What can I do?
Even if I look uglier with this hairstyle, I’m keeping it because it’s less frustrating and it makes me a better actress.
Seriously!
Dear entertainment subject,
Give it up, you’ll never be the Hair to my throne.
All hail incredibly witty and english o level A1 me.
Awww, don’t worry
I will still be your Number One Fan
Regardless… ;)
Hmmm have u tried using a pin to pin to the side for a long time? (Even when sleeping) Try when hair is wet, pin daily and maybe after 2 weeks of doing so, it might start to budge
HRH: I don’t want to hail you if you’re not letting me be hair~! hmmph!
Wind: Awwww…. ok. Thanks :P
butterfinger: hair pins don’t really work. They flatten my hair against the scalp and also cause a “hair pin line” so after removing the pin, you can see a groove along my hair where the pin used to be. haha. Also, it will still fall down somewhat.
sigh… i tried everything already. nobody can ever know the depths of my hair woes unless they have my hair. :(
laughs.. it’s such a coincidence, qy.. i was telling a friend that i do not look like emily the strange (she insisted i do) and i thought of you. came to ur site only to see this entry about hair… hey emily the strange is cute! i like! ;)
FINALLY!!! An entry on The Hair!!!!
Mother shall teach you the magic words when you next enter a saloon:
“Armani, in front want short, behind must slope. Channel above the ears.”
BTW, t was a great touch having the pictures having a slow transition from a great smile to the annoyed look lol.
u should advertise for mosquito sprays (since advertising for hair sprays is out of the question, your hair totally defies hair sprays)…
because you look so cute holding the spray, i feel like buying it already
starmist: haha… is it because of your recent haircut that your friend thinks you look like emily? or has your friend said it all along?
mother: thanks! er… but i’ll pass on the magic words O_o
dav: mosquito sprays???? can you think of something more glam or not? lol. you can come borrow my hair wax and hairspray whenever you like. i hardly use them anyway :P
I totally understand man. MY HAIR TOO!
Maybe you can do your hair in the ladies just prior to the audition at the production house? That should hold it enough. If not, do not be frazzled by your hair if it is not holding together – put it to the side of your mind by blacking the issue out of your mind. If you think too much, it would affect you which I think it did? I do a lot of mental blocking to get myself flowing =) Hope they will revert with cheery news for you!
it’s cos of the recent haircut haha. that’s the reason for my pinning up my fringe in the punjabi photo. =P but i don’t think i look very ’emily’, not as emily as you (and that’s a compliment! hee!).
He who has no hair, has no problems. – The Goonfather.
rationalneurotic: really ah? but your hair isn’t flat like mine. If I wear a headband like you were wearing the other day, my hair will be literally pasted on my head after just 5 minutes. haha. i will look like i was bald with black painted on my head. hahaha. i should show you someday.
dennis: i do that sometimes. but sometimes there is no ladies in the vicinity :( especially when the audition is held at ulu residential areas.
starmist: haha thanks for the compliment. :P so your new haircut is like mine, unpinned?
goonfather: He who has no hair, has no hair. lol.
nah, it’s just a Mess when unpinned. haha. yours is straighter, blacker and more silky ;)
you look like yang li bing in the 4th pic from the top!
starmist: haha. i’ve seen your “messy” hair. not messy lor. i think it’s very nice! :)
gogo: lol, do i? actually, when i was much younger (secondary school time) many people kept saying i look like her. still happens once in a while but lesser frenquency nowadays than last time. :P