I normally get my hair cut roughly once every two months. Start with it real short, grow it out until I get tired of the spiky look, then chop it all off again.
Around the beginning of March, it was at the point where I was ready to get it cut. Then the pandemic happened.
With social distancing in full effect, I lost my shot to get my hair done by usual hair stylist. Considering the circumstances, this should be the least of my concerns. Part of me wanted to grow it out to make that statement.
The other side of me is still conscious of my look. I’m still on regular video conferences with my coworkers and clients. Still on stream. And I’ve actually been slow to ramp back up on creating YouTube videos because of my appearance. These videos will live longer than this pandemic, and I would prefer to not shoot with the shaggy look.
Regarding YouTube specifically, I could continue my “essay-style” videos without using my face. Just go with b-roll and narrate overtop. However, I think there’s value in those videos showing me in my space. I guess I could get more hair gel, though I’m not quite sure what type of look to go for with it at this length. I’ve tried wearing baseball caps, but it would require me to completely rejigger my lighting rig so that the brim of my hat isn’t casting shadows over my face.
This really shouldn’t be important. But it kind of is. Even in a post-pandemic world, the way we value ourselves is in part through our appearance. As someone who actively puts his face out there for the world to see online every week, I don’t want my hair to be a distraction.
As time wore on, I warmed to the idea of my wife Steff cutting my hair. She’s not a trained professional, but she offered to help me out. After watching a number of YouTube tutorials, she gave it a shot.
The end result…
…is alright! I feel a lot better with way less hair on my head. Steff did a good job and I’m so grateful she was willing to do this for me. During a time when nothing is normal, being able to get my hair cut helped me regain some sense of normalcy.
In Third Person 