From Behind the Lens
September 2006
Colleen Swartz
Hair by Harley
Why do I bother? Why do any of us bother? Why do I continually try to look “normal” at any bike event?
But I keep trying. I try to shove a hairbrush in the bag, I try to find a hat that will stay on while riding and not wreck my “Doo” while still having the ability to get a camera within 5 inches of my face, I try to find ways to tie a bandana so that I don’t get weird tan lines and ratty hair, I put leave-in conditioner and sunscreen in my hair but I still end up sitting in the bottom of the tub at the end of the day with 2 cups of conditioner on my hair trying to get the knots out without ripping the follicles from my scalp.
This is coming from a woman with short hair! Maybe it would be easier if I had long hair. Maybe I could just French braid it into a nice, neat coif that required absolutely no maintenance. But I don’t think it works that way. I probably will never know because I continue to break my hair off by detangling it before it has a chance to grow longer than 4 inches.
I see women all the time with do-rags and hats and headbands and helmets that look just fine. But I know they hate it as well because as soon as I pull my camera to my shooting eye the immediately get this stressed look on their face and their hands go up to tuck or smooth something that they know is hanging out in a less-than-flattering manner. I can’t be the only voice of reason in this mass of hair-abusive behavior.
Is this where the tradition of “flashing” comes from? Is it a instinctive reaction to take attention away from the appearance of our hair? When was the last time a guy saw a girl “flash” and he said, “I’d take a photo of that, but her hair isn’t looking that hot.”?
The men seem to have it together. I’m not sure if it is because the men either fall into the category of “screw it, I’ll shave the whole thing clean” or “screw it, I’ll grow it as long and ratty as I please” category. When was the last time you saw a guy step off his bike and look for his comb? Never.
So now I think I’ll just give up and declare proudly that I have “Hair by Harley” and let them deal with it. Maybe I can have cards printed up with a photo of me on them showing that I do have hair and that I do have normal grooming practices for myself when I am not on a bike and walk around with a sack over my head. Or maybe we will all get lucky and the “bald and shiny” look will come into vogue for women as well.
For now, I guess it is more important that I am out there getting really ratty than sitting worrying about how I look.
And that is how I see it, From Behind The Lens.
Colleen Swartz
Your comments and suggestions are welcomed at bigshotphoto@aol.com
