Relatively Cool (and admittedly shallow)

I watched American Idol last night. Not to see who got booted. Not because I'm secretly in love with Simon.
Nope. I watched so I could see Barry Manilow. I'll probably have to get into my love for Barry another time but for now, I'll just say it was a "can't miss" for me.

Anyway, as I watched Barry, I noticed something about him. His hair was darker. And so was Ryan Seacrest's. And recently, so is mine. A few months ago I said goodbye to ten years of highlights and I've often wondered if I made the right decision to go dark. As insignificant as this may seem, it was actually huge for me. As a kid, I always had blonde hair. But as I got into the mid to late teen years, my hair started getting darker. One day, on a trip to L.A., (which I will always blame for the beginning of my never-ending personal appearance criticism problem) I got highlights. For the next ten years, I was always some wonderful shade of blonde. And I loved it.

Late last year though, I decided I'd had enough. I went to the salon and asked for my natural color back. Of course, it was darker than I thought it would be and I've questioned keeping it ever since. It just seems less interesting. Less, well, fun. Oh how cliche, I might puke just from typing that.

Now though, I know it will be okay. If Barry Manilow and Ryan Seacrest can go dark, so can I. And, as an added bonus, this little revelation has made me realize that as long as I continue to measure my style decisions against Barry Manilow and Ryan Seacrest, I will always be doing okay.

As if I weren't cool enough already.

Update: I've been informed that Barry, in fact, does not have dark hair. Apparently, it's just the roots. I stand corrected. But I'm still cool.