Mommy edge: pink hair streaks and leopard print shoes

by Charlene Prince Birkeland (Subscribe to Charlene Prince Birkeland's posts) Mar 6th 2006 3:20PM

My life follows a predictable pattern. After every major event, I decide I need an "edge." Something to make me feel a little more hip to squash any feelings of being blah while also celebrating a new experience in life. After I got married I cut my hair pixie style - it was a gesture of rebellion and freedom. My parents loved long hair and I never had the guts to cut mine off when I was living at home. Now I was living under my own roof with hair shorter than my husbands! And I loved it.

When my husband was doing documentary film work and I was constantly hanging around X-Game athletes, I wanted to pierce my belly button. My husband even agreed to go with me. Courage up I walked into the shop. They examined my belly button and turned me down: not enough fat to hold the ring in. I decided to grow my hair out and settled for some funky hair clips and hats.

After my first son was born, I waited about a year before chopping off nearly 11 inches of my locks and bought some cute, chunky black sandals as my "trademark" shoe. When I was pregnant with my second baby, I promised I would have my hair highlighted with a few tasteful streaks of hot pink. Instead, I bought a pair of leopard-print heels that make me feel so slinky and cool that I'd wear them to the grocery store if I could stand to walk in them for more than 20 minutes.

But here I am ten months later...still wanting those hot pink streaks in my hair. Maybe it's to balance out my having two boys!

Ever feel like you need 'an edge'? What have you done?

Comments (14)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Karen Walrond 3-06-2006 @ 4:04PM

I am currently in the process of growing out the biggest afro I possible can, all for edge-providing reasons.

Just call me Foxy Cleopatra.

K.

Caitlin 3-06-2006 @ 4:22PM

Well, last Monday, I was cutting shapes out for Paul, and I just had this urge to chop off about 7" of my hair. So I did ;). Then I took Paul and went to the store for purple hair dye. It's kind of funny, because I've been mistaken for a teenager more than a few times since I dyed my hair purple. I think I'm probably going to go for an unnatural shade of red for spring.

Meredith 3-06-2006 @ 4:42PM

You mean you don't just feel fabulous all the time? I can't imagine.

/ridiculous sarcasm

meg 3-06-2006 @ 4:42PM

OMG, it's as if I wrote the post. I do this all the time. I've been toying with piercing my nose for years...and I thought that after my son was born I might just go for it. I got my hair cut though and I'm getting it dyed next month. Nothing unnatural-looking, but I do believe I told the stylist it could be "funky". Sigh.

Dee 3-06-2006 @ 4:55PM

Whenever I feel the need to change, hair is one of the first things I think about. Cut it, grow it out, dye it light, dye it dark. Fro, braids, kinky, curly...currently, twisty.

eden 3-06-2006 @ 6:14PM

I'm exactly like this. I'm currently going through an arts & crafts phase. I'm buying small handcrafted stuff (like via Etsy), I'm working on a zine and coordinating a blogger mixer in my city (those two are connected) and I've gotten books like "Generation T" and "Super Crafty." I also gave makeovers to my webpages (including blogs).

I've really been inspired by "Rollergirls" on A&E. Check it out tonight at 10 ET.

At least I'm not alone in my madness ;) Thanks for this post.

Rachel 3-06-2006 @ 7:32PM

I can relate too. I was at the mall looking at earings at a store that pierces ears, I decided on a pair that I wanted but they were the piercing variety, and if you bought them the piercing was free so I decided to just go ahead and get 2 more holes in my ears... I'm up to 6 now.

shannon 3-06-2006 @ 8:11PM

I am turning 27 on Wednesday and getting my haircut tomorrow and to mark my birthday I am going to pierce my nose. My parents are going to freak but my husband thinks it will be sexy and I have been wanting to do it for a couple years now. Nothing like 2 babies to make the funk appear.

Izzy 3-06-2006 @ 9:35PM

I have a tattoo and a pierced nose from before children. I don't know really what else there is for me to do. I could never wear those cute leopard print shoes because I swear to God I'm always afraid I'll fall in them and plus I'm almost 5'10 so heels make me look Amazonian, like some menacing female wrestler named Mommy Badass!

Stacey 3-06-2006 @ 11:01PM

It's funny you write that...one of my mommy pals calls me her "edgy friend" because I have a tattoo (which I got pre-kids) and listen to music she's never heard of. (I'm depressed cause I couldn't go to the G. Love and Special Sauce show that's in town tonight.) I just laugh. I don't really consider myself edgy. I just like to hold on to some of my "pre-kid" personality and interests. I think it stems more from my fear of growing old than from my fear of being some caricature of a soccer mom! Who says you can't wear spike heels and pink streaks while driving a minivan at the same time?!

Rayonna 3-07-2006 @ 2:42AM

Pink streaks, Huh? Well, I did blond streaks, and died the whole mess black. I've cut my hair many times, and I have 5 holes in my ears but would like another 2. I've cleaned out closets, and redone rooms. I' d like a tattoo but can't decide what to get, or who to get it done by. I've bought clothes and shoes that I'll never really wear. My mother got her tounge pierced when she was 38. She also left her partner of 14 years at the same time. My grandmother pierced her tounge at 60. They both have tattoos. From what I hear, when my grandmothers mother-in-law needed a change she just changed husbands. I know she had at least 10. How's that for an edge?

michelle 3-07-2006 @ 9:47AM

i really want to dye my brown hair blond. i highlighted it a few months ago but it was just to subtle. i can't decide if i want the hair short again. i still have baby weight to lose and i need the hair framing my face to cover some of the pugyness.

Susan 3-07-2006 @ 11:24AM

I'm not really a tatto or pink hair girl, but after my second (and last) baby, I really did feel like I had misplaced my edge. Last winter, when he was two and I had finally lost all the baby weight, I got out the boxes that held my pre-mommy work clothes. I was a college professor in my former life, so there was nothing really dressy, but I had some nice things that I had always loved to wear--and I started wearing them again. But instead of wool trousers with a lovely sweater and dress shoes, I went for wool trousers with a t-shirt and funky athletic shoes. It made me feel more like a person and less like a walking napkin.

I also go in for fun jewelery--I don't really do makeup or hair (mine is very very short and pretty much wash-and-go), but I like big earrings, and I wear lots of bracelets. I buy mostly things that are one-of-a-kind, which makes them unique and special--which makes me feel unique and special.

And--those leopard shoes are fantastic.

Gwen 3-07-2006 @ 3:44PM

I had to laugh when I read your post. I am just coming off the remnants of getting blue streaks in my hair.

I had wanted to dye my hair blue for about two years and I figured that I couldn't because of work. (I am an elementary school teacher.) So when Aidan was 7 months I decided that I just had to get my hair trimmed and when I learned how cheap it was (I went to a hairdressing school) I went for the blue streaks as well.

It worked out really well and I loved the result. The only problem with the "punky" colours is that they fade quickly. You really need to have someone else touch the streaks up and that is a bit hard to find when your sister (a hair dye freak herself) is living across the country. The only problem with blue is that it quickly fades to green and then a sort of sickly greeny-grey colour.

Yesterday was the last day for the blue and I dyed my hair back to dark brown. Sigh. I miss it already. Maybe next year.

How To Submit Photos:
If you'd like your children (any age will do!) featured on ParentDish, upload photos into the ParentDish Flickr Pool. Be sure to read our main Flickr page for more information.