I discussed this at length with family, friends, random people with great hair I meet at parties and my hairdresser. My sister-in-law was the first person to suggest I take the plunge when I finally loosened my thick high pony after a game of tennis this summer, complaining of a weight-induced migraine. “You know, Monica, shorter hair would really suit you.” When I asked my hair guru Fabien Giambona to weigh in he didn’t miss a beat. “I’ve been waiting for this! Now sit still and I will make a cut that looks best when you do absolutely nothing to it.”
He’s right. Once you’ve got a bob, you can leave it to its own devices. I no longer have any use for my hair dryer – not even in the dead of winter. My hair dries as I dress and do my make-up. You don’t need to think as much about your outfit, either: everything (sharp collar, roll-neck, crisp white tee) seems to look more intentional beneath the bluntness of the cut.
Apparently the bob was this year’s key hair trend. “Well, well, if it isn’t another Angele square” a male friend said, not disapprovingly, in the days after my chop. Angele square isn’t a park in Paris, it’s the now infamous hairstyle of a cute blonde popstar few outside the Francophone world have heard of (she is worshipped here): Angele’s chic bob apparently launched a thousand chops.
I don’t follow her choices as closely as the locals, but perhaps her sorcery has had some indirect effect. Mostly though, I put my decision down to waking up one morning in September to crisper air, and realising that I categorically could not be bothered.
I have two children under four. My daughter started school in September and the idea of detangling and arranging both of our mops before 8am each day was simply more than I could face. Plus, she went first, and her bob was so chic, so chill, so life-changing that I just couldn’t resist. So, with all respect to Angele, Mia (aged three and a half) was my chief influence.
I placed myself in Fab’s capable, tattooed hands and held my breath. He said he had known this was my destiny and he was right. Short hair was hidden somewhere inside of me all along, and while I don’t regret my years of long and ethereal tresses, my hair now feels much more aligned with my personality. Plus, I’ve already saved hundreds of euros on expensive conditioners.
If you’re stuck in a hair rut, struggling with untameable tangles, dreading your lengthy colouring sessions, or living in fear of nursery lice outbreaks, I have just one question for you. To borrow the title of the 1991 Bill Murray classic: What About Bob?
