I loved Toyah as a teenager; I still do. Her hair (of course) and make-up, but also her power, her self-confidence, her rebel-quality. I looked up to her and emulated her style with more and more outrageous hair-cuts and colours that resulted in the inevitable suspensions from my posh school for young-ladies. Result!
Toyah showed me I was allowed to be myself at a time when I was struggling against conformism and struggling to find my identity. To find myself; a time experienced by so many of us as teenagers or young adults. It’s also something we experience as “grown-ups”; that sense of wanting to fit-in, or stand out, for the right reasons. I think one of my greatest fears in my early forties was hearing “mutton dressed as lamb” when someone described me. Hannah, my daughter, became my “mutton meter” always guaranteed to tell me the truth about my outfits. Indeed, she helped me see that my fears were holding me back from expressing my personality as I always used to, in my bright colours and outrageous hair cuts.
When I turned 45 last year, I was rooting through my CDs and came across this track.
I was reminded how empowered I’d felt by the words and the by the woman. I re-connected with that permission to express myself, to be myself. I was allowed to be me.
I recently had a dramatic change thanks to my hairdresser; I went from rich red to platinum blonde – it took four hours and a serious sense of humour, but it was worth it. I was born a blonde although many people in my networks are seeing me this way for the first time and I’m loving their reactions. They’ve all commented on how confident I am. My husband can’t stop paying me compliments. I’ve allowed myself to be me and I’m loving it.
How will you allow yourself to be you today? I’d love to hear from you
Dinah 🙂
Great to hear of your confidence. I grew my hair when I got to 50! Never looked back…….you are never to old to be the person you want to be. X