Bowlcut Is My World, Part 2 – Athena

Humiliation

‘Look at the new boy!’ Clara sneered as she as she saw me edging down the corridor on Monday morning, trying not to attract any attention.

I was still coming to terms with the loss of my long hair to Athena’s scissors. So, I had wanted to avoid anyone seeing my bowlcut until I was fully prepared, especially Clara. In retrospect, I should have acted more wisely and worn a hat! ‘Doesn’t he look smart with his neat pudding bowl haircut.’

Often considered the most popular girl in college, Clara always strived to be the centre of attention. Hailing her occasional success or, more usually, revelling in the frequent mischief she caused, ensured she stood out. Furthermore, with her classic good looks, she had all the attributes necessary for a “campus queen”.

Although Clara had most recently adopted goth-like fashion to set her apart from everyone else, she did not let it detract from her traditional beauty. She did not restrict her palette to accurately comply with her latest fad. She often brightened up her pale makeup, and the colour of her clothes frequently extended beyond black and purple. Most authentic was her long hair, habitually worn in a messy half-up and half-down style, suffused with streaks of colour, and encouraging loose tendrils to frame her face.

Following Clara’s cruel jibe about me being the new boy, repeated to ensure everyone heard, laughter rang down the corridor. A multitude of amused eyes turned in my direction and I felt thoroughly humiliated.

‘Who are you trying to impress with that look, Katie?’ another from her inner circle chimed in, spiteful laughter seeping into her words, and extending to others in their clique.

‘She probably thinks it’s the first day of school,’ Clara smirked, twisting the knife. ‘I’m surprised she’s not wearing grey shorts with a shirt and tie, attempting to impress the teacher.’

The taunts echoed inside my head, leaving a sting that cut deeper than the Athena’s scissors ever could. I wanted to hide away in my locker, but I knew I had to persevere. I had no choice.

Reinvention

Days passed, and I still felt like an imposter in my own skin. However, as first the days and then the weeks wore on, quite unexpectedly, I began to find a strange comfort in my transformation. I looked different but, it slowly crept up on me, that my appearance was also unique. It set me apart. Slowly, I began to embrace the bowlcut as part of my new identity.

After a while, the novelty of my extreme haircut appeared to have worn off amongst the other students around college. Emily, my best friend, did not hide her shock when she had first seen me but, unlike everyone else, she had been gentle with her comments. As with most things Emily did not like, she had decided to ignore my lack of hair so that it would not be an issue for her!

Emily had bountiful hair that she had always treasured, and it was not much shorter than mine had once been. We had always worn our hair loose whenever possible. While I had always disliked ponytails and plaits, I had compromised before swimming by allowing my Mum to fashion a French braid. I had already realised that one benefit of my short hair was that it needed no attention before swimming, and it dried quickly in perfect shape soon after.

Emily’s hair was much thicker than mine had been. If she wore it loose when she went running, she looked like a hunting lion with a huge mane as it plumed up and away from her head. For practicality, although she avoided braids, she compromised by fastening the top section of her hair back in a ponytail and leaving the rest loose. Even with just half her hair in the ponytail, it was as close to being as thick as my hair had once been.

With hair as magnificent as hers, a brutal verdict by Emily of my transformation would have been understandable. Therefore, I had appreciated her restraint when voicing her opinion of my bowlcut. So, it came as something of a surprise when, after more than a month had passed, Emily unexpectedly became more vocal about my hair.

Admission

‘Hey, Katie, you know … well, your hair is, er … interesting,’ Emily hesitantly remarked one afternoon, tossing her flowing locks behind her as if she did not want to invite comparison.

‘I know,’ I shrugged complacently, pretending I thought more of it than I actually did. ‘It’s kind of cool, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, it is. I know it’s really short … but, well, I think it’s pretty awesome,’ she said, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. ‘You are so brave for trying something different. It sets you apart from the crowds. But, Katie, er …’

I had been surprised that she had suddenly felt the need for more than a passing comment. And she left me confused when leaving her sentences hanging.

‘But?’ I snapped pointedly, hurt that my best friend had finally decided to criticise my hair after I was finally coming to terms with the change.

‘No, no, Katie,’ Emily said anxiously, patting me on the shoulder to calm me down. ‘What’s done is done and, er, now I’m used to seeing you like that … well, that haircut does suit you … really it does …’

‘Well?’ I barked, still miffed.

‘It’s just that the style has grown out of shape … well, a bit …’ she explained, holding her breath, anticipating another of my outbursts, ‘and a gentle trim to reshape it might be a good idea … er, don’t you think?’

I knew she was right. I had vowed to grow out my hair immediately after Athena, my dad’s barber girlfriend, chopped it all off into a severe boyish bowlcut. She had cut it much shorter than I expected. In a fit of pique afterwards, I told her that once it was long enough, I would go to a proper woman’s salon and have it restyled. However, rather than my hair growing longer, it had grown completely out of shape. It had puffed out at all angles, with an array of unruly strands, and little discernible style.

Having explained to Emily why I had neglected the maintenance of my hair, she grew thoughtful.

‘You should go back to Athena – today, if possible, after lectures – and I will go with you,’ my friend stated in her typically commanding fashion. ‘You need to insist that she only trims the smallest amount to get it back into shape. And I will watch carefully to ensure she doesn’t cut off too much.’

‘You really would go with me?’ I enquired, pleasantly surprised, but then Emily was my best friend forever.

‘Of course,’ she swiftly asserted, before a frown clouded her features. ‘I can’t say I am too keen on going into a barbershop, especially with my long hair. So, if that woman looks like she is coming anywhere near me with her scissors then I reserve the right to run out of the shop screaming.’

‘Fair enough,’ I nodded sagely, before we both burst out laughing. ‘And thanks, Emily. After a busy day in lectures, I know it’ll be a long bus journey to the other side of town, but let’s drop in our way home today.’

Revision

As Emily and I stepped in to Athena’s barbershop, she was efficiently buzzing off the unruly locks of a young guy in her chair. Another lad, already buzzed, sat in the waiting area, absently rubbing his denuded head. My apprehensive friend cringed with undisguised terror at the unfolding scene.

Turning to face us, Athena beamed. I appreciated her smile after I had been so rude to her after she had originally cut my hair.

‘Take a seat, girls,’ she chirped, ‘and I’ll be with you shortly. Actually, you’re in luck today,’ she proudly announced, ‘as I’m doing two-for-one on buzzcuts as with this this pair.’

Emily’s eyes widened in horror, then flitted repeatedly between me and the buzzed heads, before finally coming to rest on the shop’s exit. She tensed as if ready to run.

‘Your face!’ Athena giggled, as I squeezed Emily’s hand comfortingly to reassure her that Athena had been joking.

A couple of minutes later with the freshly buzzed lads on their way, Athena came over and sat down with us in the waiting area.

‘So, Katie, has your friend come along to get the same style as you?’ Athena asked, gently running her fingers through Emily’s bountiful locks, and licking her lips hungrily.

‘No!’ Emily screamed, tensing up again, and checking her path to the door was clear.

Athena chuckled. ‘Don’t worry, love, I only cut off a pretty girl’s lovely long hair if they ask me very nicely.’

I briefly chewed that over. Given my experience with Athena a month earlier, I was not so sure, but I let it pass. ‘Athena is a lot of fun, Emily, and she likes to joke,’ I explained, reminding myself that Emily was only there to comfort me, not the other way around. ‘She was not serious.’

‘I was!’ Athena retorted with mock indignation. Emily, finally accepting that Athena had a strange sense of humour, laughed, and Athena and I joined in. ‘Right, you two, how can I help?’

‘Well, firstly I wanted to say sorry about being a bit rude when you originally cut my hair,’ I apologised, but Athena merely shrugged nonchalantly, signalling that she had not taken any offence. ‘I mean … I have got used to it now, and I realise you actually cut it very well … but now, it’s sort of -’

‘Grown out of shape,’ she said, accurately taking the words from out of my mouth. ‘That is the thing with short styles … they grow out of shape quickly. With the short-haired guys regularly coming back for a trim, that’s what keeps me in business.’

‘Right, but like I said last month, I still would like to grow it back out,’ I reiterated, ‘but I was wondering if you could trim it a bit … you know, to give it some shape, but still let it grow a bit longer too … if that makes sense?’

‘Sure, no problem,’ Athena confirmed without argument. Turning to Emily with an accusing stare, she went on. ‘And I suppose you’re here, Emily, to ensure I don’t cut off too much of Katie’s hair?’

‘Er, yes, actually …’ Emily replied, almost lost for words at Athena’s insight.

‘Good thing too. That’s what friends are for,’ Athena chuckled. ‘So, Katie, hop up in the chair and we’ll get you sorted.’

Evolution

A couple of minutes later, Athena had draped me in her large white cape again, and she was combing through my hair, studying it intently. ‘Wow, it does grow so quickly, Katie. Still, that’s a good thing, as it will make it much easier to leave you with a longer style today, with a nice shape and, most importantly, a style that you are happy with. On this occasion, it will just be a scissor and comb job, and there will be no need for me to even touch my hairclippers.’

Bizarrely, I felt an unexpected sense of disappointment at her final words, but she had accurately summarised what I had requested, so I let it pass.

‘That’s cool, isn’t it, Katie?’ Emily piped up, affirming her purpose at being there with me. ‘And Athena, remember,’ she added, using two fingers of one hand to point at her own eyes and then flipping them around in an intimidating gesture towards the barber. ‘I am watching you.’

Athena played along, cringing and looking extremely scared by Emily’s threat. But she only managed to keep a straight face for five seconds, at which point Emily could not stifle her laughter any longer.

‘You got me there, Emily,’ Athena chuckled, before observing the phone that Emily had raised in her hand. ‘And now you’re going to make me a film star, are you?’

‘Absolutely!’ Emily confirmed. As always, my best friend had begun videoing the proceedings on her mobile. Emily recorded everything. And I had no doubt she would be creating a fun video of me having a haircut and uploading it to her socials later that day. ‘Are you fine with me filming?’

‘Sure, but if you post it anywhere, please include my “social” tags,’ she insisted. ‘It’s good for business. SEO and all that.’

Being the self-appointed computer geek in our circle, Emily looked a little put out by a mere barber upstaging her with a reference to Search Engine Optimisation. But she stiffly nodded her agreement anyway.

Without further ado, Athena dampened my hair with a water spray. Then her comb and scissors seemed to take on a life of their own, a testament to her skills and experience. I could barely see the tiny snippets of hair that flew from my head, but she quickly began to reveal a more appealing style. As she lifted individual sections, she measured them against previous lengths, and then snipped away in a blur. Checking and rechecking, from every angle, until she was completely satisfied.

‘Ta-da!’ Athena announced, thrusting her arms in the air as she unveiled my transformed appearance. ‘So, what do you think, Katie?’

She danced around behind me with a hand mirror, allowing me to inspect my refreshed style from every perspective. It was a vast improvement. It no longer looked puffed up, and the uneven strands popping out at strange angles were all gone. The glossy cap of hair covering my crown looked smooth, much as it had after my first haircut, but just lengthier and fuller.

Overall, my hair was much longer than I had expected, given the brief period since my original visit, and the surprising amount of hair she had trimmed. Athena had done exactly as I had asked. And, furthermore, precisely what Emily had demanded.

‘It’s fine,’ I said, which it was, but I was unable to inject a great deal of enthusiasm about how I appeared. ‘Er, thanks, Athena.

Athena put down the hand mirror and, with head to one side in a questioning pose, she stared at me pointedly. ‘What’s wrong, Katie?’ she asked perceptively.

‘Nothing,’ I murmured. And there wasn’t. ‘But …’ I began, sounding unconvincing even to my own ears. ‘Er, no, it doesn’t matter, Athena. It’s great. Just what I asked for …’

Athena continued staring at me, her growing irritation at my reticence beginning to show.

While Athena had cut my hair exactly as I requested, it did not look as sharp and unique as before. There was little definition between the hair at the back of my head and my nape. Short layers of hair covered my neck rather than it being clippered bare. She had softened the short blunt fringe and blended it into the hair at the sides of my head. The short lengths covered my ears rather than leaving them proudly exposed to the world. Put simply, the style was not as sharp and precise as before. It appeared more like a short bob than a bowlcut. But that was fine, I told myself, as I wanted to grow my hair out into a longer style.

Emily stepped in and, with her uncanny ability to read my mind, she spoke to Athena. ‘You have cut it extremely well, Athena … again … but Katie had enjoyed how sharp it looked when you cut it before. So now she is missing her haircut’s unique appearance and its ability to get her noticed. She may want to grow it out eventually but, for now, she would like you to restore it to the sharp appearance it exhibited after her first haircut … er, please.’

Athena brightened immediately, knowing she was not at fault. ‘Is any of that true, Katie?’ she questioned.

‘Er, all of it, actually,’ I confirmed. ‘But perhaps you could clipper it even closer on the back and sides, so that whole style keeps sharp for longer … if that’s possible?’

‘If you’re sure, Katie, then it’s absolutely possible,’ she agreed, picking up her large red hairclippers and enthusiastically adjusting their settings.

‘Sure,’ I gulped, although my confirmation came out more like a high-pitched squeak.

Elevation

‘Right, head down, brave girl!’ Athena, the barber ordered, easing me forward with one hand, then running the hairclippers up my nape with the other. My neck had already begun to feel so much fresher.

‘Wow!’ I heard Emily exclaim as she stood to one side filming Athena shaving the back and sides of my head. ‘I can see bare skin!’ she shrilled.

I felt a moment of panic, wondering if I might have been too brave and reckless. Feeling the chilly breeze from the overhead fan caressing my nape suggested I might have been! However, remembering how quickly my hair had grown in the previous month, I remained silent.

Athena precisely adjusted the perimeter of the bowl so that my ears stood out cleanly from the side of my head once again. The blunt fringe across my forehead returned. Inside, I was growing progressively more excited, but I managed to keep my cool.

‘Now, Katie, I would like to finish you off on the back and sides with the foil shaver,’ Athena announced. She held up a small electrical device that had a metal mesh cover over one end. ‘My hairclippers do a fantastic job, but this will shave you down to the wood as we say in the trade. It will leave just smooth skin, as close as shaving foam and a razor. Are you fine with that?’

‘Sure, why not,’ I shrugged nonchalantly, although the phrase “down to the wood” was incredibly emotive and sounded very extreme.

‘Oh. My. Gosh!’ Emily blurted out as Athena set to work, causing all three of us to giggle.

The foil shaver was a strange sensation. A gentle humming vibration rather than a harsh clattering whine. It resembled a comforting massage, in a peculiar sort of way. I would have been delighted for her to continue shaving me with it for even longer than she did.

‘Ta-da!’ Athena announced for a second time that afternoon. Moving around with the hand mirror once more, I could see precisely what she had done. ‘So, how’s that, Katie? Sharp enough?’

The precision of my haircut astonished me. My glossy cap of hair shone as if carved from marble, and my smooth shaved skin dazzled like glass. Tentatively touching my shaved nape, not one stray bristle could I find.

‘It’s perfectly cut and perfectly sharp, Athena,’ I gushed, after a short pause for a detailed examination. ‘Absolutely perfect!’

‘Yes, perfect,’ Emily breathed unexpectedly given her strong aversion to short hair. ‘So sharp!’

‘I’m so pleased you like it even though it is a bit extreme for a girl,’ Athena sighed, clearly relieved to know she hadn’t gone too far. ‘I hope your dad does not get to upset with me,’ she added with a genuinely concerned expression.

‘Don’t worry, Athena, I’ll be sure to tell him it was my idea,’ I chuckled, breaking the tension.

‘Phew!’ she sighed. ‘But remember, Katie, what I said last time still stands. If you decide you don’t like this style, or if you get bored with it, then there’s an entire world of other haircuts we can try. But for now -’

‘But for now,’ I interrupted, recalling my mantra from my first visit to Athena, ‘Bowlcut is my World.’

I said it with significantly more enthusiasm than I had after my initial haircut a month earlier. Athena smiled, perhaps recalling my use of those words from my previous visit.

‘Hey, Katie, that phrase is so cool!’ Emily squealed with delight.

Because Emily continued filming me, I aimed a conventional, if cliched, pose at my best friend for use as a closing shot in recognition of her support. I held up both of my hands with outstretched fingers and formed the shape of a heart.

As she held focus on my pose, I gradually adjusted the position of my fingers, creating a bowl-like shape that I used to cup my chin. I realised it was an accurate, if rather cheesy, reflection of the name and shape of my haircut. Cocking my head to one side, with chin still cupped, I presented my videographer with a coy smile.

Reiterating my earlier phrase, I purred, ‘Bowlcut Is My World.’

To be continued

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