Bowlcut Is My World, Part 5 – Emily

Reminding

One Sunday afternoon in the seclusion of my bedroom, I enthusiastically opened the small case Athena, my barber, had given me two days earlier. I took out the foil shaver and confirmed the charging status and settings, before handing it eagerly to my best friend, Emily.

As anticipated, the fine pelt of bristles had darkened the skin along my nape and temples and required urgent attention before I returned to college on Monday morning. However, I had never imagined the emotional turmoil that using the foil shaver was going to unleash!

Requesting

‘I know that I told Athena I would be happy to shave you with this thing,’ Emily admitted, ‘but, if truth be told, I’m feeling a bit nervous about it now, Katie.’

‘What’s the worst that can happen, Emily,’ I said, aiming to relax her. ‘If it’s uneven then all that would mean is that I must go back to Athena earlier than planned. Alternatively, if you shave my skin bare, then that would be wonderful as that is exactly what I want!’

‘I suppose,’ Emily shivered, jumping as she tentatively flicked the switch on and off. ‘But let me just watch your latest video where Athena is using it on you, to ensure I don’t mess up.’

Emily had filmed and edited each of my haircuts, then posted them on my newly created BowlCutIsMyWorld socials. It had been a revelation to me that people showed any interest in seeing others have their hair cut, but the likes and comments on the videos revealed that a vast number of people enjoyed watching me in the chair. Furthermore, I was frequently asked for advice about whether a bowlcut would suit someone or people requested details of how I maintain my own hair. Emily even recorded a collection of tutorial videos.

Initially, I had been unsure about my haircuts appearing on social media, but I quickly grew to love the attention. While Emily was viewing my latest haircut video in detail, studying Athena’s action with the foil shaver, a message popped up on the screen. Heather, a fellow student from college, had replied to my latest post with one of her own. In addition to linking a video she had created, Heather had added a string of hashtags including #BowlCutIsMyWorld and, intriguingly, #CuttingEdgeByAthena.

Recruiting

I clicked on Heather’s video response, and I was astonished to see the increasingly familiar surroundings of Athena’s barbershop. Sitting in the barber’s chair was Heather, and behind her stood a smiling Athena who was casually running a brush through her customer’s long hair. Given the perspective of the video, I gathered she had propped up the phone or camera that was filming her on the shelf below the mirror.

Although the quality of Heather’s filming and editing fell short of Emily’s exacting standards, the recorded footage was satisfactory for illustrating what Heather intended.

‘Hi everyone. I’m Heather, I have found my way here to Cutting Edge by Athena after seeing Katie at #BowlCutIsMyWorld getting her long hair cut in these very premises. She has said how practical her bowlcut is for a full range of activities, including swimming which I know she enjoys. I play tennis, but whatever I do with my hair – ponytail, plait or bun – it’s a frightful mess in under five minutes. I’m looking for a solution!’

There was a pause in Heather’s narration as a series of images of her on the tennis court with unflattering hair illustrated her assertion in brave and dramatic fashion.

‘So, I’ve consulted with Athena and asked her to give me a bowlcut too, and let’s see if she can help me in my quest to look cool on the courts!’

Athena smiled directly to the camera before focusing all her attention on the task in hand. In typical social media fashion, the sequence of Athena cutting and clippering Heather’s hair ran through quickly at an accelerated pace. Within twenty seconds of screen time, her long hair was gone and replaced by an immaculate bowlcut that suited her perfectly.

‘Ta-da!’ Athena announced on screen, in her customary manner, as the video slowed to normal speed.

Heather grinned, nodding eagerly, as Athena presented her transformed hairstyle from a variety of angles with the aid of a hand mirror.

As Athena stepped back, Heather smiled directly into the camera. ‘Thanks Athena this style should work perfectly for me. And for anyone watching this who’s looking to get a fantastic but modestly priced haircut from a lovely lady, then I have included her details in the comments.’

‘So, thanks very much, Katie,’ Heather said, sending love in the shape of a heart formed with her hands. Then, to my great surprise, her fingers morphed into the appearance of a bowl that she used to cup her chin. ‘Bowlcut is My World!’ bubbly Heather giggled.

The video continued with a sequence of still images taken later. Heather was on a tennis court, charging around for balls, with her fresh bowlcut bouncing up and down as she ran. Each time she waited for her opponent to serve, her haircut fell perfectly back into shape, a testament to Athena’s skills. Each image was punctuated with a graphic containing the hashtag #CoolCutOnTheCourt

A final short video clip showed Heather smiling at the camera as the tennis match finished. ‘Bowlcut is definitely My World now!’ she confirmed with her delightful grin.

‘Wow, Katie, your influence is going viral!’ Emily remarked. ‘And did you see this grateful comment from Athena on Heather’s video?’ I shook my head. ‘She said Heather was the third woman to have come to her shop because of your videos. You are famous!’

‘Apparently so, Emily,’ I admitted, ‘so you better get your camera rolling and the foil shaver revving, before smartening me up for my army of fans!’

Refreshing

Emily needed no further encouragement. With camera and shaver both running, she eased my head down to expose my bristly neck. Tentatively at first, then with more confidence, I felt her exposing the skin along my nape and the back of my head. Adjusting our positions, she repeated the action above each ear.

My friend worked slowly and methodically, going over the same area of skin more than once, totally focused on the task, ensuring all the stubble was gone. I enjoyed every second and didn’t mind how long she took!

It was a delicious feeling to have my bowlcut restored to pristine baldness by my best friend. It felt wonderful to touch the resulting bare skin. And once I was able to observe its whiteness gleaming in the mirror, I was ecstatic.

‘Thank you so much, Emily,’ I squealed with delight, giving her a huge hug. ‘That’s absolutely brilliant, and no more itchy bristles between my regular trims from Athena!’

‘No problem, Katie. The pleasure was all mine,’ Emily stated although, if she had asked, I could have assured her that a great deal of the of the pleasure was also mine.

Despite my friend’s positive words, they were accompanied by a strained smile. Indeed, after her earlier exuberance, Emily seemed very subdued. ‘Emily, I am really pleased with what you have done,’ I reassured her, gazing at her questioningly.

‘Yes, I know, it looks really nice …’

‘But?’ I asked, growing worried about what might have caused her change of mood.

Emily went silent, looking away, appearing distressed. After a pause to collect her thoughts, her words suddenly tumbled from her lips. ‘It’s just that there’s Heather with her tennis … then you with your swimming … well, it just seems you find everything so much easier with short hair, and -’

‘What? No? Are you thinking of having your hair cut short!’ I cried, astonished and upset in equal measure. I had always seen Emily as resolutely a long hair girl. But then, until recently, I had been too.

Revealing

‘No, Katie,’ Emily quickly countered, but then plodded on with far less enthusiasm ‘Obviously, I couldn’t do that, but with my hair being so ridiculously thick, as well as so long – probably twice as thick as most women’s hair – it does become tiresome when I go out running.’

‘Yes, I see that,’ I conceded, but still concerned about where the conversation was going.

‘As you know, if I wear my hair loose, I look like a charging lion. My hair goes everywhere! Furthermore, I get so hot with it all flapping about. But if I put up in a ponytail then it feels so heavy it pulls my scalp and hairline, and usually gives me a headache. Still, I have put up with it for years, so just put my mood down to temporary jealousy of you and Heather,’ she grumbled. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be fine tomorrow …’

‘There is, of course, a very easy answer,’ I announced dramatically, resulting in the comical sight of Emily quickly gathering up all her hair into a protective bundle. ‘You can just stop running and any similar sports, and learn chess, or something else less active,’ I quipped, trying to lift her mood.

‘Ha-ha, very funny,’ Emily rejoindered, sarcasm dripping from her humourless laughter. ‘But that would not help keep me fit.’

I nodded sagely, desperately hoping for inspiration to cheer up my best friend. After a brief period of silence, an idea suddenly struck me.

I recalled a cryptic comment on one of my videos that had not meant much to me at the time. I swiped through page after page on my phone to find the information. After a while, a smile formed on my lips when I identified the comment.

‘What?’ Emily asked, curious, but puzzled by my actions. ‘I know that smile. What is it?’

I read the comment again, then my smile widened into a grin.

‘Katie?’ Emily demanded. ‘What?’

‘Bear with me, Emily,’ I said, picking up my hairbrush and a couple of unused hair elastics I found at the bottom of a drawer.

Releasing

Excitedly, I jumped up from the stool in front of my dressing table where Emily had shaved me, and I indicated that she should take my place.

Once we had swapped places I began brushing Emily gloriously thick hair. Once satisfied it was tangle free, I sectioned off the top half, creating a horizontal parting from ear to ear. Using one hair elastic, I secured a ponytail at her crown. Even containing only half her hair, it was still very thick. With the other half of her hair, I created an equally thick ponytail that I secured at her nape.

‘Ta-da!’ I stated proudly, echoing Athena’s characteristic cry, as Emily quizzically examined the impromptu hairstyle I had fashioned for her.

‘Obviously that’s so much better,’ my friend mocked. ‘Two ponytails of half the thickness and weight, are going to make running so much easier when compared with one ponytail of twice the weight!’

‘No, no, Emily,’ I countered impatiently. ‘Haven’t you heard of an undercut?’

‘Undercut?’ she questioned. ‘No …’

‘No, nor had I, until it was mentioned in a comment on one of the videos,’ I explained, ‘along with some photos that illustrated what it was.’

‘Show me!’ Emily snapped, none the wiser.

I handed her the phone and showed her the photos. While she studied the screen, I playfully tugged her lower ponytail. ‘This, my friend, all comes off. Then we shave everything underneath, all the way down to the skin just like mine,’ I eagerly explained.

‘Down to the skin,’ Emily croaked, her expression suggesting she didn’t believe what she had just heard.

‘Exactly! You can still wear your hair loose whenever you want. With your thick hair, the undercut will hardly be noticed,’ I clarified. ‘Then, when you go running, or if you really want to make a style statement, you can scrape all your hair up into a ponytail. With less weight, it will pull less on your scalp resulting in fewer headaches. But most importantly, as the girl with an undercut, you will look really cool.’

Emily’s eyes widened, her gaze flipping between the photos on the screen and her reflection in the mirror. Her expression was unreadable as she contemplated my words and gently played with her hair. Following a long sigh, a tentative smile emerged on Emily’s trembling lips.

‘Well, Katie, what are you waiting for,’ she squealed excitedly. ‘You better get on with giving me an undercut and make me look cool!’

Reassessing

Deep down, I had never expected Emily to accept my suggestion. My proposal had its practical merits, for sure. And, if truth be told, the prospect of seeing an undercut in the flesh (as it were!) was exciting. But it was a huge step for anyone to entertain, however long and thick their hair was. Furthermore, I recognised Emily’s immediate enthusiasm for the idea was likely to fade before she was able to visit a stylist to have it done.

‘Cool, if you’re sure that’s what you want but, obviously, I can’t do it for you. No doubt Athena will be happy to do it next time we visit her,’ I suggested, ‘provided you will let me watch,’ I added eagerly, if a tad selfishly.

‘Don’t be silly, Katie,’ my friend giggled, leaving me feeling deflated, believing I must have misinterpreted her reaction. ‘How difficult can it be?’ Emily surmised. ‘We can find some scissors and, once you’ve whipped this off,’ she tugged her lower ponytail as if it was nothing of importance, ‘you can use the foil shaver to remove that’s left behind.’

‘Me?’ I shrieked, genuinely shocked, suddenly wishing I had not suggested the crazy idea. However, Emily’s excitement had overtaken my own. ‘I can’t do that to you!’

‘Nonsense,’ Emily mumbled, as she began rummaging through the drawers of my dressing table. ‘See! Here we are,’ she stated proudly, holding up a huge pair of dressmaking shears. ‘They’ll cut through anything,’ she claimed, handing them to me.

Without thinking, I took the scissors, dumbly clicking the blades together as if I really expected to use them.

‘Hang on a second,’ Emily requested, positioning a couple of her action cameras on small tripods in suitable positions. ‘Right then, Katie,’ she urged, tugging her lower ponytail until it was taut. ‘Chop this off!’

Relinquishing

I was experiencing a maelstrom of emotions as I inched the scissors towards the hair gathered at Emily’s nape. When we were younger, although unrelated, we were known as the “long haired twins”. We both had hair down to our knees, much longer than any of our friends. Since Athena had transformed my hair into a bowlcut, my best friend’s locks had become the surrogate long hair that I still missed at times. Ridiculous, I know, but anyone who has ever had long hair will recognise all the emotion surrounding identity and uniqueness.

I had stretched out the time before I had circled Emily’s ponytail with the massive blades of my shears. However, with a menacing inevitability, eventually I found myself holding the scissors in position. ‘Emily, are you sure?’ I pressed. ‘Really, really sure?’

‘Absolutely!’ Emily shrilled, pulling her thick locks even tighter. ‘Katie, just cut it!’

Taking a deep breath, then holding it, I forced the blades together. Despite their sharpness and size, they only severed a few strands of Emily’s hair initially, leaving most of her tresses untouched. So, once again, I opened and closed the scissors, this time using all the strength I could muster. I made progress, with more strands separating. But there was some way to go, and my fingers were already tiring.

‘Ouch!’ A tired and clumsy lunge with scissors had resulted in an anguished cry from Emily as I accidentally pushed against her taut ponytail.

‘Sorry,’ I apologised. ‘This is hurting me just as much as it is you … emotionally anyway,’ I quipped, attempting to lighten the darkening mood.

‘I very much doubt that,’ Emily responded flatly, her voice trembling a little.

I persevered with the scissors and, little by little, I sliced a path through Emily’s thick tresses. Once I had reached half the way through, the scissors made quicker progress. With a dramatic flourish, I snipped through the last remaining strands. Half of Emily’s hair came away, separated from her nape in a single bound ponytail.

I held up Emily’s tresses so that she was able to study it in the dressing table mirror. While she did so, I was examining the miserable sight of the short and uneven tufts that covered the back of my friend’s head.

‘Wow, that’s quite a sight,’ Emily cried out, reaching out behind to grasp her severed ponytail. ‘What does it look like back there?’

‘Er, it still needs a bit of work,’ I described with understated honesty. ‘I’ll get started.’

I was convinced that the remaining tufts would be too long for the foil shaver to have any impact. So, with the aid of the comb to lift the clumps of hair, I used the scissors to painstakingly reduce the length.

While Emily played with the severed ponytail, I diligently reduced the uneven tufts to a smooth pelt of fine bristles. None were longer than the thickness of the comb over which the scissors had passed. It looked like my own overgrown nape had been, before Emily had dealt with it using the foil shaver.

‘Wow, that feels so weird,’ Emily sniggered, catching her breath, as I ran my fingers along her nape, checking for any errant longer hairs. ‘Actually, a rather nice sensation, but really weird.’

‘I know,’ I chuckled, reflecting on my own experience of having a shaved nape. ‘I forgot to warn you about that, but it gets even better.’

‘Really?’ Emily queried, her interest piqued, and she blushed.

Without answering, I turned on the foil shaver and placed the vibrating device against the skin of her nape.

‘Oh … er, gosh, I see what you mean,’ she stammered. ‘That is, um … even better …’

Rejoicing

Throughout each of my haircuts, I had successfully disguised my body’s response to the clippering and shaving. I had pretended my spontaneous reaction to the touch of a finger against short bristles or my bare skin was nothing more than me expressing surprise. In the confines of a barbershop with other people around, it would have been unseemly to over-react! However, there was no hiding the fact – from myself, at least – that it was a pleasurable, even an addictive, experience.

I accepted my reaction was bizarre, and I believed it was unique to me. After all, women have their hair cut every day and I judged they did not all experience the same level of enjoyment as I. However, Emily’s reaction suggested she was tuned in to the same wavelength as I was. Perhaps to an even greater extent, judging by her flushed appearance and her shortness of breath.

‘So, Emily, shall I stop?’ I enquired, giving my friend the opportunity to take stock of how she was feeling and save her further embarrassment.

‘Don’t you dare stop until you’ve finished!’ Emily giggled, doing her best impression of sounding stern. ‘And take all the time that you like.’

So, that’s exactly what I did!

After twenty minutes, I had polished every inch of Emily’s bare skin with the foil shaver repeatedly. Tenderly, using my fingers, I had diligently checked for any errant bristles that may have escaped my attention. And my reward was gentle moans of appreciation from Emily after every one of my actions.

Finally, with the momentous task of the foil shaver indisputably completed, I silenced its vibrant hum and placed the device back in its pouch.

For a brief period neither of us spoke or moved.

‘Wow, that was unexpected,’ Emily giggled, reaching back to caress her own smooth nape. ‘In a good way,’ she quickly added, grinning broadly.

‘I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,’ I chuckled. ‘But just to let you know, Emily, it doesn’t get any easier going forward. The sensation is just as intense every single time.’

‘Oh, how wonderful!’ Emily quivered excitedly. ‘But I must remember that the video of this encounter might require some judicious editing,’ she added, turning off the cameras, ‘to exclude, er, certain reactions …’

I nodded sagely, before releasing the half of Emily’s hair that was still in a ponytail that plumed from her crown. I gently brushed through the loose hair then arranged it around her shoulders and down her back. As I suspected, unless you were aware that she had an undercut, it was invisible due to the thickness of her hair.

‘No one would ever guess what lies beneath,’ Emily confirmed, ‘but, for now, would you mind redoing the ponytail?’

Securing it in a high ponytail once more, revealed her shaved nape to the world. And it looked sensational.

‘As you predicted, Katie, it feels so much lighter against my scalp and it tugs so much less at my hairline. It will make running so much easier,’ Emily enthused, ‘but that’s not to say that practicality is the only benefit,’ she added coyly, provocatively running her fingers up and down her nape.

‘Sometimes practicality is not the only thing to consider in this world,’ I conceded, smiling enigmatically.

Emily grinned. ‘Well, I realise that Bowlcut is Your World, Katie, whereas I am just lapping up being in a lovely world of my own!’

Epilogue

It had been two weeks since my best friend, Emily, had trimmed my bowlcut with the foil shaver for the first time. And when, soon afterwards, I had shaved off half of Emily’s long thick hair to give her a dramatic undercut that she willingly displayed when running, as well as at other times. At least every couple of days we had repeated the shaving of each other, restoring our pristine baldness. Now, back at Cutting Edge by Athena, I recalled the beginning of my completely unexpected but very eventful hair journey.

‘Good to see you again, girls,’ Athena, the barber, greeted us. ‘And I really appreciate all the extra customers that have found their way to my world via your social media channels. Although Cutting Edge will remain a gentlemen’s barbershop, it’s fun to have women like Heather, that friend of yours from college, dropping in. Even Clara was interesting!’

Clara had been my nemesis at college for a while, making fun of my bowlcut. However, she eventually conceded that I looked cool and offered me respect. On a day that we were in Athena’s shop, she had chopped off Clara’s multi-coloured and messy long hair, and eventually gave her a neat flattop haircut that would be more suitable for her summer internship working in an office. When Clara returned to college, she had left behind her grungy goth-like fashions and now wore smart office attire every day. She encouraged everyone to believe that her clothes and severe haircut was the latest emerging trend. Personally, I suspected that she just enjoyed channelling her inner secretary and that allowed her to wear tight miniskirts and high heels!

Athena inspected the shaved areas of my bowlcut and complemented Emily on her developing skills at maintaining it using the foil shaver she had given us. Observing Emily’s dramatic undercut on her long hair, Athena was less enthusiastic. However, her reaction could have arisen from a professional’s belief that, as a barber, she should have been the one to cut it for her rather than leaving it to an amateur such as I!

‘It’s fine, I suppose,’ Athena sniffed haughtily as she inspected Emily’s hair. ‘But just you make sure,’ she added, wagging her finger threateningly, ‘you come to me when you’re ready to lose all that long hair and receive a smart and sensible bowlcut like Katie.’

‘That’s never going to happen,’ Emily quivered, panic setting in, causing her to grab her ponytail protectively.

‘We’ll see …’ Athena smirked, opening and closing two fingers to simulate her proposed action. Unsure whether the barber was being serious, Emily edged out of scissor range as she had been prone to do in the past and moved towards the shop door!

A welcome consequence of our hair adventure was that we were making money from all the interaction on social media. Not a fortune, perhaps, but a welcome contribution to the lowly funds of poor college students. Major influencers such as @FashionablyFleur promoting our videos dramatically increased our following. Furthermore, as we absorbed all the praise, the confidence we had in ourselves bloomed like the wildflowers after a storm.

My original bowlcut and the loss of my long hair had turned from an emotionally painful experience into an exhilarating change. I learnt that being different and unique is not only acceptable, but it can create exciting new adventures and opportunities.

I would never have suspected that cutting off all my long hair would have opened such a wide world of possibilities. One that had begun by acknowledging

Bowlcut is My World!

 

End of Book 1