Here is the next year. I hope it is an enjoyable read.
January 2009
Ali started to slow her eating down after Christmas and took her job search more seriously. The course that she was in really pushed her and by the middle of the month, she was getting interviews. It was good seeing her get dressed in nice clothes again and try to get back to work. She did not gain weight, but did not lose it either. I suspect at this stage she was over 140 lbs.
She did not have much success in the first interviews and took it up with a career counselor who was part of her employment program. The counselor went through her skills and everything else about interviewing. One piece of advice that she was given was that it is better when interviewing for an administrative position to have your hair as professional as possible. This meant one natural color and to either wear your hair up and off your face or to keep it short enough that it is out of your face. She asked the career counselor if she thought her weight or the way she dresser was an issue and she was told they she looked professional in that regard. When she asked if her hair was an issue and the counselor told her that it might be better if she tries a more serious and professional look.
When she got home she asked me about it and I really did not know. I found that at work looking older for someone in their early 20s was probably better. She also had a naturally youthful face, so she looked like she could still be mistaken for being in her late teens. She asked if I cared if she tried short hair and I said it was fine. At the time I thought she meant like she had it in late 2007 or maybe a bit shorter.
February 2009
Ali put off getting her hair done for a while as she was unsure about going shorter. I also think she did not want to spend the money on her hair. She had another interview early in the month and did not get the job after a second interview. She had several interviews lined up over the next few weeks, so she decided it was time to try a new style. She wanted me to go with her to her stylist, but I suggested that she just goes with her mom. I figured her mom would be able to give her more support and guidance anyhow. I told her to come over after she had it done. To be fair, I knew that her mom would probably encourage a shorter style, so I knew she was in good hands.
When I saw her later that afternoon, I was pretty shocked. She was standing at my door with a short pixie cut and I mean short short. It was brushed down and parted on top with less than 1.5 inches of length. It looked darker as all of the blonde was gone. Her hair on the sides was probably under a 1/2 inch and her sideburns were cut very short. Her hair in the back was as short as the sides near the crown and was blended even shorter as it approached her neck. Her neck was shaved so she had an even and straight hairline. I could not believe it and she could tell. When I woke up that morning, I had no idea that by the end of the day I would be dating a girl with hair that was shorter than mine, but here I was.
I could tell she was upset and hated it. She was even self conscious the last time she cut her hair short and that still covered her ears. I told her that I liked it, but she did not come close to believing me. She came in and was crying before I knew it. I had never seen her cry over how she looks before. I wanted to hear about it, as I always liked hearing her talk about her appearance. She told me that she discussed the idea with her mom, who totally agreed that a short, neat and professional cut would be much better for her chances of getting a serious office job.
She told her stylist what the career counselor suggested. Her stylist agreed and said that she knew the perfect style for her. Her stylist explained that for it to look professional, it meant hair that is neat and not in her face. She said that this is a style that she does for busy working women and in addition would be very easy to maintain. She also suggested keeping the hairline even a little above her natural hairline as it is better for full figured women and would make her neck look longer. Her stylist said that if she was not ready she could try a slightly longer style, but it probably would be much more work each day and would grow out faster.
Ali was not sure about it and could not even really picture what her stylist meant. She looked at her mom for her opinion, who said it sounded perfect for her. She agreed and before she knew it she saw more hair on the ground than on her head. As she was not wearing her glasses, she could not tell how short her stylist was going but she said it was like she just kept cutting it shorter and shorter until she was having clippers used to even out her sides and back.
Her mom who always had short hair thought it was great for her. I agreed that it made her look more mature and much more professional. She did not want to go out that night so we just stayed in. When we were intimate I liked how it felt. Her hair did not get it the way at all and was fun to play with. The next morning I saw her sleeping and could not take my eyes off her hair. It defined her more and was unique. I loved watching her when she was sleeping and realized that she was more beautiful than ever.
Within a week she was getting used to her hair. It made her face look thinner and her neck longer. It also was good for her fine hair and she loved how easy it was each morning. The interviews went well and she ended up with two job offers. In such a tight job market, we were thrilled. I am not sure if her hair made really any difference, but she felt like it made her look more mature and meant that she was treated with more respect at work.
March/April 2009
After Ali found a good job, life seemed to return more to normal. She liked her job and thrived in that environment. It paid well and we started to talk about getting a place together.
She took work seriously and was happy to work late if she could get more hours. She was very good about her appearance for work and always dressed professionally and found clothes that worked for her body type. She got over the initial hair shock and started to realize that I liked her hair that way. From the time she got it cut, I was all over her. She liked that feeling and enjoyed when I would play with her hair. She also seemed to get encouragement from her family, who all seemed to like her hair that way.
I was not sure if she would just start growing her hair out, but within a bit over a month she was back at her stylist. I was surprised when she told me she was going back so soon. I asked what she was planning and she said that she liked how easy it was and wanted to keep looking professional at work. She said that with this length it grows out fast, so she had to go regularly. She returned from her stylist with the same cut and I was thrilled. I hoped she would keep her hair short like this, but suspected she would miss long hair after a while.
She started eating out more because of work and seemed to gain more weight. It showed more on her face now that there was no hair to hide behind. I liked the look and realized she would probably end up being bigger.
May 2009
Ali’s sister had her baby in May and it got us talking more about our future together. She wanted kids and hinted that she would be happy to start sooner rather than later. I liked the idea and knew by now that she was the one, but did not want to rush things. By the time her sister was at term she had gotten much bigger from pregnancy. I am not sure how much she gained, but I would estimate around 50 lbs. I found that it gave her sister softer and more feminine features, so she looked better.
At a family party that happened soon after Ali’s niece was born we saw many of her relatives. It was the first time everyone saw her since the wedding over a year ago or Christmas, so everyone commented on her new and more mature look. It was a hit with so many of her relatives and it made her feel good about herself. Her hair was actually longer at the party than it had been since she cut it in February as she had not cut it for about a month. Her family still loved the style. She mentioned after that she wished she had trimmed it again before the party and she has to go back soon. I could see that she was beginning to accept and embrace who she was and what she looked like.
As she gained more weight, she felt even soften and I enjoyed holding her more. She also was more comfortable with me now and being together. Our sleeping position became me facing her from the back. She was already very soft and full from behind. I got used to having my face at the back of her neck. This was better when there was no longer a mess of hair in the way. She loved being kissed from behind. It was clear by then that she was the one for me.
June 2009
I had never seen her as confident as she was during this period. This shy person who had grown up hating her appearance was finally beginning to accept who she was. I was happy to see her this way. She also kept the same cut and was at a stage. I remember her telling me that after a few cuts, she would get to her stylist and she would just start cutting. She explained how her stylist used clippers to keep the sides and back neat and even. I liked the idea of this and hoped that it would be a long term thing.
She was good about wearing properly fitting clothes for work, but seemed to keep the same everyday clothes that she wore when she was 25 lbs lighter. I suspect it was a money thing, as she spent the money she had on work clothes. I remember she had her two “work bras” that were high end and well fitting. Her other bras were too small for her now and fit tightly. Her work pants would fit well but she struggled to fit into most other pants she had (other than sweats and PJs). It reminded me that she was gaining weight and becoming her natural self.
I still always liked trying to see her change. After two years of dating, she was still shy around me and did not like me seeing her without clothes on. I would get the odd peak, but she was still not comfortable. When she stayed over at my place, she would still change in the bathroom and would usually keep the door locked when she was in there. I found it sort of cute and when I would mention it she would always say that we are no married. There were other things that she would not do until we were married, but I do not have to get into those details. It did however make me want to have her as my wife. I knew she wanted it and she dropped hints the odd time.
July 2009
We went on another trip together and had a great time. On the last night of the trip I proposed to her. I gave her a ring over a romantic sunset. She got very flushed, said yes and then started crying. It was not a bad cry, but it was very emotional for her. She was incredibly excited and could not talk about anything other than the wedding for the rest of the trip. I loved seeing her this happy and realized that it was the right time.
I did not want to rush the wedding, but she hoped to have it sooner. We agreed on a date in early April. Not long after she mentioned for the first time dieting for the wedding. We had a serious talk and I explained that I was marrying her for her and not someone else. I made her know that she would look good no matter what, and I did not want her miserable from starving herself for the next nine months. I told her that I liked her body and would not want her any other way. I think she understood and realized that I meant it.
She also talked about her hair for the wedding. Ali’s hair had already grown out a bit as it had been over six weeks since she got it cut. She said that she was actually planning on going shorter for the summer but would now try to see how much she could grow it for the wedding. She realized that she would not have long hair, but wanted some length to do something with. Again, I told her that I was marrying her for her and did not want her to look totally different at our wedding.
August 2009
Being engaged was great, as it gave us something to look forward to. She was so excited to get married that she even suggested moving up the date. We decided to keep the April date and only move in together once we were married.
It seemed that she was a bit more careful about her eating as she wanted to keep her weight stable for the wedding. She was looking great in my opinion and was now more comfortable with the weight she had gained. Other than work clothes, she did not really try to hide it anymore. I liked that and hoped that she would continue in that direction. Her hair was also getting longer. The growing out stage was awkward and meant it took her more time to keep it looking good for work. She did not love it, but wanted it longer for the wedding.
September/October 2009
She was the one who did most of the wedding planning. I helped out, but was happy to let her make decisions. I was happy to see that she was not dieting and was actually still putting on weight. I realized over this time that she had gotten quite a bit bigger over the past six months. Her naturally small build and lack of height resulted in any new weight showing quite a bit. She accepted it and I liked it. She was developing quite a tummy that I found adorable.
I also noticed that her sister had lost very little of the weight that she put on during her pregnancy. She commented about this once and said that it seemed to be how it goes in her family.
Her hair was also growing out fast and driving her nuts. She decided that she wanted to have it trimmed, but said that she would keep most of the length. I knew she wanted it longer for the wedding. She told her stylist that she hated what a mess it was, but wanted it longer for the wedding. Her stylist suggested that she perms it again, as this would give it body and control and keep it out of her face. She was told that it would let her keep the length, but would make it easy to manage. She was not sure about the idea of short curly hair, but figured it made sense.
Her stylist did not cut much other than tidying it up in the back, but gave her rather tight curls. As she still did not have too much length, I guess that was the only option. The style certainly made her look different. It was again a rather mature style that was great for her work. It was not a super-model type of style, but was cute on her. On the good side, it meant that her hair no longer got in the way when we were together. Another plus is that it saved her time every morning, as she did not have to do much with it. This was good when she stayed over, as it meant she was not taking as long using to one bathroom in my apartment. I also realized that I sort of liked her with a more mature look.
The style did not make her look heavier, but gave her a different look, It was a bit of a rounder look, which I liked. Even though her hair looked much shorter in tight curls, it was a feminine style that suited her. It took time for her to get used to short curly hair, but she felt like it was a more professional style. She was always concerned with having the right look for work, so she came to like it.
November/December 2009
Another change in her appearance that happened around this time was she started to thin her eyebrows. She used to pluck her brows to keep them neat, but they were relatively thick and full. In contrast to her fine hair, they stood out. Once she cut her hair, her brows seemed to look even fuller. In an effort to save money, she never had them done professionally. Around this time, she decided to get them done. She mentioned to me that she was going to go to a women who one of her friends (who was also a big girl) went to. I did not say much and did not think it would make a difference to how she looked.
When I saw her after she did it, I was surprised how different it made her look. The women she went to recommend thinning them quite a bit and told her that it is best that way for both bigger women and women with short hair. She agreed and ended up happy with the result. It did make her face look better and was super feminine on her. It complimented her hair and gave her a nicer look all around. We both agreed that it was also a more mature and professional look for her.
The holidays were a good time. When she saw her family for Christmas she was showered with compliments on her new look and everyone seemed to think the more mature look suited her. Shortly after Christmas we were at my place and she was just wearing an old t-shirt. I noticed that her belly had gotten big enough that it was hanging right out of the shirt. I pretended not to notice, as it would embarrass her. I did however like the look and found it to be a turn on and hoped that she would wear that shirt more often.
Really enjoying these installments. Especially like short, curly perms, and LOVE Ali’s attitude to making sure that she looked mature and professional for work 🙂
There is much more to come. 2009 was a year of big changes for her. It is when she really started to realize that looking more mature was right for her.