The science behind the chop
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"A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life," said Coco Chanel, a woman known for her sage wisdom. It's a maxim that could easily be applied to why women have post-break-up haircuts.
We've all been there. You split with your partner and when the crying ends, and you stop aesthetically unravelling around about the same time you start brushing your teeth again, there arises a niggling desire to change something dramatic about your appearance. And something makes you focus on your hair, which now in the cold light of your break-up looks tired and dull. And then comes the great chop: a signal of the new post-split you.
It's not an uncommon move. Katy Perry, fresh from her separation from Orlando Bloom, recently cut off her shoulder-length hair to reveal a punk-like crop much like Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Scarlett Johansson before her, telling the press that she wanted to "redefine what it means to be feminine". Men are not immune to the break-up hairdo either. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but Lenny Kravitz cut off his dreadlocks following his Nineties split from Vanessa Paradis, saying "I needed to change my energy, so I cut my hair. Now, I'm growing some new energy."
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It comes as no surprise that there is more to this than meets the eye. There is, of course, an idea of metaphorical lightness that comes with chopping off one's locks. The relationship and sex educator Dr Laura Berman thinks it is a coping mechanism, much like the idea of dressing yourself 'confident' or 'happy' even if you feel lost or sad.
"When you feel poorly, it is natural to make changes to your external body in the hopes that it will make you feel better internally as well," Berman told InStyle. "There is something about a drastic cut that can feel cathartic after a break-up, like you are cutting off the dead weight and becoming lighter and freer."
Whether you end the relationship or not, there is a lack of control that comes with a break-up. Depending on the how long you have been together, there is usually major life adjustment that accompanies heartbreak. Either way, you have to grieve for a loss. The clinical psychologist Seema Hingorrany told The Times of India that "many women feel like their hair or appearance is still that one thing they have absolute control over. So, when they decide to chop off their tresses, it is mostly to adopt a new, fresher identity. The girl feels an intense need to move on and hence, the need to look different and new."
The hairstylist Eloise Cheung agrees. "Dramatic hair changes are a way of shedding the past and moving on," she told HelloGiggles. "We're on a mission to create a new and better version of ourselves and a fast and easy way to do this is by cutting our hair and/or changing our hair colour."
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Bella Hadid is one such example of the post-split hair-colour change, dyeing her brown locks close to black, only weeks after it emerged that her ex-boyfriend, Abel Tesfaye of The Weeknd, was dating Selena Gomez. "I just needed a change in my life," she said. "I think when you dye and cut your hair it takes away a lot of past resolutions."
However, while the urge to try the undercut/bob/pixie crop you've always pondered over seems tempting, Alexa Chung – who always has flawless hair – says tread with caution.
"It's the first thing women do, but you're not in a fit state to make decisions that are long-term – you'll have to spend the next four years growing it out," she told Stylist. "Don't have a fringe cut. Don't bleach it. Don't do anything, because you will regret it. Buy a lipstick instead. Go and kiss loads of other people, but don't fucking touch your hair, as you'll still feel sad – and you'll have weird hair."
That said, it's just hair – it'll always grow back.
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