Hairapy?

I have been saying, even threatening, for some time that I was going to do a post on Hair. I got the idea from Big Mama, who had a genius post on her blog about her hair. I have been going through serious hair withdrawals. I feel the need to cut-like NOW. Actually moments ago I was in the bathroom , I wet it down, got out the scissors, held them up to my bangs and my conscience was screaming, "STOP! STOP You'll be SORRY!". I think this is the first time I actually listened. I am , how do we say, uh, between hair do's. Ladies, you KNOW what I am saying. I am trying to decided on a hairstyle and cannot decide what will look best on me. Should I grow it out, or cut it. I like a little something edgy, er, sassy in a cut. But I want enough to put on a hat and not look butch. I do not know that I can hold up to growing it you. This is where you ALL come in...Help. I need a hairstyle. Currently mine is looking like Dullbert's profile shot (click here), though I cannot work it like him. SO ....please help. I cannot convey through typing the extreme urgency and sense of desperation that I am in. I have looked up pictures and I pull up these......

Do you see a pattern here?

And this is the cut I have also asked for the past 5-6 years. I met my friend Courtney tonight at the Mexican restaurant and asked for her help. "I think you should just keep the flippy". She is referring to the hairstyle above. It is extremely easy, it takes literally 6 minutes to fix from wet headed to go out the door, that includes blow dry and brush, spray and go. So I do like that. I am NOT a high maintenance girl. Lets take a look at the some times horrifying and sometimes terrific hairstyles that I have already visited.....


This is baby Leigh, 1970. I was born without a hair on my head. This is when the problems began, no hair to style.....or, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise?

This is me cira 1973. Certainly my mother was with child, but you cannot tell it here. Or perhaps they just chose not to have by brother in the picture. I had little hair here, but it was styled nicely, pulled to the side and secured with a little barrette. This was our church directory photo. My dad looks just like the lead guy from the horror movie, Christine. Don't you love his red blazer? Despite appearances, he wasn't in the movie Christine nor was he a used car salesman.

Years pass and I finally got some hair on my head....both of them. Don't you love the 2 headed shots by Olan Mills? It reminds me of that moment in the Wizard of Oz where Toto bust the "OZ", "Pay no mind to the man behind the screen". Remember the Big Head the man was working? This was mine. It was 1976. I was working the blue prairie girl dress with white ruffles. My two heads smiled so lovely while my mother fought with my brother (behind the scenes) who was claiming he was going to run away if he was forced to have his picture made. He was 3. My mother told him, "You can run away after you have you have your pictures made".

Hair was important, even then. Here after a night of washing with "Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific" shampoo I dried it with my mom's BLOW DRYER!!

1977, same hair even a year later just a bit longer and nicely blown dry. I was at my friend Debby's house here. I don't know what I was doing. I look guilty. Hair was long, and quite notably brown. I had forgotten what my natural hair color was.

Then came Dorothy Hamill. Every girl had that cut, didn't they? I remember that my mother cut my hair herself. With no formal training, she did a pretty good job. The year was approximately 1979. This, another Olan Mills shot, with the very same brown background. Obviously that was the only color screen they had back then. I am here again with my brother. He obviously didn't run away, even though my mother dressed him in the brown terrycloth shirt that matched the background. Dorothy Hamill, eat your heart out.

In 1979 I wanted to be an angel, one of Charlies Angels apparently. I had wings. They flapped in the breeze as I wheeled my little white skate's with pink pom pom's around the rink. They were so cool. My wings weren't as cool as (my friend) Martha Brahan's, but they were cool. Here I am wearing a t-shirt that I got at the Alabama concert I attended. It says, "The Closer you Get". But don't get to close or those wings would slap ya silly.

This was the year I laid eyes on Big Daddy. It was 1981. I had a perm, courtesy of my mom, the resident stylist. Side pony, but only half of my head was pulled into the pony. I loved this outfit. It was a white ruffled "pirate " shirt, purple top with bow tie. I loved that little clip on bow tie, I felt ready for Solid Gold when I wore it. Certainly my hair with the side pony was Solid Gold ready too.

And I wondered why Big Daddy wasn't interested. Can't you see it here!!!!In 1982 the mullet was hot. Girls wore it, boys wore it. Billy Ray Cyrus wore it, though years later after I did. I worked it.(EWW!) It was business in the front, party in the back. My brother forgoed the look for the Christmas Elf cut. Don't you love my peter pan collared shirt with purple blazer. Blazer's were hot then too. SO was the blue eyeshadow I have on. Don't tell me it wasn't!

1983. I was a teenager. I had braces. And the mullet was short lived, and I went to extreme. I grew out my bangs to the length of the back, and I joined in on the Christmas spirit that my brother had worked in the earlier photograph. Here, my hair looks like a Christmas tree. Triangular in shape with big balls (earrings) hanging from the tree in completion. I am sure my brother would like it if you would take notice of the great form of the "swish" move he was doing. That was how I saw him most of our growing up years. He was always playing basketball. Even if he didn't have one in hand, he pretended to. It drove my mother mad. That is why she allowed me to walk around like Father Christmas-AND play with fireworks

1984. A freshman in high school. A perm in my hair. It was about BIG hair now. Even the bangs were curled. That was bad.

A year later, I was already practising for my big stage debut (that never came). Really, I clearly recall this night, I was singing, "Borderline" (See my big bow in my hair like Madonna?) My cousin Alan was jamming to the keyboard. Something tells me he wasn't playing "Borderline, Lucky Star and Holiday" on his fantasy concert stage.

I think this was the same year, 1985. But I had to laugh. Obviously I thought nothing of how dorky I looked, posing toughly with my permed hair and badly damaged from the perming at that. Perhaps I was saying, "My hair is weak but I am strong." My hair looks fried. Yet I thought I was tough. HA!

1986. This was the year I got my drivers license. I guess I didn't need the helicopter that sat on top of my head any longer. Hello! I was 16 years old. I have a bow on my head the size of Nelly Olsen's bow on her dresses. Do you remember Nelly Olsen? This was taken at Something Fawn on I-59 going towards Chattanooga. It was at a truck stop. I recall that there were weird things in the walls on the place, like 3 headed turtles ...oddities like that. Yet I decided to have my picture taken with a fake lion. Hmm....

Graduation Day 1988. That's me with my friend Staci and Ken. My hair survived the perms and big hair bows. And me, highschool. I wasnt certain about any of those.

1991. Look Bald baby gene runs in the family. This is baby Bama. See my Whitesnake Hair, Tawny Kitean Hair? I permed and I teased to get that effect.

1993. I think this was the best my hair ever looked. Beauty is wasted on the youth. Not that I have EVER thought I was beautiful, quite the contrary. I have always had low self esteem and used to be very shy. I know no one would beleive I was shy, and actually still am. With age that has improved some. But, looking back, I wasn't as wretched as I thought I was.

1994 Permed again. I distinctly recall going to City Stages this night.

I quit the teaing all together. I was so into the show Melrose Place. I went in and asked for the "Amanda" (Heather Locklear). This was their version I guess. I didn't think I looked like Amanda. In my dreams, perhaps.

This was my second year of teaching kindergarten. My "professional look". Hello, Hot Roller. Need I say more?

Here I was pregnant with Sledge. It was November 1997. I had colored my own hair, obviously. I cannot do red. It said blond on the bottle. My husband must love me, he was seen in public with me. I mean, MY GOSH! WHAT AM I WEARING? I am a pregnate lumberjack? It appears that I am in a flannel shirt, red turtleneck and OVERALLS! Like that hid the enlarged uterus under them. LOL! RIGHT!

I must confess that Big Daddy just saw this picture and said that he never recalls me with that red hair. The mind has a way of protecting oneself from bad memories. I asked him not to prolong and bring up bad memories any longer. Onto something else....this is so bad and wrong in a multitude of ways.

The year 1998. I had just come home from the hospital with my daughter Sledge. I could care less about my hair. All I cared about was sleep, and when I would get any. Love my hair curled under bangs. Ugg!

This was when I finally crossed over and became a blond. When I was 16 years old I discovered my first grey hair. They multiplied significantly with each one I plucked. I tired of fighting and found a way of better coverage. Blond. Though quite harsh here. This was taken at Rock City in Chattanooga Tennessee. Big Daddy loved me as a pumpkin headed lumberjack, so I put up with Big Daddy's Dumb and Dumber look. Heehee. Now I know that our marriage can stand the test of time.

And then it was I saw Martina McBrides short and sassy haircut (above) I had to have it so I took in the picture and came out with this. This is the cut I have had for the past 5-6 years.

See here, just modified versions of the same cut......

And so, I BEG OF YOU FOR YOUR HELP!! Find Leigh a haircut. Take into account my LARGE ROUND FACE and consider if the cut will look appropriate. If you have photoshop, work it out on my head and send me the pictures. Email me pic's of the style you think I should go with to lbratina@bellsouth.net

I will post the suggestions given on my blog and give it to the readers to decide. But this HAS to happen quickly. no QUICKLY! before I succumb to the scissors in my bathroom.

So, today, send in ideas. I will begin to post on Saturday and Sunday if I can hold out. Then Monday, it gets cut...or perhaps it remains to grow.. I need you to help me!

NOW! DO IT NOW! Scissors are calling!