Long before I started working at Shobha, I used to frequent this tiny little West Village salon. I don’t know why I went there, really. It wasn’t cheap, the people weren’t friendly, & it hurt like hell. But I was also way more timid then & probably thought that was normal for a New York salon.
Regardless, one particular visit will always stick with me…but not for the reasons I just mentioned. I decided to be daring & get a triangle rather than my standard all-off ‘do. What I got technically qualified as a triangle but not the suggestively sexy one I had envisioned. In fact, it more closely resembled a slice of pizza, all big & wide with sloppy edges. At home while I stared in the mirror & tried to make peace with it, I realized that it was actually making me look fat! Not only did I have an ugly, messy bikini, but now I was suddenly fatter, too? Awesome. Glad I paid for the privilege!
But what I learned that day was an important lesson… your haircut will enhance or detract from your features… regardless of whether it’s north or south of the equator. I looked fat because the widest points of my triangle were hitting at the widest points of my body…like big neon arrows saying ‘look at these saddlebags!’ After that day, I started experimenting with different shapes, lengths & widths. Here are the key points I learned along the way…
- If you want to look leaner [not meaner], try a landing strip on the long & thin side. It will draw the eye vertically and magically elongate you.
- If you have a boyish shape & want to add curves, try a wider triangle with points hitting at your widest spots. This will bring the attention to the curves you do have.
- Remember, if you’re trying to hide any problem spots, don’t draw attention to them with your bikini shape!
- & of course some of you might prefer to go to town with shapes like hearts, stars & your boyfriend’s initials. These can be fun & frisky…but the same rules apply.
Happy hedging!