Casmin Bui Week 14: Hair Holds Memories
Have you heard of the phrase “hair holds memories”? I came across a trend where artists applied this phrase to fictional characters who sought to cope with trauma by cutting their hair as a means to move away from their past.
The concept of taking memory into a form that is physically tangible has increasingly caught my interest as I grew up. The most recent example is through the Olympian ice skater Alysa Liu. I know I talk a lot about her, but there’s one more thing I would like to acknowledge: her hair! Every year, she dyes a blond ring on her roots (I’m not sure what the specific hairstyle is), and as her hair grows, you can currently see several rings that she has dyed in the past 3-4 years. That’s such a cool concept!! Having your past self with you everywhere you go as remembrance of good and bad memories is so inspiring. Not only do you see your growth, you see the milestones you achieved, the people you met, and the losses you took.
What I hint at with this idea of tangible memory is tattoos. As a child, my mom ingrained in me to never ever get tattoos, and she means this wholeheartedly. I could get as many piercings as I want wherever I want, and she would still be relatively fine with it, but the moment I get the smallest tattoo even in a covered place, I’m certain she would disown me. Every time I ask her why, she reiterates her belief that having a tattoo means that you are associated with a sort of gang, and if I were to ever have one, the chances of me being employed will go to zero. Even though this stereotype can be applicable to some people, it is not the most common reason of why people get tattoos.
My opinion of tattoos forever changed when I saw one of my favorite youtubers at the time, Gloom, get a tattoo in memory of her sister that had recently passed away. Her tattoo was on her forearm, and depicted two bunnies: one that was facing up (Gloom), and one that was facing downwards (her sister). Her tattoo reminded me of two halves of a whole, and I remember being so deeply touched when she explained that one would continue to live on with the other's legacy. Tattoos are such a cool concept, because it is literally art on your body! You can choose what tattoos mean to you: if it’s a fashion statement, a funny joke, or a token of memory.
Even though I’m fighting my own demons to not get a cute star or heart tattoo in the future, I still love looking at other people’s tattoos and asking them what their story was behind each one.
I really think that the significance of body modifications like tattoos and piercings (and even temporary ones like cutting or dyeing hair) is often lost upon people because they’ve come to be associated with delinquency and an affinity for vices and/or violence. For example, piercing the right nostril has been a tradition across India for thousands of years, and following that tradition, my maternal grandparents got my mother’s nose pierced when she was just a baby. A few months after I was born, she took out her nose ring for good. Over the years, I’ve repeatedly begged her to let me get a nose piercing, but she would never hear it, even though she’d gotten one when she was much, much younger than I was. I never thought it was fair, and I still don’t to this day. I’ve always been envious of how graceful and beautiful people with nose rings look, and so I finally made a deal with my mom: I can get a nose piercing once I turn eighteen. In her words, this is because when (if) I regret getting that piercing, I won’t be able to go complaining to her, saying, “Why did you let me do this?”
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I don’t think that’s going to happen.
I love to yap about this, but I have a specific list of body modifications I’d love to get when I’m older. A nose piercing, a belly piercing, an eyebrow piercing or two, a spine tattoo…maybe double piercings on my ears? I don’t know. Maybe. But in my opinion, it’s beautiful to see people take charge of their own bodies and recreate them in the way they want to see it. Body modifications allow people to express themselves in an incredibly intimate way.
Except for the eye tattoos, though. I really don’t see the appeal in that.
Tattoos and piercings have always fascinated me, since each person that has them exudes their own vibe and they can become so personalized. I love how there’s no rules to either of them, especially ear piercings. There’s no need for them to be symmetrical in any way; you’re free to mess around and get as many as you’d like on each ear in whatever location. In fact, right now I have four on my left year but only three on my right. They’re also incredibly addicting: I probably have my next five ear piercings planned out in my head, but they’ll only happen if my parents let me have them. I agree that there can be a stigma around piercings, especially once you pass the normal single lobes and even the second piercing there. Anything past that enters a territory surrounding impressions of gangs or violence, or at least it’s that way for my parents. I remember how hard my sister and I had to fight them for my cartilage piercings and her nose piercing. There are some piercings that are considered cultural, and can hold a lot of memories for Indian people, such as the nose piercing and a vertical helix. They’re ones that you see done on even extremely elderly people in India, and if I’m being honest, while I would never get a nose piercing myself, the jewelry that some of these ladies use for the piercings is amazing. As for tattoos, although my parents would have a very similar reaction to yours, the idea that you can personalize an image to mean something so personal to just yourself is heartwarming. They could be of anything: a reminder of a certain person, a certain memory, or a certain hobby. The possibilities are endless.
ReplyDeleteHi Casmin! I really like the idea of “taking memory into a form that is physically tangible” and may even romanticize it. I think being able to show your entire self through these physical additions demonstrates self-confidence and self-worth. I really like this concept, however; honestly, I prefer no tattoos. I just do not see the point of permanently placing a foreign item on my body. I see the appeal but I am still trying to understand why do I need to engrain a tattoo to my body instead of just wearing something different to represent the memory? It may be because I am extremely indecisive and likely as time passes, I may change my mind about the tattoo. I know there are ways to remove permanent tattoos but it still seems like additional problems. And yet, I still see the immense impact of having a tattoo. By permanently placing a tattoo, it emphasizes how much you care about that “token of memory.” It is super inspiring to see that your favorite youtuber explained to their audience about how it will allow them to “continue to live on with the other’s legacy.” That is such a touching statement and highlights the permanence of tattoos and how they reinforce that you care about something enough to take that step and wear a tattoo! Great blog, Casmin! My beliefs about tattoos are starting to shift slightly.
ReplyDelete