I ask the reflection in the mirror. “Not too short. Gabe requested that it look similar to the drawings. Luckily, your hair is pretty long so it will be easy to cut.” Edwin twists my hair into little bunches and clips them on top of my head. “Don’t worry, it will be cute. Plus, you can get rid of all these split ends.” I snatch a piece of hair. “I don’t have split ends.” “Of course not,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Once I get the weight off, we’ll dye it.” So far this may be the hardest part of the process. Alexandra has a short haircut and dark hair. Mine is too long and too light. The physical changes in boot camp were difficult, but the results are awesome. This just feels like I’m losing a part of myself. An hour later, Edwin has my hair up in these foil strips making me look like an alien. I take a picture of myself and text it to Iris. Nice look. Emoticon Hair Fail. Stop being dramatic. I’m sure it looks awesome. I’ve been here for hours. I’m about to rip the foil out and run through the streets.
