A struggle that began in 1995 has finally culminated as, following dozens of attempts, Marcy Thompson, 33, has finally figured out her hair.
Marcy’s hair journey began in 8th grade when her mom allowed her to get a perm. Marcy’s was enthusiastic about the perm, but its received a mixed reception at school set off what would be become two decades of questioning what hairstyle suited her best.
Before entering high school, Marcy spent many late nights at Wal-Mart buying hair dye in order to emulate pictures of punk queens she found on MySpace. But nothing ever really gave her that “A-ha! This is me,” look. At her lowest point, she gave herself side-bangs in a desperate and misguided 2 AM frenzy, resulting in quiet judgment from her peers.
During her twenties, Marcy tried and failed at many more styles. She bobbed it after two break-ups. She layered it before two interviews. Nothing ever quite fit. She dyed it golden blonde, then platinum, toned it back down to golden, which took a turn for the yellow around her 29th birthday. At one point, in spite of her head size, she even attempted a pixie.
As her thirties arrived, friends were beginning to grow discouraged. “We’ve seen her trying really hard to achieve something with her hair, but it just never happens,” says Lilly James, Marcy’s life-long best friend. “She sent me pictures after every haircut, hoping she’d found her thing. It was just never right.”
As she entered her thirties, Marcy finally dyed her hair back to its original color. She grew it out and then got long layers, stopping just above her boobs.
“It just clicked. I finally figured it out. I waited my whole life and finally my hair fits me,” says Marcy of the life-changing haircut.
Marcy lives North Carolina and works as an insurance agent and spending time with her friends at the lake on the weekends. “I like my life now. I love that I figured out my hair.” She adds, “I do have an appointment on Thursday to try out bayalage highlights, though. You know, for a change.”
