Figuring out who you are and how to express yourself in high school is practically impossible, but every bit counts. Over the summer, the Coat of Arms noticed that people have opted for a different look and decided to express themselves through their hairstyles. The desire for a transformation is one of the reasons over 15 people came back from summer break with a brand new ‘do.

There are two major ways to change your hair: cut or dye. The majority of the students went with the latter. Junior Polly Golikova, who “can’t stand stagnation,” was looking for a “drastic change.” She initially wanted to dye her hair pink, so bleaching was the first step. Since she enjoyed the beach-blonde look so much, Golikova kept it for a while before deciding to add some color. She changed her hair from pink to blonde to purple to her current color, a faded teal, which she loves so much that she already bought another bottle. Another junior, Donya Dehnad, also wanted something new, but went with a natural espresso color instead of the vibrant colors Golikova chose. Although subtle, it’s still a “nice change,” Dehnad said. Junior Maya Singhal also wanted a new look that wasn’t “too over the top” and went with a natural ombre. Singhal takes pride in “being able to express [herself],” she said, and admires people who do so through “piercings, tats, and hairstyles.” After leaving the salon, Singhal “couldn’t stop smiling” about her new hair, and she concluded that it “makes [her] feel a little more like [herself]”.

Rather than dying their hair, a few students decided to chop off their locks to create a change for the warm summer season. One student who decided to take the plunge and drastically cut her hair was junior Amanda McFarland. She had “always wanted to try having a short ‘boy-cut’” but she did not “find the courage and [the perfect] stylist until recently.” McFarland said that she also finds the cut to be really quick and easy, adding that it “almost always looks good.” Soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe is her “hair-spiration,” because “there is so much sass in that hair. I dream of being Megan’s hair.” McFarland also said she is “really happy with the results,” adding that, like many others who have decided to make a change, she thinks that her hair “finally accurately displays” who she is. Another student sporting the super-short hairstyle is junior Sarah Samuels, who decided to get a pixie-cut. Samuels said she has always thought of getting this cut, but she had “never really gotten around to it.” Because she would be travelling throughout the summer, she said she would “not be seeing anyone [she knew] and if [she] hated it, it would grow out some before school started.” Samuels said her family helped encourage her to get her hair cut and that she is “really happy with the results.”

In life, “the only constant is change,” Isaac Asimov, a deceased professor at Boston University, said. Many students have taken this quote to heart by creating a personal change. They feel that a new haircut or color is the perfect temporary change to make them, although cliché, a little more confident in their own skin.