Long hair vs short hair

Sophia: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another video for the British Council’s LearnEnglish Teens website and their YouTube channel. Today I’m joined with my friend Natasha, again! You might have seen her in some of our other videos that we did. We did one when we were travelling in Berlin and we did another one which was a British vs American accent – no, was it an accent challenge?

Natasha: Yeah.

Sophia: It kind of was.

Natasha: Or, like, how we pronounce different words.

Sophia: Yeah, how we pronounce different words. So, if you haven’t seen those videos, then feel free to check those out after this one, but in today’s video we’re going to talk about our experiences cutting our hair. And, obviously, our hair is, like, long now! It’s grown back, but ...

Natasha: I have a little …

Sophia: Yeah, Natasha’s hair has also grown back. But when we cut it, it was both very short. We’ll put in some photos so you guys can have an idea of what it looked like. So, we wanted to talk a bit about our experience, just so you know, I guess, why we did it, and also if you’re thinking about cutting your hair – whether for charity, like we did, or just to try something new – you have some other people’s opinions, I guess, who have already done it. Why did you cut your hair?

Natasha: Erm, well, OK. So my mum was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and she had to shave her head quite a few times. And she, she’s always been someone who had a lot of meaning and emotion attached to her hair, so it was always a very sad thing for her. So, I had been thinking about it for a lot and, like, finally got up the courage to do it with her.

Sophia: I decided to cut my hair just because I wanted to raise some money for a British charity called Mind UK, and Mind UK basically helps people who have mental illness or are struggling with depression, and it’s something that … I know people who have suffered with depression and mental health illnesses, so it’s a cause that I wanted to support, so I thought it’d be a good idea to raise money and try out a new hairstyle at the same time! So that’s why I did it.

Natasha: How did you feel leading up to the day that you actually cut your hair?

Sophia: I was very nervous. There were a couple of times that I thought maybe I’ll change my mind and do something else instead! But I’m glad I did do it. There was just a lot of apprehension, and a lot of people told me to consider it really well and make sure it was a decision I wanted to really do. So, I was a bit nervous, but how did you feel?

Natasha: I was also really nervous. I think for a long time I flip-flopped.

Sophia: And how did you feel after doing it?

Natasha: I think, I think immediately after, I really regretted it, ’cause I think, I think, you know, it is a big change, and it’s very alarming to see yourself with no hair! So I think immediately after, I regretted it. But then, being with my mum, like, that helped me process it and, like, realise, ‘Oh, it’s going to be OK.’ And then, as, like, as I got used to it, you know, I think it’s just like anything, like getting used to a change in your life. I, actually, it was very liberating because my showers were so short! I didn’t have to worry about going out in the cold with wet hair. And I actually kind of liked the way that I looked. What about you, how did you feel after?

Sophia: Erm … there were different stages where I had, like, different emotions. I think right at the beginning I was really excited because it was, like, a new style and, like you said, it was really easy and quick to wash your hair. But I think after a couple of months it grew to, like, a weird length, and then that was kind of difficult because you had to think about how to style your hair now it’s different, and, like, every week – not every week, my hair didn’t grow that fast! – but every month, it was, like, almost a new … not challenge, but you had to, like, think more about how I would style my hair, and there were times that I really missed my long hair.

Natasha: Do you have any advice for others who might be considering this big change?

Sophia: I would say if you are doing it, be 100 per cent sure that you’re doing it for yourself or for a really good cause that you want to support. So, what I did as well is I wrote a list of pros and cons, or, like, reasons to cut my hair and reasons not to, and then that really helped me weigh up whether it was a good decision I was making. And I guess this goes for anything in life, if you’re thinking about doing anything. Pros and cons are, like, really good ways to have an idea of your thoughts and see which, like, which choice you want to take. But I would say as well – of course it’s good to get other people’s opinions, but at the end of the day you’ve got to listen to your heart and what you want to do, and don’t let other people make the decision for you. Before we go, another question to ask: would you do it again?

Natasha: I … well, actually, it’s interesting that you asked me that because I really miss my long hair and I think right now I’m just going to grow out my hair. I’m not going to cut it any more. But there have been times, especially, like, during the awkward stages of hair length, when I’m like, ‘Oh, I just want to shave it all off again!’ I think right now, I’m probably not going to do it. There may be a point in my life later on down the road when I will, but I want my long hair back.

Sophia: Yeah, me too, I think! It’s, like, it’s a nice experience, but I think I want to see the potential of how long my hair can grow. Now that I’ve done it once, I think if I ever was to do it again in the future, it wouldn’t be so hard, or I wouldn’t be as hesitant because I’ve already had that experience and I know what to expect. But, yeah – I guess that’s it. So, thank you, guys, for watching this video. Please let us know in the comments below what you think of the topic. What do you think about cutting your hair? Have you ever done it? Would you ever do it? And we look forward to seeing what you have to say. So, have a lovely day and we’ll see you in the next video, hopefully. Bye!

Natasha: Thank you!