The blog of photographer Kim Ayres

Hair today, gone tomorrow...

Rogan decided he wanted his hair cut a few days ago. It was sometime during summer last year when I previously went at it with the clippers so it had once again grown rather long. In fact for the past few years, me cutting his hair has been roughly an annual event.


Haircut at 17 years old

Of course what has been making it particularly odd is each time I do it he looks different – not just because he has shorter hair, but because he has grown up a bit more since the last time it was short. As he has journeyed through his teens, 12 months or so has been enough to create a noticeable difference each time.

The first time I cut Rogan’s hair he was 3 years old. He had beautiful golden curls and it seemed a shame to get rid of them. But there were 2 main reasons for doing so. The first was everyone was mistaking him for a wee lass, and he was reaching an age where he was likely to start becoming self-conscious. The second, and bigger reason, was Meg was going into Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow for open-heart surgery.


A tough time for us all

She was only 5 months old and Maggie was going to be spending 2 weeks there with her, through the preparation, operation and recovery.

I was still trying to get my new business up and running, as well as look after my 3 teenage stepchildren, and in among all this, Rogan’s hair was another time-consuming problem to deal with. It required constant attention as, whenever he bent down when playing, it dragged in puddles, mud and anything else lying about. It was definitely time to get out the clippers.


1st haircut at 3 years old

3 months later, when I was cutting his hair again, I was really struck by how much easier short hair is to cope with, so as soon as I’d finished dealing with his, I called Maggie through to cut mine.

This was no small deal as at the time I had a ponytail that reached the top of my arse. For a couple of years I’d been getting increasingly frustrated with it, but it was such a part of my identity that it hadn’t really occurred to me to just get rid of it. Until I was standing there with the clippers in my hand.

For 2 days after it came off, my head kept lolling forward without the counterweight on the back. And for nearly 3 years, every time I put on a t-shirt, my hands would automatically come up to scoop the hair out, before I’d remember it was no longer necessary.

Since then my hair has never been more than about an inch and a half long before I cut it again. And it is a great deal easier to live with.

Meanwhile, it’s now been 5 days since I cut Rogan’s hair and I’m only just starting to not get a shock each time he walks into the room.

9 comments

Pat said...

You don't do things by halves do you? Rogan wears his new hairstyle with aplomb.
What a time you must have had when the children were little and such a worrying time too.
You have both done a great job and should be proud of yourselves - the children do you credit.
BTW I am SOooo glad the pony tail has gone. Not that I ever saw it but I have a vivid imagination:)

mapstew said...

Careful with that clippers, you seem to have taken a piece outa Rogan's shirt too!

And yes,short hair is more manageable! :¬)

savannah said...

it seems as if i've watched rogan grow from a boy to a young man! i do so hope we'll all get a chance to meet soon. it's funny, i cut my hair when i was out in lalaland for almost the same reason you did - short and neat (ok, neat is a relative term with curly hair) was just so much easier to deal with! xoxoxoxo

hope said...

Like Pat, can't imagine you and a ponytail...I like the looks of the "today" you. :)

As for Rogan, not only is the haircut flattering, there's a handsome face hiding beneath the hair. Okay, so unlike him and Sav, I have baby fine straight hair and curls seem exotic. :)

Ah Sav, even though I know better from your icon, I still picture you with the short, sassy do from the "oil spill" years, when you donated you hair to a worthy cause. ;)

marke said...

True about the hair... I remember well my long-haired days.

Nowadays if I find I have to touch my hair with a brush or comb, I'm straight off to the barber (number 3 clippers please!)

So it rarely gets more than a centimeter long (that's less than a half inch for those still dealing with the bronze age).

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this precious look into your photo album. Rogan's long hair is TDF, and I bet a lot of guys are jealous of it, and the girls do love it. He looks almost a bit older in the short hair, but equally handsome! :)
P. S. Your hairstyling skills are awesome. Mine are more like the quality of Mr. Bean in the barbor shop :)

Anonymous said...

Rogan's top photo reminds me of the way I looked when I was around his age. I had hair just like that.

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

That boy is cute, long hair or short!

I couldn't see the baby's picture, my eyes were weepy. I'm so happy she's well and feisty now.

Haha, I didn't notice the tee-shirt until I read Mapstew's comment.

Kim Ayres said...

Pat - I only have one hairstyle I know how to cut and that's short with the clippers. So the longer he leaves it between cuts, the more dramatic the difference :)

Mapstew - :)

Savannah - it would be really lovely to meet up! I think your curls would be more fun to photograph :)

Hope - it's always what you're used to. I'm sure you'd have been fine with the ponytail if you'd met me back then :)

Marke - my hair tends to be about twice as long as yours then - a number 6 with the clippers on top :)

Conny - I would hardly call them "skills" - the clippers are dead easy to use :)

Allen - even though my hair was a similar length at his age, it never had the curls - he gets them from his mum :)

GG - it was a tough time when Meg had her operation - in fact it had a profound impact on some aspects of my outlook (see Losing my religion), but these days she is fine. She still has a very clear scar, but we don't mind about that :)

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