Through the Past Darkly

By JillPage Mon, Aug 30 2010

http://communities.canada.com/montrealgazette/blogs/patentpending/archive/2010/08/30/through-the-past-darkly.aspx

I must admit that I cried when I started to write this post. It's not meant to be emotional, but sometimes dredging up old hurts can be painful . . . I only do this in hopes that it will help others.

snip

Several years later in high school and in a different foster home, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones had changed the world, and I was wearing my hair long. For me, it wasn't about rebellion -- it was a feminine thing, even if I didn't fully understand it. I was still among the minority in my high school with long hair, though nobody seemed to care until I asked my new foster mum to trim it for me and to give it a more femme look, with bangs et al. Which she happily did. Well, like my lime green jacket did when I was in elementary school, my new hairdo drew taunts and teasing from some of the crew-cutted macho types on my high-school bus. They were merciless, really, lewd, crude and downright stupid. I mussed up my hair later that day, combed it to the side and, yes, the teasing and taunting stopped.