The Sixth Estate

Well, my hair is back to its natural color (at least approximately) for the first time in three years. Dark ash blond, although the dye lacks the reddish-gold cast my hair naturally aquires; then again, if I know hair dyes, (and I do,) they always fade to one tone lighter, more red, more gold. It'll be perfect by the time my roots start to show (or rather not to show).

I look good, which is a pleasant surprise; the last time it was this color, I looked dreadfully frumpy.

It's strange the things I'd forgotten -- for example, that my hair is the same color as my eyes, even though that's impossible since my eyes are adamantly green.

It's also strange the things I'd never noticed -- I look much more historical, as though I was just yanked from a Romantic novel. This came as a particular surprise to Val, who always gives me wheat blond ringlets in an attempt to achieve that very effect.

Mostly, I'm just surprised by how normal it looks, and for once I don't mean that in a bad way. (The other hair color I had this reaction to was dark forest green, although I will always hold an affection for pink.) I didn't have to try on several sets of clothing and play with makeup to get used to it.

I look like me.

How astonishing.