Blonde Addiction

I have come to the realization that I... am addicted to Blonde. 

I was born a blonde, have always been a blonde, and although it's darkened considerably over the years, I have maintained a delightfully sunny shade thanks to the magical peroxides used in foil highlights ("Enhanced Blonde," as I call it.)

I had a brief respite during my junior year of college, when I thoughtlessly volunteered for a hair show and dyed my locks an alarming black and white (the Cruella de Vil jokes were endless). I then had it emergency modified to an ultra-cropped, dark brown 'do.

After this unfortunate misadventure, I swore I would never abandon my Goldilocks ever again. And the more I highlighted, the lighter I wanted it. It was truly addicting.

But lately, I've had a hankerin' for brunette... and even for redhead... and a couple of weeks ago I opted for some "beige" lowlights... and then added a few more gold ones. 

My hair is definitely still blonde. But to me, it seems SO dark. I wanted dark, and I thought I wanted darkER. Brunette is so pretty. Brunette would look healthier--flatter my complexion better--make my eyes pop more. But I can't get over the fact that it's not bombshell blonde anymore. 

I've always been the Token Blonde. It's always been my ticket. My biggest attention-getter. My excuse for the occasional not-so-bright moment. It's probably become far more a part of my identity than it should... but I feel I'll lose a part of Nikki if I go brunette.

Ahhh why does it matter?! It's just HAIR for goodness sake. 

Wayyy addicted to blonde :(

Post-Election Thoughts

We finally wrapped up one of the most exciting elections in American history yesterday. By "exciting," I mean tumultuous and divided, but also very progressive--given that both black and female individuals were among the candidates, opening a whole new socio-cultural dimension to further explore.

Americans elected our first African-American president, an enormously symbolic step in the assertion that all men (and women) ARE created equal and can achieve anything in this great country. I did not vote for Obama for a number of reasons, but I have to say I have not seen Americans (not to mention the whole world) so mobilized, inspired, and hopeful since September 11th... and that was unification over tragedy. So this is pretty damn exciting, no matter where you fall on the political spectrum. It is refreshing to see patriotism and positive energy fill our citizens again. It is also apparent we are about to enter a new era--both domestically and internationally. The impact is truly global, and I am inspired and proud to be an American too! I wish I did trust and agree with Obama more, because I like the way he talks :)

That being said, I am a little put off by two things.

• The over-emphasis on race ("Don't worry McPalinites, at least he's half-white," "Finally, a BLACK president!", "Proud of my country for the first time in a long time, my president is black!", "McCain followers = Lynch Mob 2008" etc. etc).

I don't think I need to tell my particular audience here that my not voting for Obama had NOTHING to do with him being black. I also don't need to tell anyone how incredibly significant this event is, in a historical and cultural context. However, I feel that some of the hype is actually distracting from what's important...like... ummm... the issues? Obama as a leader? Because seriously, in the big scheme of things, who cares? It's not the color of the skin that matters, or your religion, or your middle name... it's the mind and the spirit! It's your agenda. It's your plan. The focus on race actually detracts from why I personally believe (or at least hope) that Obama won: he inspired a new hope in the American people with promise of a new direction. The old direction turned us sour. Obama has promised us a solution. 

One commentator on the omnipresent discussion forum that is Facebook posed the interesting question: "How much different would a presidential race be if you never saw the candidates on TV before the election, but you just heard their issues?

The insinuation that those who did not vote for Obama are upset because there is a black man in the White House is just ludicrous. (I mean, I know they are out there, but odds are most of your Facebook friends reading your attacks are not those people.)


Troubling topic 2:

• The near deification of Obama, and the certainty that he will "save" the country from the "dark era" of the Bush Administration.

Now, I'm all about giving the man a chance. I don't agree with many of his policies or feel comforted by his background, but I'm more than willing to support him as our Commander in Chief and see what he can do. I know he will do both good and bad things, just like all the other Presidents. They are human and do the best they can with what they've got--a complex and diverse superpower to run, with an even more complex world to somehow fit into and often take care of.

But the level of adoration makes me a little nervous. I mean, let's be honest here... he hasn't even DONE anything yet. His previous political record is too new to really show much. I feel we may be getting ahead of ourselves. Overconfidence is as dangerous as excessive cynicism; giving too much credit is as bad as casting all the blame on one person. I'm not sure how he handles the pressure! He's got a lot of people counting on him to fix things.

Let's hope this "new era" is a good one, and extends beyond the rush everyone is experiencing right now.  

Anyhoo, those are just my random reactions. Definitely an exciting race, full of fascinating and frank discussions, crazy feuds, and intellectual musing. Gotta love being in a country where you can do that though, right? :)

Yayy USA!

Yayy President Obama!