Hair styles

I've noticed that French women don't style their hair much in the sense of using clips or barrettes or making a pony-tail or up-do. If they do have a pony-tail, it's usually low, near the neck, never high like a cheerleader.

I, on the other hand, have lots of various clips, barrettes, head-bands, bobby-pins, and elastic bands. I rarely go out with my hair just hanging there, unless I spent a lot of time blow drying it and styling it. I suppose part of that stems from my childhood when I had very long hair and my mom braided it every morning. It was unacceptable to my mom to go to school with my hair waving all over the place and getting tangled when I played at lunch time. I also danced for years and years and learned lots of ways to put up your hair for dance class.

Even at a professional level, this observation seems to be true. I was just watching the weather on CNN international (yay for Free HD) and the weather caster had her hair twisted and clipped up, all very neatly. Then there's the news caster for France 3 Midi-Pyréenes who has curly hair and often appears with lots of frizz. Even on "Journal de Santé" on France 5 I've seen guests or co-anchors with their hair just ho-hum, hanging there like they styled it themselves to go grocery shopping.

Personally, I think it gives a much more put-together look to have a barrette or clip or something every once in while. Especially when you have long hair. I wonder though if my preference for keeping my hair out of my face is part of my American/Anglo-Saxon sporty/practical sense of style. B is always begging me to wear skirts and dresses more often, and I usually respond 'But it's cold today.' I wear pants and pin up my hair because then I don't have to think or worry about either for the rest of the day.

Maybe the rest of the outfit is what counts. You spent enough time on your outfit, you're hair is great already?