‘Missa, why is your hair red?’

I was born with auburn hair. In fact, I was a redhead through all of my younger years – and I hated it. I hated being called “Carrot Top” or “Copper Top” or “Red” or whatever else came to mind.

Me in 1983
This was taken in 1983, but if you sub that cup of milk for a cup of coffee and that crayon for a computer, and I'm still doing the same thing today …

Then I started growing up and someone told me guys actually like redheads.

Me in high school
My friend Steve and me hanging out on Fripp Island, 1995.

Then my hair started getting darker – something I knew would happen, as my dad is a natural redhead and his hair got darker, too; in fact, it’s almost black now.

Me on New Year's Eve, 2007
One of the last pics of me before I put color in my hair, on New Year's Eve 2007 with Ronnie.

So finally I decided to do something about it. I went to my trusted hair stylist, Tommy (who has been making my hair beautiful since 2002), and I asked him to put red in my hair. “Red?” he said. “I’m thinking blonde!” I never ever ever saw myself as a blonde but one thing I do know is that Tommy knows his stuff. So blonde it was!

Colleen and me a few months ago. She's still a redhead, naturally!
Colleen and me a few months ago. She's still a redhead, naturally!

And I loved the blonde so much I never ever ever wanted to change it. But the one thing I love more than being blonde is not being stuck with the same hairstyle. So when I went to see Tommy yesterday and he said, “How about a fall color?” my ears perked up.

“Well,” I said, “If I’m not going to be blonde anymore, I want to be red!” Hello, red. It’s good to see you again.

In the car yesterday, trying to drive and check out my new hair at the same time ...
In the car yesterday, trying to drive and check out my new hair at the same time …

I look in the mirror and I almost forget I was ever blonde. Will I ever be blonde again? Of course I will. I loved it even more than red, I think. But I want my hair to always change, and this works for winter. I walked into Kevin’s house last night and Mia, my 3-year-old niece, greeted me with, “Missa, why is your hair red?”

I wasn’t quite sure how to answer that one! “Because Grandpa [my dad] had red hair?” “Because I wanted it to be red?” Finally I said, “Because Tommy made it that way!”

P.S. Here’s another photo after I had a chance to play with it a little:


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