A sense of freedom...
For a long time I had long hair. It was like that in the family; my mother made it almost a religion. When I look at class photos, with my sisters, we really beat all the records for length. In fact, I think we hid behind our hair a bit. I've always wanted something else. I didn't say anything, but I wanted to stand out. From my very first barre classes, when I put my hair up in a bun, people would point out that I had an almost perfect oval face. Perfect for short hair, I kept telling myself. But I was still too traditional. I wasn't ready. My own pace is to go step by step. Slowly, but surely. So I had two dreams in life: dancing, and a short haircut.
I was a fan of Josephine Baker, and the little swoops on her temples. I thought she was dazzling, and she tried everything. Well, I was very far from wanting to make a scandal. I knew that to cut my hair, I would do so gradually. Step by step, I almost created events for myself, to motivate myself. To get people used to it, or even my mirror. My first show at the age of twenty in Avignon, I went mid-length. Just a few inches shorter. Then, with my first serious break-up, I took the plunge: the shoulder-length bob. A strange sigh of relief. When I did my studio internship in London, I cut it again. That was it, I was making moves. Then chin-length, when I opened my dance school in southern France with Hervé. That was the climb. And then my pregnancy—I jumped on the opportunity. This final big change was ideal for chopping off the last remaining strands. That was last year. Almost a lifetime – er, no, just ten years – to finally be totally daring. And stay that way.
Now I can feel the air on my neck; it's divine. I love this feeling of freedom. And then I feel like short hair dresses me up. I have that little extra something. But you're bare; there are no more tricks. You have to be more vigilant and take the time to camouflage dark circles and imperfections. I tend to opt for a nice lipstick. I feel more creative, even more free to move. What I like is that you can still change your head every day; put it all back, push one lock to the side, or tousle it. Today, my partner's hair is longer than mine. My daughter's hair is growing at full speed—which my mother likes very much, by the way. My mother, who still says to me with a smile every time she sees me: don't worry, it will grow back.
