No one holds their head higher than a woman with a fresh ‘do. I am no different. Believe me when I say that when I get my hair done, I feel like a brand new woman. I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. I feel more confident. I feel more loved. I feel more respected. Women, and Black women especially, spend hundreds of dollars each year to get their hair to behave the way they want it to. You can tell me that it’s outrageous to spend $200 on a new ‘do, but if you understand the feeling a woman has when she gets out that chair and steps into the world, you’ll understand why a woman feels tempted to spend half her rent on a new look.

In a world full of unrealistic size 2 models shoved in our faces, a woman is always second guessing whether she looks good enough. She compares herself. She puts herself down because she feels like she can’t look like Beyoncé or like the airbrushed model on the cover of Allure. No one can place a dollar amount on body image, self-respect, and self-esteem. There are no limits to what a confident woman can achieve. I’m not saying that a new hairstyle is the answer to self-esteem issues, but I am saying that it helps.

Today on my 5th day of #100HappyDays, my new hairstyle is what made me happy. Now, I’m not going to delve deeply into the 8 hours it took to achieve this look and the pain I endured from the yanking and pulling that braiding requires. But I will say that once I got out that chair and looked in the mirror, I was in pure bliss.