I’ve been obsessed with funhairstylesfor as long as I can remember.
As a kid, I scoured the Barbie aisle for hairstyle inspiration.
I spent hours playing with my hair.
Courtesy of Chloe Valentine Toscano
It was my way of changing my identity.
At that point, my number of hairstyle options was immediately reduced.
Back then, the hair issue was the frustration that most frequently drove me to madness.
Courtesy of Chloe Valentine Toscano
I needed to have realistic expectations about my desire for a different hairstyle every day.
So I made a drastic change to my hair, which led to a radical shift in thinking.
And that made me more okay with my disability, which I definitely can’t control.
Courtesy of Chloe Valentine Toscano
Mastering different hairstyles had made me feel special, And I wanted to find that again.
She doesn’t need a whole arsenal of hairstyles because her locks are unique enough as is.
That’s what I needed: hair that felt special enough, as is.
And now I feel significantly more at peace with my left arm being perpetually “Out of Order.”
I used to elevate my hair with anything from my Quick Wrap machine to Dutch braids.
However, I know that those things just aren’t manageable for me now.
Today, I’m finding thatpink hairhas turned things the other way around.
Myhairis now what elevates the narrower scope of styles that I can manage.
In other words, even the messiest of ponytails that I can muster look magically novel to me today.
Because it’s pink!
Therefore I no longer care for a regular “new hair identity.
Im satisfied with being myself.
Chloe is a Paralympic swimmer and freelance writer focusing on beauty, fashion, and pop culture.
you might follow her onInstagramandTwitter.
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