Theres a phrase that goes, Good, cheap, fast.
The point is that anything worth having wont come fast and cheap.
When I think of the pick-two quandary now, far removed from wedding stress, I mostly think ofhair.
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By great hair, I mean, to put it bluntly, wealthy-looking hair.
I mean Jennifer Aniston in a Smartwater/Emirates/Aveeno campaign hair.
The wealthy-looking hair I covet can come in many forms.
There are the blowouts that give Meghan Markle andKate Middletonthe full-bodied, shiny hair of fairy tales.
Its the hair of shampoo commercials and superhero franchises and Met Gala appearances.
Moneyed hair is why Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsens hair looks bohemian rather than unkempt.
Its why Gigi Hadids messy bun can be accompanied by couture.
Likewise, I didnt realize my family had less money than my friends familiesjust that we had different things.
But it was air conditioning, not money.
I didnt yet understand that having or not having things had any direct correlation with money.
This is not to say that I grew up poor.
I never longed for a warm bed, bath, or meal.
I was on the outside of wealthy hair.
My friends would get highlights done by hairdressers whose names they knew.
Im going to Theresa after school on Thursday, theyd say to me.
I envied their familiarity with their hairdressers.
I had always gone to the Hair Cuttery, where I sat down in the next available chair.
The hairdressers didnt know me, nor I them.
I envied my friends highlights, too.
I was only allowed to use boxed dye; the dimensions of meticulously applied highlights eluded me.
Really, I envied it all: their routines and their hair.
But still, I wasnt yet aware this had any correlation with money.
In college, I made friends with girls from wealthy suburbs.
At the same time,Gossip Girlwas cementing the wealth gap of hair into pop culture.
Its no secret that perfect hair is a trademark of those who can afford it.
Its not the hair of a wealthy socialite.
Good, cheap, fast.
Ive slathered my hair incoconut oilas a form of leave-in treatment.
Ive opted to clumsilyblow-drymy hair with rollers instead of going to Dry Bar.
I get trims at salons featured on Groupon or schools at which students cut hair.
Its an expensive-looking shade, which I dont pay for with my money, but rather my time.
Its taught me to look at the world with a more critical lens and to identify gaps of access.
Beyond its beauty, it isntthatspecial; its just expensive.
In other areas of my life, I have no desire to attain symbols of monetary wealth.
Im very happy with my Kia Sportage, thank you.
For me, a head of wealthy-looking hair is my ticket to appearing like Im finally on the inside.
I bet he thinks I don’t think twice about sleeping under a comforter in the middle of August.
