Women tend to feel like a new person after a haircut or a full-on makeover. Pampering ourselves with a spa session, hair treatment, mani-pedi, or any kind of beauty service is a way for us to relax and have fun.
Psychologist Vivian Diller, PhD., had theorized that many men and women feel more confident when they are in control. Changing hairstyles is a way where many people feel in charge. They can choose to have it colored, highlighted, or cut. Having control over whether their hair should be styled, straightened, or curled gives them a sense of being in charge.
Changing one’s appearance also helps improve one’s self-esteem. When someone is dissatisfied about something in their physical appearance, beauticians and cosmetologists may alter or remodel a client’s unwanted feature. When that dissatisfaction turns into an asset, one’s confidence and self-esteem may build up.
Now, we understand just a bit more why the pedicure spa chair makes us feel like a queen!
Makeovers are More Than Just Vanity
It has been proven that a lack of satisfaction in life is a major cause of depression. Unhappiness with physical appearance contributes to this dissatisfaction, and overall, it could affect one’s self-concept and self-love. A makeover can help a person eliminate issues with regards to beauty.
Professionals in the beauty industry can help clients plan on which makeover suits them best. Make-up artists can make the client’s preferred facial features stand out while concealing some features they’re not confident about. Beauty professionals would always talk to the client first to make sure their desired results are met.
A person who has undergone a makeover could start accepting compliments better. They may initially have a bit of trouble responding because of low self-confidence, but as they feel the positive changes in their appearance, they would eventually feel deserving to receive compliments and will gradually gain confidence.
Our Hair is Our Own Personal Crown
Even from ancient times, hair has been symbolic. Greeks and Romans had used elaborate wigs as a sign of wealth and status. Cleopatra was known for her thick, black locks. English Barristers also wear wigs in court.
Developmentally, boys who grow facial hair in their puberty are perceived to be manlier. Thick hair also tends to be equated to a woman’s sensuality and sexuality. In midlife to old age, thinning or loss of hair is associated with deteriorating health and beauty.
Because the hair crowns the face, it is among the things people notice first when seeing each other. Having a bad hair day may affect one’s perception of self, for fear that it would be so noticeable. One in four women had said that their hair looking good is important to make a good first impression, second only to wearing a great outfit. Women are most concerned about their locks when going to job interviews more than going on first dates.
As women grow comfortable in their environments, they would be more willing to make dramatic and extreme changes to their hair, which they may not pull off very well during first encounters.
Considering all of those, it’s no longer hard to understand why beauty salons are gaining more popularity. Self-confidence through beauty is empowering and we all take pride in a physical appearance that we are proud of. Remember that although beauty is a great source of pride and confidence, it’s also just as important to accept oneself and others beyond the physical attributes.
