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Yes, yes, yes. These pictures are real. None have been edited, doctored, or otherwise tampered with. I have a mohawk. (Or, apparently, if I style it right, it can be taken down a notch to qualify as a faux-hawk.) I have had it for a full three days now. And I assure you that three days of having a mohawk in Provo is quite enough to get an understanding of how people react to this hairstyle. In fact, this is my focus for today's blog: the reactions of the BYU/Provo community to the infamous mohawk.
I have determined that there are four general types of reaction to my current hairstyle; they are explained in depth below. But before I begin, what was YOUR reaction to the above pictures? Read further and see which group you fall into.
Group 1: Glance-Stealers
Group 1 consists of those who try not to notice my hair, but just can't help stealing glances. Group 1 is also made up of the largest portion of the population. However, even within this group there comes a variety of ways for people to steal glances. Many take extended looks as they pass me on campus or in the hallway. Some take a peak when they think I'm not looking, but I can often see them out of the corner of my eye. And perhaps the most enjoyable cross-section for me is those who just can't prevent their eyes from flitting up to my hair during a conversation with me. This last description was made most aware to me during a conversation I had with one of my classmates in my Russian Film class. While we were supposed to be describing to each other our views of the movie "Burnt by the Sun" ("Утомлённые Солнцем"), my partner was describing to me why he thought it was a Drama, but he just could NOT stop his eyes from stealing a glance at my hair every 3 seconds.
Group 2: The Shameless
Group 2 consists of those who, as soon as they see my hair, can't withhold their disgust and disapproval from appearing in their face. I'll admit that this has been the smallest fraction of any group, but perhaps the most noticeable. And it's worth noting that the largest demographic within group 2 has been those 40 years and older. The most noticeable example from group 2 so far was from an older woman on campus Saturday. As I was walking back to my scooter, she saw my hair and gave a momentary glare of disapproval. I saw it from a good 20 feet away, but I could've seen it from 1000 feet away it was so obvious.
Group 3: Joy-Joys
This group I called "Joy-Joys" for lack of a better name, and describes those who have expressed unexpected enthusiasm for my new haircut. Like group 1, group 3 is also wide and varied in its expression. My first human interaction on the morning after I had my haircut was with a girl at work, who just stared at me with an inquiring smile for about 15 seconds. Later that day, in my Russian class, a kid behind me turned to me and asked me interestedly about how people were reacting to my hair. He then shared with me how people reacted to a huge, thick beard he once wore on campus. On my way home that day, I noticed another girl who gave an amused smile at me as she passed. The last example I'll give came from our Saturday trip to Macey's from a store employee. While he was refilling the bell peppers, he turned, saw my hair, and said with great excitement, "Nice 'hawk, man!"
Group 4: The Ignorers
This final group is arguably my favorite—it consists of those who walk past and are so dumb-struck and in awe that they can't even bear to look or say anything. . . . . . okay, okay. I'll admit that most of them probably just don't care. And I'll be honest, that's probably why they're my favorite; although this post may seem very narcissistic, I really didn't do my hair this way for attention's sake. Or did I? I'm not even sure anymore. . . . .
So were you able to put yourself into one of these groups? Which one? And do you think I did this for attention, or just for fun?
