As with many things that seem to be “effortless,” such hair takes a ridiculous amount of work.

Bless This Mess

Combs and brushes are so passé. For some, the best hairstyle is long, straggly, and nearly out of control

By Christina Grasso

I have a psychological aversion to haircuts. Scissors are my enemy.

Allow me to explain: from the time I was just a little cherub, I wanted waist-length hair. Perhaps because it was the opposite of my childhood bob—or because I was obsessed with mermaids, I had a perpetual yearning. It also probably had something to do with the fact that I was born completely bald and took several months to sprout a single white-blond hair. No, I don’t remember this, but I saw the pictures, and they’re etched on my brain.