As summer came to an end and the first day of school rapidly approached, the back-to-school spirit seemed to have brought out the worst in some people’s choice of hairstyles. This school year, the hallways of Liberty High School have been flooded with a wave of boys and questionable perms on their heads. 

Thanks to social media, the trend of throwbacks has allowed Gen-Z to create their own rendition of the perm that is more wavy than curly. The new perm is less extreme in comparison to the ones from the 70’s and 80’s, which has likely contributed to the craze of male perms seen at Liberty.

However, because of their popularity, I feel like people are just getting perms without truly thinking about how it will look on them. Perhaps they just got one because it was trendy and an easy way out of doing their hair, but the fastest option isn’t always the best.

The people with naturally curly hair can pull it off; I think maybe their natural hair is ultimately more fitting to their personality. I can totally understand if some people don’t feel that way about their own hair, which is why styling is always an option. It might even be the better option. 

For some reason, it’s like the curliness exceptionally stands out on people with originally straight hair. 

When I see a guy with a perm in the hallways, my mind wanders to the thought of him sitting at the salon with the curling rods in their hair for hours. It’s a pretty funny and amusing image.

I can admit. It’s pretty fun to try new things with your hair and experiment with ways to express yourself, but a perm isn’t always the way to go. If you have naturally straight hair, I suggest you style it rather than perm it.  It’s a soft and neat look that might suit you more. It elevates your original hair rather than radically changing it. 

You probably think this is too crude and that maybe I shouldn’t be so distasteful towards these perms. It’s not like they last forever, and high school is a time to experiment with self-expression. It might not be my favorite, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t for some people. After all, it’s popular for a reason. 

Therefore, to save your hair from unnecessary frying, ask yourself, am I getting this haircut because I like it? Or because everyone around me has a new fascination with it.