My hair is not my friend...

I know for a fact that each and every person (especially women) have something about their body that they don't like. Some of us are able to hide that better than others. For example, internal medical or psychological issues can remain virtually unknown to everyone your entire life. However, physical things are harder to disguise. Even then, there is wiggle-room. If you have ugly feet, you never have to wear sandals. If you have a small chest, Victoria's Secret push-up/padded bras are your best friend. Every now and then, a woman has a physical difficulty, let's say, that is quite impossible to hide.

In my case, it's my hair. I have struggled with my hair my entire life. I have thin, fine hair that is, at the same time, quite curly. Naturally, this is a rather unusual combination (thanks Mom and Dad). This limits the kind of hairstyles that physically work on me (not to mention my unusual face shape). So, in my entire life, I think I've had a total of about 5 distinct haircuts--- two of which were disastrous.

As a result, I have developed an unnatural fear of the hair salon; this fear is comparable to what some people have of doctors, dentists, needles, or the bubonic plague. I HATE getting my hair cut. It is, unfortunately, a necessary evil in my life (unless I want to look like Cousin It). This fear is born of the fact that I have NEVER encountered a hair stylist out there that has even the most remote clue as to what to do with my hair and how to do it. The biggest tip-off is when they come at me with a brush and/or blow-dryer. Uh-uh, honey-- you just lost the game (and a tip). So, yesterday I was feeling sadomasochistic and decided to give the hair-dressers of the Southeast a turn at my freak-hair. What can I say, I'm just a glutton for punishment?

After almost an hour of intense cutting and primping, I walked out of that salon looking like a cross between little orphan Annie and Phil Spector--- needless to say, I was not the prettiest girl at the ball. I paid $45, including the tip because I'm too much of a wuss to stiff someone, to look like a miniature poodle. Sad? yes--- Surprising? Not so much. Why do hair-dressers not understand that teasing is never the answer??? Is that really the only thing they know how to do? I really had hope, though. I even brought a picture (after intense research about hair type and face shape) because I thought perhaps it was my inadequate verbal articulation of what I wanted that made for my failing track-record. Ah well. I got home and immediately took a shower to wash out all the Aqua-Net-like product that had been used to make my hair a virtual Tower of Babel. After playing with it on my own, it isn't half-bad. I've learned to have a sense of humor about it all (so that I don't cry) but it still sucks when your own body seems to be rebelling against you.

So, for all of you out there, what aspect of your physical appearance do you wish you could change? Have you tried to change it several times with little or no success? How do you deal with not looking the way you want to (or feel you should)?