Hair and School Pictures

I’d been trying to get Kirsten registered for her freshman year ever since we moved here, but due to red tape headaches, she still wasn’t registered as of yesterday.  When I found out that freshman pictures were today and that schedules were to be handed out early next week, I gathered all required documentation and walked (marched?) into the counselor’s office with Kirsten, where we were required to wait.

Kirsten had seen scores of kids pouring into the school to have ID pictures taken.  As I tried to turn the conversation to things like ACT scores, college, her future – subjects that come to mind when you’re sitting in the counselor’s office looking at brochures – Kirsten kept turning the conversation back to school pictures. 

Much more relevant.

“I can’t stand it when girls actually curl their hair for pictures.  It takes most girls, like, at least an hour.  It’s such a waste of time - why would anyone spend all that time just for a stupid picture? Ridiculous.”  This really stuck in her craw.

An hour later, Kirsten was enrolled.  The counselor suggested helpfully that Kirsten just run over to the library to get her picture taken right then, as she was pretty sure it was freshman picture day.

Kirsten and I decided that we’d at least check it out but took a wrong turn.  A gentleman in the hall introduced himself as the Principal and offered to help us find our way.  He personally escorted us to the library, then to one table, then to another table, introducing Kirsten as a brand-new student just moving to the area. 

I quickly realized that these were real school pictures – the kind that will be published in the yearbook – the kind that you pay for, that you frame.

Not only had Kirsten not curled her hair that morning, she had also not showered, applied a single stitch of makeup, or done anything with her hair besides pull the majority of it into what you would probably call a side ponytail if you were called upon to describe it.

The principal, who had done a remarkable job of doing his job, left only after seeing that Kirsten was safely in the picture line, student ID number in hand. 

This was getting interesting.

She sat down, smiled for the camera, then looked at her digital image on the screen provided.  After hesitating briefly, she glanced around to make sure that the principal had left the room, and asked the photographer, “Is there any way I could come back tomorrow?” 

This morning, Kirsten went back to take her school picture.  In preparation, she applied makeup, blew her hair dry, used the flat iron.  This whole process took a considerable amount of time. 

However - and this is very important - she did NOT curl her hair.