Do I Look The Same?

One of the things I was least looking forward to in this entire process was cutting my hair.

As a male soldier in the IDF, we are required to cut our hair to a buzz cut. The way to test whether our hair is short enough is by running our fingers through our hair, and if our hair reaches above our fingertips, then it’s too long and must be cut shorter. The only way to get out of this rule is by applying for a religious exemption. The only problem is that I am not religious and I did not feel like faking it. Plus, I felt like this is part of the experience.

I got a haircut right before I left for Israel and then another one during Sukkot at the end of September. I then told myself that this is the last regular haircut I’d get, and that the next one will be a short military style haircut. I wanted to grow my hair pretty long so that there would be a stark contrast when I cut it. Although I’m not enlisting until January 4th, which is more than a month away, my hair was getting uncomfortably long that I decided I needed it cut now.

So yesterday, my roommate who gives everyone in our group haircuts, was willing to give me a nice buzz cut. My hair was too long, and cutting my hair a month early would also give me time to adjust and get used to the new cut before I enlist.

Throughout the haircut it felt very weird that a lot of my hair was coming off. I had a habit of touching the front of my hair in an upward motion, and as my hair was coming off, I could no longer do that. I occasionally looked in the mirror with a bit of shock due to how different I was looking. This is not something I would have ever decided to do on my own, but since I will soon have to, there was no shame in doing it.

After my friend was done, I looked in the mirror and felt very weird. I feel as if I look the same, but you can be the judge of that. However, what I do know is that now things feel a little bit more real. Now I look the part.