Analysis Of What We Do For Love By Rose Weitz

What We Do for Love
“Rapunzel’s life turned around the day a prince climbed up her hair and into her stairless tower” (Weitz). Rose Weitz talk of things women do for love, and believe it or not, hair is actually a big factor in how women live their lives. When I first started reading this I thought how bizarre this was, and how on earth do women use their hair to get what they want. Then I just realized, before I even sat down to start reading this essay, my boyfriend was in the room. Funny thing is I was playing with my hair deciding what would look cute to him while I do my homework. My hair is finally starting to grow longer so I wore it down and straight to accentuate it. After twenty minutes of playing around with my hair, to his interest, my boyfriend did not even notice me, that is when I thought to myself, what a waste. Then of course I sat down and started reading this essay without any knowledge of what it would be based off of, that is when I felt like a complete fool. Was I really just
categorized as a woman who is so superficial about her hair that she gets through life by how her hair is perceived? All I could hope was that I was doing it in a sort of unconscious way. As I started reading more and more Weitz talked specifically of the concept conscious and unconscious ways women use their hair to get what they want. “Whether conscious or unconscious, hair flipping works. In a world that expects women to speak in a low tone, keep eyes down, and sit quietly with legs together and elbows tucked in, the hair flip says, ‘look at me’!” (Weitz). This struck me so hard; this whole concept of hair flipping and even coloring, styling, and length can really impact women’s live that much, and to know that people study us and classify us into such a category I really do not know what to think of that. Everything that Weitz talks of surprises me so much because it is in fact all true. As a woman I know this and actually realize that it does play into women’s lives more frequently than it should. Not only women though, but men too, are a big factor in this whole hair ordeal. It starts with the hair flipping. “As a result they(men) pay close attention to any woman who flips her hair to see whether she’s flirting with them, flirting with someone else, or simply getting the hair out of her eyes”(Weitz). This so true as well; I asked my boyfriend, without reading this statement to him, what do you think about a girl flipping her hair? Is it sexy? He simply replied, “isn’t it to flirt and get attention”? I laughed in an almost disgust way. What fails to cross my mind is the positive reality of hair flipping/coloring/styling/length. Weitz talks about hair in relationships, celebrating independence from men, and of course the infamous bad hair days.
Not only do women use their hair to catch a man, but take advantage of it in their relationship. Women use their hair sexually while the men of course take pleasure in it. However, what shocked me the most was that in relationships, men sometimes became possessive and even violent. Men will start telling their girlfriends what and what not to do with their hair. They then get an impression that because you are their girlfriend that they can control you, and this is exactly what Weitz states, “You belong to me and I can do anything I want”. This statement is devastating and sadly true. In order for women to fix this way of thinking they need to realize a few things. “But if men can demonstrate their power over us by controlling our hair, we can demonstrate our own power within a relationship by asserting control over it”.
(Weitz) This goes to show that when women’s boyfriends do treat them like that, they need to stand up for themselves and make it known that “This is my hair and I am doing to do what I want with it, not you”. This is where women celebrating their independence from men comes off. If a woman who was in a bad relationship with a man, who for some reason, tried controlling her and her appearance, when that relationship would end, the woman would want to get rid of as many things she could to forgot the guy. Changing the hair completely is one of the first of many things women will do. It is an awesome idea too! Why should any woman have to live with such stupid expectations of their ex? Do what you want, whenever you want. The women what that exact person gone, and fixing their hair is one way to gain more control in their lives. “In part because our hair plays such a large role in how we view ourselves and are viewed by others, it offers us many opportunities for pleasure”. (Weitz) Our hair can not only get us into relationships that we want, but it can even go as far as getting the job you want, by looking professional by having your hair a certain way, that means “you are serious”. Ou hair can even dictate our mood. Everyone knows that when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and your hair is a complete mess, you should not even bother getting out of bed, because your whole day will be one big mess as well. Funny how hair can actually dictate so many things in our life whether we want it to or not. This is where the conscious and unconscious plays into people’s lives. Many women that I know could care less what is going on with their hair, however there are those that I know who mention something about their hair every time I see them. Whether it has to do with it looking cute or proper enough, those women will never stop worrying. It not only becomes a routine in their life, but their hair starts to dictate how they end up living their lives. I really do not know what to feel about the facts of this essay. A lot of me feels ashamed but on the other side I kind of like the idea of women being able to get what they want out of using their hair. Sometimes to tell you the truth, as being a woman and using my hair to get what I want sounds real nice. Why not? In today’s society it is nice to be in control of something, and if hair happens to be the only thing we can really control, then damn, let’s do it. The only thing I really do not agree with is when it gets out of hand like in relationships and so forth. I do believe that women should use their hair to an advantage but do not let someone take that advantage away from you. Your hair is yours for a reason. Style, color, and flip it however you want. Just know when to put your foot down.