Just Like Us ambassador Rush Mittal explores the power of a haircut in an LGBTQIA+ person’s journey of self-discovery. WORDS BY RUSH MITTAL “When did you get the haircut?” It’s a question many trans-masculine and non-binary people have asked or been asked, an invitation to share a pivotal moment in our self-discovery journey.
Though haircuts might not commonly be major events in the lives of cisgender people, for many of us, this moment carries huge emotional weight.
Growing up in India and Hong Kong, where beauty standards enforce rigid gender binaries, a simple haircut transformed into an act of rebellion in my childhood.
In these cultures, where long hair is traditionally equated with femininity, choosing a short haircut defies norms ingrained over generations.