How did your parents and family react?

Hey girls -

I was curious to know how your parents and/or other family reacted when they found out you have a hawk?
I just got my hair done 2 days ago. By the way I am 25 yrs old and live on my own with my bf, and not under my parents roof.
My grandparents are having their 55th anniversary party this weekend, and the plans were that my bf and I were going to attend it. We were going to go there with my parents.
Knowing this, I sucked it up and called my parents the night I got it done...I let them know that I have this new mohawk hairstyle, BUT that I don't plan on spiking it up and that I would wear it down around them and the family.
Their reaction? They were utterly shocked, upset, and immediately told me that I am not allowed to attend our family function this weekend! They hadn't even seen any pics of me or anything...just immediately banned me from going! I was so hurt :(
I tried calling my parents last night and that didn't get me anywhere. My mom could barely talk to me and threatened to hang up on me so we ended the call.

I wrote them a long email last night explaining everything out and sent them pics of my hair down, which I think makes a very cute short hairstyle for me. I just hope they read it and understand that I am still the same daughter I always have and a hairstyle won't change that.

I'm tempted to call my grandparents and let them know whats going on and see if my bf and I can visit them on another weekend, but I'm nervous about my grandmother. She's very judgmental just like my parents and I don't want to deal with a repeat issue..

I think as women, we have it harder when we choose to have a punked out hairstyle such as this. Especially when there are family members who are set in their ways that it isn't "ladylike or proper" for a woman to wear their hair in a mohawk style.

Anyway I was just wondering if anyone else had simular reactions as I did from their families and/or how you worked through them?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Katarina on November 19, 2008 at 1:07am

Wow, that really sucks about your parents. :(

My mum wouldn't look at me or talk to me for a few days, but she didn't ban me from any social events. She keeps insisting that my boyfriend will "leave me" because of my hair, haha. Its a good thing I happen to find unintelligent comments humorous :-P

Permalink Reply by gina on November 19, 2008 at 2:11am

i came home from a weekend out and my litle sister walked up stairs and asked me what happened to my hair. she said it was ugly. shes only five so i guess thats undersatndable....

of course, she ran downstairs to tell my mom and i was planning on avoiding her for a few days later. unfortunately, the blow dryer was downstairs so i had to face er.

she looked at me nd said that i fucked up again, and that it will attract the exact kind of people i will be living with in a month. i think she meant that as an insult but i took it as a compliment. she was extremelyyyy pissed at me for about a day. but i think its growing on her gradualy....my dad hasnt even seen it yet...im dreading that moment.

Permalink Reply by Ashley on November 30, 2008 at 10:51pm

My dad LOVED it. haha :)
My mom she didn't think it would look as good as it did. She hates it though. haha.
My grandparents they had no problem with it. My grandma said I should cut it shorter she
wants it like 3 inches i was like NO! My bugs me about it all the time. and I could care less about what
my sister thinks. Her and I never get along as it is so whatever :p hahahaha.
But my family doesn't care to much. Everyone kept telling me I had a really nice shaped head though...
haha :)

Permalink Reply by Nettie Joe on December 12, 2008 at 11:30pm

They actually really liked it

Permalink Reply by DantheHawkMan on December 22, 2012 at 11:45pm

I hear you Jae........this coming weekend will be the first time my Family will see my Hawk and I am not sure what the reaction will be......I am expecting probably about 50/50, with half my Family liking it, and half not.....my Brother I am thinking will be the most negative towards it. My Dad has passed, but I was very close to him, so I know that he would have been supportive about my Hawk, cause he was with my first tattoo and ear piercings long ago when I had them....man, I miss him so much even after all these years. But whatever my Family thinks really doesn't matter to me....I love my Hawk and it's staying! I used to have hair down to my ass and my Family was okay with that, so you would think a hawk would be okay, right?...lol.

Permalink Reply by ChemxCab on December 23, 2008 at 6:16pm

When I first told my mother I would be getting a mohawk, she didn't really have much to say about it. Being only fourteen at the time and obviously living at home, I showed her pictures of the idea and style I was going for, and encouraged her that because of the width of my desired hawk [which is approx. 2 inches] I could wear my hair down and have it look as though I didn't have one at all. The morning of my appointment, she wished my hair goodbye and headed to work. I went in, got it down, and instead of backcombing it in true death hawk fashion, I pulled it into two short pigtails and headed out to her work to surprise her with my older sister. As reluctant as she had been that morning, it all faded when she saw the results. She spent the better part of ten minutes touching my newly shaved sides, and complimenting me.

Ever since she's offered to shave down my sides whenever they get anymore then an inch in length, and when I shaved my first design into my sides [spider webs], she stole my pictures from my MySpace page and posted them online for her friends to see. She's really supportive.

Permalink Reply by zero on December 28, 2008 at 8:28pm

My mom has actually been really supportive of mine...she's always willing to help me dye it, or suggest something new to do with it, plus, she's not really a conventional-looking person herself (I've heard customers at the library where she works refer to her as "Bat-woman"). My dad's kind of lukewarm on it...he really had nothing to say except that it's "certainly, ah...radical". My older brother is ashamed of me, but my little sister enjoys pointing me out to her classmates. My grandma said it made me look like an "injun". Oh, grandma...
At least now, when I go to family functions, no one mistakes me for anyone else.

Permalink Reply by MommyHAWK on January 2, 2009 at 8:56am

About three years ago I shaved 22 inches of hair for locks of love. My parents were stunned that my head was shaped well enough to go bald...HUH? Now after everything growing back out and my husband shaving the sides down for my mohawk my mom offered to help me bleach and dye it. My Dad offered to watch my kids if I need to get some tatoos or piercings...WHAT? They are so damn supportive it's irritating. They are of the opinion that the Mohawk is more me than the silly Stepford Wife hairstyle I was supporting. They are glad that I am confortable enough to express who I am...pfft. thanks Mom & Dad

Permalink Reply by Opel on January 14, 2009 at 7:21pm

Did anyone get in alot of trouble? I have a hair appointment on the 24th to get my hair cut into a mohawk. I told my mom and she laughted and said she would shave it off. I know she won't but i'm nervious that i will get in alot of trouble. But i'm totally psyched. And really looking forward to it. I did go ahead and ask my boss to make sure i would not get fired though. Lol. I did not want to loose my job and be grounded in the same week. Is their anything to say to kelp my parents cool off?

Permalink Reply by Opel on January 14, 2009 at 7:56pm

Yeah. I had a high under shave about 3 years ago. My dad didn't talk to me for a couple days after that. I figure that I may get in trouble and i may get grounded for a couple of weeks. But they'll get over and learn to accept it. I'm hoping... My mom also didn't like it when i shaved my eyebrows though. she made me grow them back and i looked stupid with 2 sets of eyebrows for a while when they started to grow back. =/
My parents have a problem with how people veiw them. they always complain because i look "like they don't have money to buy nice clothes and take care of me." but whatever...

Permalink Reply by Barbiepueppchen on June 26, 2011 at 2:37pm

why would parents shave the hawk off... that'd be even "worse" than a hawk that can be worn down :P

Permalink Reply by Khaos on January 15, 2009 at 12:32am

I did get in trouble. hahah with my mom.

My dad loved it. but I did it right before I went to work, and I had worked in my mom's store at the time. Walked in the door, she flipped out in front of about 80 or so customers and didn't talk to me for a longggggggg time and then I did nothing but work or go to school for a few months after that.