A woman likened to a real-life rapunzel has gone viral after cutting her 4ft-long her into a chin-length bob.
Mum-of-two Vanessa Rasmusson, 26, from Utah, USA, became famous on TikTok ( @08vanessa .r) for her calf-length hair, which hadn't been trimmed for 19 years.
Yet recently, she made the decision to cut it, after realising how her own self-worth was dependent on her having long hair.
When she was seven years old, Vanessa had her hair cut short. She hated how it looked, and pledged never to cut her hair again.
As her locks grew longer and longer, she became used to compliments and accrued an online following for her Rapunzel-like hairstyle.
Vanessa – who has a daughter Rose, 4 and son, Jasper, 2 with her husband, 27 – told News Dog Media : “When I was seven, I got my hair cut and hated it and promised myself that I would never cut it short again.
“I loved having long hair and I was curious to see how long it would grow. I never expected that my hair would grow to my calves!
“But it just kept growing. In fact, I saw the most growth in my hair when I had my two kids.
“People began to compliment me on my long hair all the time. I was noticed for my long hair and it became tied up in my identity and self-worth.
“Of course, sometimes it felt nice to have a compliment but increasingly it started to make me feel uncomfortable.
“I wished that people would see that there was more to me than my hair.
“My long hair had served me well for so many years. But after doing a lot of soul-searching, I realised it was no longer serving me and it was actually causing me more resistance in my life.
“I was becoming a different person to who I used to be when I was seven years old.
“I wanted to try something different and let go of that identity. Part of that transformation meant letting go of hair.
“My four-foot long hair had always made me stand out. But I no longer wanted to be viewed just for my hair, I wanted to be viewed as a person.”
In November last year, Vanessa secretly went to the hairdresser. She revealed her hair transformation to the world when she shocked her 33,000 TikTok followers with her short bob.
She explains: “I only told a handful of people including my husband before I cut my hair.
“I didn’t want anyone’s opinion to affect my decision. I wanted to cut my hair for me.
“I was excited but nervous about getting the chop. I was shocked when I first saw it gone but I was also surprised that I felt pretty and confident with short hair too.
“Also I had never realised the sheer weight of my long hair on my neck for all those years. It was so light now."
Vanessa unveiled her dramatic haircut on TikTok with trepidation, and was worried that she would lose social media followers.
But whilst trolls attacked her haircut, she also gained followers who were impressed by her bold decision.
Now she wants to inspire other women to make liberating changes in their life as well.
Vanessa says: “I was scared people would unfollow me when I cut my hair. But if anything, that solidified my decision to go to the hairdresser. I had to face my fear that some people only cared about my hair.
“When I revealed my transformation on TikTok, of course there were people who told me I wasn’t special or unique anymore without my long hair. Some users threatened to unfollow me, whilst others tried to console me by telling me my hair would grow back.
“But I actually got way more follows from my haircut video because it was so extreme. It was quite cool to see that!
“Cutting my hair made me face lots of beliefs I had about myself. It made me see the beauty in myself – beyond my hair.
“It made me realise my worth doesn’t change according to what I wear or how I look.
“I want to show women that their worth doesn’t depend on certain attributes either. You’re amazing because you’re you.
“I hope my decision allows other people to examine themselves too and see if they are holding on to things that might be negative. Letting go brought me so much joy.
“I’m really loving my short hair right now. Maybe I’ll grow it again someday but definitely not anytime soon!”
