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The School of Life, Why we think so much about our hair

Why we think so much about our hair

It could seem bizarre quite how long we spend on those strands of stringy keratin that sprout

– unreliably – from our scalps. We will, over a lifetime, devote thousands of hours

and even more money on hairdressers' careful attempts to coax and sculpt our coiffure into

exactly the right colour, shape and dimension. There are days when our entire mood will be

supported by a sense that our hair is cooperating and others when our spirits will be just as

powerfully ruined by an unfortunate glimpse of our disobedient locks in an elevator mirror.

Why does it matter so much? Because – however odd this may sound – we are using our hair

to speak. We're trying, through the syntax of coloured protein filaments, to express

key aspects about who we are.

It is always precarious for us to transmit our identities to those around us. We

rely on other, accompanying details: our shoes, our

jewellery, our clothes – and of course, most centrally, those strands of hair. Everyone's

hair speaks in a slightly specific dialect, but we can with relative ease define some

of the main entries in humanity's vast and nuanced Dictionary of Hair:

Tightly pulled back: We're letting the world know that we are busy, organised and not to be interrupted

lightly. Long, flowing and tangled: We are reminding society of our opposition to some

of the demands of modern capitalism. We're spiritual beings, our hair is saying, we have a heart

and make the time to notice what really counts. Emphatic side-parting: We're using hair

to tell others that we're careful, modest, patient, sensible and very willing to be realistic.

We can be relied upon. Brushed forward, closely cropped, in the manner of a Roman General:

We're too immersed, our hair informs society, in the real battles of life to care about

trivia; we make our hair obey. We have grown indifferent to criticism and – in a good

way – hard to impress. Hair truly is a subtle and intricate language. The problem – or

even the tragedy – is that other people aren't necessarily paying very much attention

to what it is saying. We encounter this awkward reality in the difficult moments after our

return from an expensive and slow-moving hairdresser. We rejoin our friends or lovers with an expectant

‘what do you think?' only to receive mildly confused responses: ‘those trousers suit

you' or ‘have you lost weight?' We felt that it mattered so ardently that the locks

are now combed just a little more to the left and are one shade closer to blonde: others

don't give a damn, though in the privacy of their own bathrooms, they too will take

immense care about what their hair is saying. The conversation we have with hair appears

close to an immensely expensive, laborious, self-conscious dialogue of the deaf. And yet

what we're encountering, in the limited context of hair, is simply a problem that

haunts us throughout our lives: the essential loneliness of the human animal. We have an

extraordinarily limited power to get others to care about and understand us the way we

so crave to be grasped. And vice versa. We should not mock others for caring so much

about their hair – or berate ourselves for doing the same. We're just engaged in the

poignant business of attempting to communicate who we are. With all those dyes, curlers,

tongs and scissors, we're just trying to make ourselves a little more clearly understood

in a world with painfully little inclination

to care. .

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Why we think so much about our hair the reason||consider|think|||possessive pronoun|our hair |||||||волосся Warum wir so viel über unsere Haare nachdenken Por qué pensamos tanto en nuestro pelo Pourquoi nous pensons tant à nos cheveux なぜ私たちは髪についてそこまで考えるのか 머리카락에 대해 많은 생각을 하는 이유 Kodėl tiek daug galvojame apie savo plaukus Waarom we zoveel aan ons haar denken Dlaczego tak dużo myślimy o naszych włosach Porque é que pensamos tanto no nosso cabelo Почему мы так много думаем о своих волосах Saçlarımız hakkında neden bu kadar çok düşünüyoruz? 为什么我们如此关心我们的头发 為什麼我們對自己的頭髮想得那麼多

It could seem bizarre quite how long we spend on those strands of stringy keratin that sprout |||奇怪||||||||部分||丝状的|角蛋白||生长 |||strange|very|||||||||string-like|||grow out ||parecerá|estranho||||||||fios de queratina|de|fina e longa|queratina filiforme|que|brotam |||||||||||||||что| قد يبدو من الغريب جدًا أن نستهلك الكثير من الوقت على خيوط الكيراتين التي It could seem bizarre quite how long we spend on those strands of stringy keratin that sprout Ça pourrait paraitre bizarre tout le temps qu'on met dans ces brins de kératine filandreuse qui poussent Dapat tampak aneh melihat betapa lamanya kita menghabiskan waktu pada untaian benang keratin yang tumbuh, 좀 이상하지 않나요? 두피에서 삐져나온 단백질 가닥 따위에 우리가 얼마나 많은 시간을 할애하는지 말이에요.

– unreliably – from our scalps. We will, over a lifetime, devote thousands of hours 不可靠地|||头皮||||||||| de maneira incerta|||nossas cabeças||||||dedicaremos||| تنبت من فروة رؤوسنا -sans relâche - de notre cuir chevelu. Nous allons consacrer sur la durée de toute une vie de milliers d'heures dengan tidak dapat diandalkannya, dari kulit kepala kita. 우리는 평생 동안 몇 천 시간을 머리에 투자하고,

and even more money on hairdressers' careful attempts to coax and sculpt our coiffure into |||||发型师||||引导||造型||发型| |||||||tentativas cuidadosas||modelar||modelar||penteado| والكثير من المال لمصففي الشعر وقد تكون محاولات دقيقة لترتيب وتصفيف تسريحة شعرك الخاصة et même beaucoup d'argent dans les soigneuses tentatives des coiffeurs d'amadouer et de sculpter notre coiffure en 머리스타일을 위해 심지어 돈까지 씁니다.

exactly the right colour, shape and dimension. There are days when our entire mood will be إلى اللون والشكل والطول المطلوب précisément la bonne couleur, forme et dimension. Il y a de jours où toute notre humeur sera sampai menjadi warna, bentuk dan dimensi yang tepat. 머리의 적절한 색과 형태, 길이를 유지하기 위해서 말이죠. 어떤 날은 우리의 기분이

supported by a sense that our hair is cooperating and others when our spirits will be just as ||||||||colaborando||||||||| soutenue par un sens que nos cheveux sont coopératifs et d'autres où nos esprits seront aussi 단지 머리가 마음에 든다는 이유로 좋을 수 있습니다. 반대로 우리의 기분은

powerfully ruined by an unfortunate glimpse of our disobedient locks in an elevator mirror. |||||一瞥|||不听话的||||| ||||infeliz|vislumbre rápida|||desobedientes||||espelho do elevador| puissamment en ruine par un malchanceux aperçu de nos désobéissantes mèches dans le miroir d'un ascenseur. 엄청나게 망칠 수도 있어요. 엘레베이터 거울 안에서 내 머리가 이상하다는 걸 보게 된다면요.

Why does it matter so much? Because – however odd this may sound – we are using our hair ||||||||estranho isso|||||||| لماذا يبدو ذلك مثير للاهتمام؟ بسبب أن لدينا شعر ونستخدمه للتعبير Pourquoi c'est si important? Parce que - Si étrange que cela puisse paraître- nous utilisons nos cheveux Mengapa rambut begitu penting? 머리카락이 왜 그렇게나 중요할까요? 그 이유는, 이상하게 들릴지도 모르겠지만, 우리는 머리카락을 이용해

to speak. We're trying, through the syntax of coloured protein filaments, to express ||||||句法||||丝状物|| ||||por meio de||sintaxe||coloridos filamentos||filamentos de proteína|| pour parler. Nous essayons à travers la syntaxe de ces filaments de protéines colorés d'exprimer 말을 하기 때문입니다. 우리는 유색단백질가닥(머리카락)의 언어를 통해

key aspects about who we are. للتعبير عن الجوانب الرئيسية حول من نحن des aspects clés de qui nous sommes. untuk mengekspresikan aspek-aspek kunci tentang diri kita. 자아를 표현하려는 시도를 합니다.

It is always precarious for us to transmit our identities to those around us. We |||precarious||||transmitir||nossas identidades||||| من الخطورة أن نسلم ذواتنا إلى من حولنا، C'est toujours un peu précaire pour nous de transmettre nos identités à ceux qui nous entourent. Selalu sulit bagi kita untuk memberikan identitas kita kepada orang-orang di sekitar kita. 우리 주변의 것들로 자아를 표현하는 것은 항상 불안정한 일입니다.

rely on other, accompanying details: our shoes, our depender de|||acompanhar detalhes|||| Nous dépendons d'autres détails complémentaires: nos chaussures 우리는 다른 것들에 의지를 합니다. 가령 신발이나,

jewellery, our clothes – and of course, most centrally, those strands of hair. Everyone's 珠宝|||||||||||| joias|||||||de forma central||fios de cabelo|||de todos ومجوهراتنا و ملابسنا وبالتأكيد الأكثر أهمية ضفائر شعرنا nos bijoux, nos vêtements - et bien sûr le plus central, ces brins de cheveux. 악세서리, 옷, 그리고 당연히 가장 중요한 머리카락 등에 말이죠.

hair speaks in a slightly specific dialect, but we can with relative ease define some ||||||方言|||||||| ||||um pouco|||||||relativa facilidade||| Les cheveux de tout les gens s'exprimment dans un dialecte légèrement spécifique, mais nous pouvons avec une facilité relative 모든 사람들의 머리카락은 마치 미묘하게 다른 사투리 같은 언어를 갖습니다. 그러나 우리는 비교적 용이하게

of the main entries in humanity's vast and nuanced Dictionary of Hair: |||条目|||||细致入微||| |||as entradas||da humanidade|ampla e rica||sutil e complexa|dicionário|| définir certaines de principales entrées du vaste Dictionnaire de l'Humanité sur les Cheveux. 그런 광활하고 미묘한 '머리카락 사전'에서 몇 가지 커다란 것들을 정의할 수 있습니다.

Tightly pulled back: We're letting the world know that we are busy, organised and not to be interrupted de forma firme|puxado||||||||||||||||interrompidos مسحوب بشدة للخلف: نخبر العالم أننا مشغولين ومنظمين ولا يجب مقاطعتنا Bien cerré en arrière: Nous laissons au monde comprendre que nous sommes occupé, organisé et à ne pas être interrompu "Diikat ke Belakang dengan Kencang'" 뒤로 꽉 묶은 머리: "우리는 바쁘고, 정돈되고, 방해받지 않는 사람이야." Плотно затянутые назад: Мы даем понять всему миру, что мы заняты, организованы и нас нельзя прерывать.

lightly. Long, flowing and tangled: We are reminding society of our opposition to some ||飘逸的||缠结的||||||||| ||solto||embaraçada|||lembrando|||||| à la légère. Long, flottant et enchevêtrés. Nous rappelons à la société notre opposition à certaines 길게 늘어트리고, 헝클어진 머리: 우리는 사회에게 현대 자본주의에 반대하는

of the demands of modern capitalism. We're spiritual beings, our hair is saying, we have a heart |||||现代资本主义||精神的||||||||| ||as exigências||moderno|o capitalismo||||||||||| مطالب الرأس مالية الحديثة. ونحن كائنات حية إذ يخبرنا أن الشعر لديه قلب demandes du capitalisme moderne. Nous sommes des êtres spirituels, nos cheveux disent: " Nous avons un coeur 우리의 위치를 환기시킵니다. "우리는 영혼적인 존재고, 마음이 있고,

and make the time to notice what really counts. Emphatic side-parting: We're using hair ||||||||重要|强调的||发缝||| ||||||||importa|ênfase||risca lateral||| et faut prendre le temps de remarquer ce qui compte vraiment". Emphatique et coiffé du côté. Nous utilisons nos cheveux 시간에 있어 정말로 중요한 게 무엇인지 알아차리게 만들어." / 가르마를 강조한 머리: и найдите время, чтобы обратить внимание на то, что действительно важно. Эмфатический боковой пробор: Мы используем волосы

to tell others that we're careful, modest, patient, sensible and very willing to be realistic. ||||||modesto|paciente|sensato|||dispostos|||realista pour dire aux autres que nous sommes prudent, raisonnables et très disposé à être réaliste. "우리는 신중하고, 평범하고, 인내심이 강하고, 합리적이고, 현실적인 사람이야.

We can be relied upon. Brushed forward, closely cropped, in the manner of a Roman General: |||||刷过的|||修剪得很短||||||| |||contamos|a respeito de|penteado para frente|para a frente|de perto|cortado de perto|||modo|||romano|general romano On peut compter sur nous. Brossés vers l'avant, étroitement recadrés à la manière d'un General Romain. 우리는 의지할 수 있는 사람이지." / 앞머리를 내리고 가깝게 자른 머리(일반적인 로마인 머리): На нас можно положиться. Зачесанные вперед, плотно обрезанные, в манере римского генерала:

We're too immersed, our hair informs society, in the real battles of life to care about ||沉浸于||||||||||||| ||imersos|||informa|a sociedade||||lutas reais||||| Nos cheveux informent que nous sommes trop absorbé par les vraies batailles de la vie pour se soucier des fadaises "우리는 굉장히 몰입하고 있어. 우리의 머리카락은 사회에게 삶이 걸린 진짜 투쟁 속에서도 사소한 일상에 대해 알려주지. Мы слишком погружены, сообщают наши волосы обществу, в реальные битвы жизни, чтобы заботиться о том.

trivia; we make our hair obey. We have grown indifferent to criticism and – in a good 琐事|||||||||漠不关心|||||| trivialidade|||||obedecer||||indiferentes||crítica|||| الأمور التافهة لجعل الشعر ينقاد لنا كبرنا بطريقة غير مكترثة للنقد وبطريقة جيدة nous faisons nos cheveux nous obéir. Nous sommes devenus indifférents aux critiques - dans le bon sens- kita membuat rambut kita patuh; kita telah tumbuh acuh tak acuh pada kritik dan, dalam maksud yang baik, sulit untuk dibuat terkesan. 우리는 머리카락이 복종하게 만들어. 우리는 비판에 무관심하고, (좋은 쪽으로) мелочи; мы заставляем наши волосы слушаться. Мы стали безразличны к критике и - в хорошем

way – hard to impress. Hair truly is a subtle and intricate language. The problem – or |||打动|||||||复杂的|||| ||||||||sutil||complexa|||| لكنها صعبة التأثير. ويعد الشعر مناسب بشكل صحيح، والشعر لغة بارعة الدقة ومعقدة، Nous sommes difficiles à impressionner. Les cheveux sont vraiment un langage subtil et complexe. Le problème ou 잘 감동도 받지 않아." 머리카락은 정말로 미묘하고 복잡한 언어입니다. 문제는 (혹은 거의 비극일 수도 있는데) способ - трудно произвести впечатление. Волосы - это действительно тонкий и сложный язык. Проблема - или

even the tragedy – is that other people aren't necessarily paying very much attention ||悲剧|||||||||| ||tragédia|||||||||| والمشكلة أو المأساة أن الآخرين لا يدفعون بالضرورة اهتمامًا بالغًا voir la tragédie vient du fait que les autres gens ne prêtent pas nécessairement beaucoup d'attention 다른 사람들이 거기에 거의 주의를 기울이지 않는다는 겁니다.

to what it is saying. We encounter this awkward reality in the difficult moments after our ||||||||estranha||||||| لما يقولونه، ونحن نواجه في الواقع المر لحظات صعبة بعد à ce qu'ils dissent. Nous tombons sur cette réalité gênante dans les moments difficiles qui suivent 우리는 이 어색한 현실을 미용실에 다녀온 후에

return from an expensive and slow-moving hairdresser. We rejoin our friends or lovers with an expectant |||||||||重新加入|||||||期待的 |||||||cabeleireiro||reencontramos|||||||esperançosa الرجوع من مصفف الشعر البطيء والمكلف الثمن notre retour de chez notre coiffeur, couteux et lent. Nous retrouvons nos amis ou nos partenaires avec une attente 직면하게 됩니다. 우리는 우리의 친구나 애인에게 기대를 하며

‘what do you think?' only to receive mildly confused responses: ‘those trousers suit |||||||稍微||||| |||||||um pouco|um pouco confuso|as calças ficam|||ficam bem رأيهم فقط. لنسمع ردود فعل مشوشة " تلك الملابس تناسبك" أو.. " T'en penses quoi?" seulement pour recevoir des réponses légèrement confuses: " Ce pantalon te va bien" "나 뭐 달라진 거 없어?" 라고 묻지만, 돌아오는 건 약간의 혼란이 섞인 대답일 뿐입니다. "어, 그 바지 잘 어울린다."

you' or ‘have you lost weight?' We felt that it mattered so ardently that the locks ||||||||||重要||非常||| ||||||||||||com fervor||| "هل فقدت وزنك؟" أحسسنا أنه ذات أهمية من تلك الخصل ou " Tu as perdu du poids?" Nous avons estimé que cela importait si ardemment que nos mèches 혹은 "살 좀 빠졌니?" 등. 우리는 머리가 너무나도 중요하게 느껴져서

are now combed just a little more to the left and are one shade closer to blonde: others ||梳理|||||||||||色调|||| الممشطة قليلًا أكثر إلى اليسار وظل واحد أقرب إلى الأشقر. soient maintenant coiffées un petit peu plus à gauche et qu'elles soient une nuance plus près de la blonde: 왼쪽으로도 빗어보고, 금발에 가깝게 염색도 해보지만, 남들은

don't give a damn, though in the privacy of their own bathrooms, they too will take فلا تدع الآخرين يتدخلون في أمورك الخاصة. سوف يحصلون على Les autres n'en ont rien à battre, même si dans l'intimité de leurs salles de bains, eux aussi vont prendre 전혀 관심이 없어요. 개인 화장실에서 그들은

immense care about what their hair is saying. The conversation we have with hair appears عناية ضخمة حول مايقوله شعرهم والمحادثة التي نحصل عليها مع ظهور الشعر une énorme attention sur ce que leurs cheveux dissent. 그들의 머리를 이용해 어떻게 말할지에 대해서만 신경을 씁니다. 머리를 이용한 대화는

close to an immensely expensive, laborious, self-conscious dialogue of the deaf. And yet |||极其||艰巨的|||对话|||聋人对话|| أقرب إلى حوار ثمين، ومتعب، ومدرك للصم على نحو كبير، ولا يزال Mais encore 이뤄지기가 너무 힘들고, 귀머거리들의 자기의식적 대화에 불과합니다. близко к безмерно дорогому, трудоемкому, самозабвенному диалогу глухих. И все же

what we're encountering, in the limited context of hair, is simply a problem that ||遇到的||||||||||| مانواجهه في مجال محدود للشعر ببساطة مشكلة تطاردنا Dan meski demikian apa yang kita hadapi, di dalam konteks rambut yang terbatas, hanyalah sebuah masalah yang menghantui kita selama kita hidup: 그러나 여전히, 그런 한정적인 머리카락 언어는 차치하고서, 우리가 겪는 고질적인 문제점은

haunts us throughout our lives: the essential loneliness of the human animal. We have an 萦绕|||||||||||||| في حياتنا مثل الهجرة الأساسية للبشر. qui nous hante tout au long de nos vies: la solitude essentiel de l'animal humain. Nous avons 인간이 기본적으로 외로움을 느끼는 동물이라는 것입니다.

extraordinarily limited power to get others to care about and understand us the way we 极其|||||||||||||| ولدينا قوة محدودة للغاية لحصول الآخرين على اهتمام حول فهمنا بالطريقة un pouvoir extrêmement limité pour faire que les autres s'intéressent et nous comprennent dans la manière Kita memiliki sebuah kekuatan terbatas yang luar biasa 우리가 다른 사람들을 신경쓰고 이해하는 힘은 굉장히 제한적입니다.

so crave to be grasped. And vice versa. We should not mock others for caring so much |渴望|||被理解|||反之亦然||||||||| التي نحتاج أن نكون مدركين والعكس كذلك. dont nous voulons être compris. Et vice versa, nous ne devrions pas se moquer des autres pour se soucier autant 물론 다른 사람들도 마찬가지고요. 우리는 다른 사람들이 머리에 많은 신경을 쓰는 것에 대해 так жаждут быть схваченными. И наоборот. Мы не должны насмехаться над другими за то, что они так заботятся о нас.

about their hair – or berate ourselves for doing the same. We're just engaged in the ||||责备|||||||||| de leurs cheveux. ou nous réprimander pour faire la même. Nous sommes juste engagés dans 조롱을 해선 안됩니다. 혹은 질책해서도 안 되고요. 우리는 그저

poignant business of attempting to communicate who we are. With all those dyes, curlers, 深刻的||||||||||||染料|卷发器 l'entreprise poignante de tenter de communiquer qui nous sommes. Avec tous ces colorants, bigoudis 자아와 소통을 하려는 시도를 하는 것 뿐입니다. 염색, 파마, пикантное занятие - пытаться донести до людей, кто мы есть. Со всеми этими красками, бигуди,

tongs and scissors, we're just trying to make ourselves a little more clearly understood 夹子||剪刀||||||||||| |||||||||||||이해되게 والملاقط، والمقصات محاولة فقط لجعل شخصياتنا واضحة أكثر ومفهمومة pincettes et ciseaux, nous essayons juste de nous rendre un peu plus clairement compris 고데기, 가위 등 우리는 그저 우리 자신을 더 명확히 이해하려는 시도를 하는 겁니다.

in a world with painfully little inclination ||||||倾向 في العالم مع رغبة مؤلمة قليلًا dans un monde avec douloureusement peu d'inclinaison 비록 타인이 잘 알아주지 않는 고통스러운 언어일지라도요..

to care. . للاهتمام pour faire attention.

Did you know that The School Life is actually a place? Ten places infact. |||||||||||||实际上 هل تعتقد بأن The School Life هي مكان؟ في الواقع هي عشرة أماكن

Campus' all over the world from Melbourne to London, Taipei to Istanbul 校园||||||墨尔本|||||伊斯坦布尔 الحرم الجامعي في أنحاء العالم من ملبورن إلى لندن، والتايبيه في اسطنبول Kampus-kampus di seluruh dunia dari Melbourne sampai London, Taipei sampai Istanbul,

with classes and books and lots more. Please click on the link below to explore more. مع فصول وكتب ومساحة أكثر لمعرفة المزيد يرجى النقر على الرابط الموجود في الأسفل.