Ah, the Witches

I can't go past a Penguin Classic, and this week I'm re-reading the John Updike 1984 novel 'The Witches of Eastwick'. Delightful, potent, wicked stuff. I rented the DVD to remind myself of the film, and loved it all over again, those iconic women, the crazy Mr Nicholson, and the fantastic 80's outfits.

The film was done in 1987, which was my year 9 in High School. I had a friend with blonde hair, a redhead pal, and of course I am the brunette. We fancied ourselves as the characters from the film, so I was Cher, I just wish I could wear some of the slim high-waisted trousers she sports.

I've been thinking about the hair, especially Susan Sarandon's, who as Jane wears a neat french braid, but upon liberation her hair becomes a radiant afro. As you can see their hair is wild, big, bouffant and free, a transformation rarely made in film these days. Now the heroine starts with an unruly mane, and by the end she has a sleek, tamed look after her big makeover.



Seriously, I have been struggling with my big hair for ever. I always wanted geometric short hair cuts, a bit Annie Lennox a bit Louise Brooks. Instead I got crazy curls at puberty, and no-one told me that I shouldn't brush it, that the bouff would only get bigger. I remember when I discovered hair mousse, it was instant relief in a can!

Now I have a hairdresser who understands curls and doesn't try to straighten it all the time, and I have well and truly embraced what I've got. Salut to the Witches of Eastwick, and may there always be a place for big hair. Amen.