Taming My Alter Ego

We all like to pretend we are someone else, sometimes, but when your alter ego begins to get the better of you, its probably time to cut her loose.

- Florence Bett-Kinyatti

Her name is Klarissa, my alter ego. I hadn’t realised I’d been living most of the last few months as Klarissa until two weeks ago, when I chopped off my hair. Short and natural is boring for Klarissa. It’s too tame. Klarissa doesn’t live where it’s tame, she lives where it’s over-the-top and boisterous. Multi-coloured. She’s a temptress, Klarissa, she puts everyone under her spell, me included. She’s like Kelly Booth from Black Mirror.

Before chopping off my hair, I had this mane of Marley braids. You must know Marley braids. They’re crocheted into cornrows of your own hair. They’re kinky and voluminous. I’d installed them for my wedding in February, wore them in a bun on my Big Day, then undid them in March to install them afresh.