This past weekend I made one of the most life altering decisions a girl can make to her appearance — I cut my hair. To answer your questions: yes I was sober, no I don’t regret it, and yes I probably am going through a little quarter life crisis right now.

1. Some of your friends will try to talk you out of it.

… “like more than a trim?” That’s the question most girlfriends will ask when you so proudly declare you’re going to cut your hair. Then they proceed to look at you crazy while trying to picture you with a Rihanna-like bob instead of the long flowing hair you have decided is too much to manage. They will then go into a living pro/con list of reasons why you should probably not cut your hair as if it is something that over time will never grow back.

2. You’ll debate cutting off enough to donate to Locks of Love.

For the record the minimum amount you have to cut off to donate to Locks of Love is 10 inches. Every girl who’s thinking of making a drastic enough commitment to cut her hair will think about whether or not she’s selfless enough to go all out and donate or stick to the cool 6 inches she’s comfortable with parting with. Either way she’ll do the research just incase because it’s something she truly wants to participate in at some point in her life.

3. You’ll wonder if guys will still think You’re sexy.

It’s kind of sad to admit, but most girls know how guys feel about long hair. It’s not exactly like you see tons of Victoria Secret angels sporting a pixie cut. The afternoon after I cut off my long curls, I felt so ugly I couldn’t even go out. I mean, what about my signature hair toss?! There will be a moment (probably more than one) where the idea of cutting your hair feels like kissing all those flirty looks goodbye, and you will strongly wonder why your sexual confidence is so tied to the length of your hair.

4. Many nights will be spent looking up cute, short hairstyles on Pinterest.

Because sure Kate Winslet and early 2000 Rachel McAdams can pull it off — but can you?! The whole week leading up to the actual hair-cutting is spent reassuring yourself that yes, there are tons of really cute things one can do with short hair that will make you look super sophisticated while also only taking a fraction of the time to style.

5. You’ll start to worry about how vain you are.

I mean, it’s just hair right? It grows back. And yet you’ll spend more time than you’re comfortable with talking about and contemplating how different you’ll look with 8 less inches of it. It’ll be more consideration than you’ve consciously ever put into your physical appearance before, and you won’t like it. You’ll spend more time looking at your face in the mirror than you’ve probably ever done before, and yet you won’t be able to stop yourself. Blame our superficial society.

6. You’ll become more empowered/bold and kind of badass.

The day will finally come when you just get it over with (is now a good time to mention how terribly sexist standards of beauty are.. no?). And then without knowing it, you are rocking the short hair so hard you won’t even remember what the big deal was. Other women who previously doubted your ability to pull it off will confess they were wrong and it, “looks cute on you.” Overall you will be glad you did it because your hair is healthier, and you are happier with your new “go big or go home” look.