I Am For…
Sometimes I have revelations in the shower. (How’s that for an engaging lead-in!)
Today, while attempting to cleanse my hair, I actually noticed the variety of language on the shampoo bottle label- or, labels. Truth is, we have about three or four different shampoo and conditioner bottles in our shower. I love to use a different one every day… I have no idea why.
Anyway, I took a moment and actually read the instructions, or directions for use. Hahahaha… like we need instructions on how to use this puzzling potion.
Use a pea-sized amount and work into a lather.
Does anyone do this? I use at least a “quarter-sized” amount, or (to continue the metaphor)- a “very-ripe, plump, grape-sized” amount. I’m a true rebel.
Rinse and Repeat.
Nope. I only do it once. I’m on a tight schedule. Also, can’t they just make it stronger, or more concentrated so I only have to do it once?
Follow-up with conditioner.
This one, I do. But only every third day, because I am aging, and my hair is more limp, and fine than it used to be. So, I use it sparingly. And, do you know what that means? The two bottles from the same manufacturer (one shampoo, one conditioner), empty in varying volumes. Therefore, we are constantly left with half-full bottles of conditioner. This is unnerving to me. I have been known to adjust my shampoo use to try to keep their levels even.
Sometimes, the manufacturer will recommend finishing with “a leave-in-mask,” or some other gooey substance that is just a sorry excuse for why the shampoo you just used didn’t really do the job. Hogwash.
Shampoo and other hair product labels can be confusing. Well, at least to this author, who sees more than simple instructions for cleanliness.
And then there’s the descriptions of the product. And, I must confess- it is a conundrum: Do you advertise the PROBLEM or the SOLUTION? Here’s what I mean.
FANCYBRAND LUXURY SHAMPOO : For dry, damaged hair
FANCYBRAND LUXURY SHAMPOO: For beautiful, silky hair
Do you see the issue here? We have a prepositional predicament. (My high school English teacher Ms. Kurznyek would be very proud of me.) Is it “for”people “with” dry, damaged hair? Or is it intended to “produce” dry, damaged hair? Of course, I know the intent. But, shouldn’t it be clear or consistent?
And, it made me think. Which one am I? Do I present what is wrong, or what is right? Am I glass half-empty, or glass half-full? Maybe I should spend a little more time focusing on what I am “for.”
Think about this: What would my social media feed look like if I used it to promote what I was (individually) for. Now, I am not making an argument against calling out injustice. But, rather — to shift the balance. Is it possible to focus more on the solution without emphasizing the problem?
And that’s just social media. What if I chose to do the same in real life? What if I, as an individual, spent more time focusing on what I am “pro-“, than what I am “anti-”? If not entirely, even just in part. I know. It won’t solve all the world’s problems.
Look, I get it. Today, much of the impetus for our very being comes from what we are against. And I understand that… we must identify a problem if we are ever to solve it. But, as my college president Dr. John C. Bowling once iterated, “you don’t have to be sick to get better.”
I have always attempted to be an optimist. So, for today’s project, I have decided to create my own, personal label.
GEORGE WOLFF: For peace and joy and happiness… and a higher purpose.
And, just like may fancy shampoo and other hair products: it is aspirational, if not always entirely reliable.
