I know that I should worry about the amount of work being dumped on me in the first week of law school. I know I haven’t read enough to be prepared. While those doubts have ricocheted in my brain for the last few months, they can not match the worries I have had over my hair.

In an effort to manage my time , I cut my long hair. I now sport a Halle Berry-short hair-do. I firmly believe that a woman should be valued for her hard work, her integrity, her intelligence, and her ability to nurture. I want to be valued for these attributes. However, I have read studies that show short-hair women are perceived to be more aggressive, less friendly and less approachable. I don’t mind being called any of those things, if it weren’t for one small hitch.

While browsing the internet for local firms both big and small, there is one clear theme. The female partners, associates, justices, prosecutors and litigators overwhelmingly boast floaty, long locks. I do not look like any of the women I want to become. Doubt sets in and I question my computer for answers.

Do these women know something I don’t? Maybe a jury can’t relate to a woman that doesn’t resemble their mother or auntie? Maybe they enjoy the hour they spend drying, and curling and flat-ironing their hair every day like a private indulgence? Can I become a fantastically successful lawyer with hair shorter than most? Is it indicative of something else?

I do not know the answers. I know that I will have one more hour a day to tackle my courses and maybe, serendipitously, even scare away a few men who might try to distract me from my goal. That has to be a good thing, right?