What Gals With Light Hair & Dark Roots Are Sick Of

As Lucius Malfoy might tell you — or maybe not, considering you're a muggle and he's a racist wizard death eater — being bleach blonde is hard work. More often than not, your light hair will be sporting some roots, and you'll get an earful because of it. The thing is, though, having light hair and dark roots is totally fine. The look has been cool for as long as bleach has existed. Or for as long as Madonna has existed, at least.

When I've freshly bleached my roots, I don't tend to like my 'do. It doesn't feel as me somehow, maybe because I have a tendency to gravitate towards silly hair colors that are the exact opposite of natural. A little bit of root showing makes me feel more comfortable with my blonde locks; and around an inch and a half of dark root contrasting with my bleach blonde hair is my perfect amount. Plus, it helps me look a little less like a super villain.

Like Michele told Romy, "You look so good with blonde hair and black roots; it's like not even funny." It's a look that might not sound good on paper, but that makes a powerful contrasting statement. For me, it's a subversive take on the "blonde bombshell" stereotype that the media often obsesses over. I'm being as open as I possibly can be about my bleached hair not being natural, because there's nothing natural about me. And that's OK. But the aforementioned earful one sometimes gets from people is still a pain. Here are just nine comments most of us light hair, dark roots gals are sick of hearing.

1. "Your roots are really obvious!"

A slow clap for this keen observer everybody, who's trying to point out people's so-called flaws to make themselves feel better. Watch me turn their issues on their head when I tell them that's exactly the look I'm going for.

2. "What does your hairdresser think?"

I bleach my hair myself, so I can smugly reply to this act of sarcasm pretty easily. But even hairdressers likely understand that the blonde hair/dark roots look is a stylistic choice, and they can appreciate that.

3. "You look unkempt."

This is kind of a mom statement, and TBH I have no issue with it because I kind of am unkempt. If I was a perfectionist, I doubt I'd dare to rock this look.

4. "It's trashy."

I know, that's why I love it. Because "tacky" isn't an insult. It's a perfectly valid style choice.

5. "You look like..."

From Madonna to Kylie Jenner, this style's been rocked by a lot of amazing women. So comparing to me to a celebrity with a similar look — and who you also don't approve of — isn't going to be an insult. It's perfectly cool with me.

6. "Men don't like it."

If I lived my life for men, I'm sure there'd be a lot more drastic changes to my appearance and lifestyle than just bleaching my roots.

7. "The longer you leave them, the harder they'll be to bleach."

This one is actually true, which is why it's so freaking annoying. How about you leave my haircare to me and I'll leave your routines to you.

8. "So, is your hair naturally black?"

This one's dumb, but actually kind of interesting. My hair's naturally a dirty blonde, but in contrast to my bleached hair, it looks black. When my hair was black, my roots looked the lightest of blondes in comparison. It's all an illusion, guys.

9. "I would never let my roots get like that."

And I would never let my face get like that. Boom, roasted! OK, scratch that. In all honesty, applying your own standards and ideals of beauty onto someone else is never a positive thing to do, is it?

I can totally understand why someone might not get the "growing out my roots" look, but to me, it's one of my favorite styles to rock. It's a laugh in the face of "perfection" and will always lead to Madonna comparisons, so who am I to complain?