Clairol And Present Danger

After reading a magazine article about movie stars with "pixie cuts," my girlfriend got her hair cut really short, and I absolutely hate it. She's very pretty, and short hair doesn't change that, but I love how she looks with long hair. Is it controlling to ask her to grow it back?

--Worried

The good thing about bad haircuts is that they are fixable with time. (You can't tell your girlfriend, "Hey, I'm not a big fan of your personality; can you grow it out a little?") When you first saw her new do, you probably squeezed out something positive like "Looks great!" -- while thinking, "Did your stylist go blind in the middle of cutting your hair or pretty much right when she started?" It's good to be kind, but because staying happy with somebody takes staying attracted to them, it's best for your relationship to be kind in a verging-on-honest way. Wait a few weeks and say, "You know, you'd be beautiful even if you shaved your head, but I love your hair long. Would you grow your hair out for me?" (You aren't asking her to bolt on a new set of boobs; you're just requesting more of what's already on her head.) And yes, you do have to tell her what you need, because if you don't, there's a good chance you'll get resentful and act like a jerk about things that aren't really the thing. It might even lead to a breakup. The bottom line: You're all for her having movie-star hair -- as long as the movie star it's modeled on isn't Chuck Norris.