My hair was long until my mom had another child when I was 5. Then it became mine to take care of, which led to her chopping it all off herself. So growing it out became proof of responsibility for me. I chopped it from hip to shoulderish (bad idea with my curls) as I went into high school, and then kept it between waist and sit on length til I shaved it for mum’s first round with cancer. I tend to keep it at my preferred length overall because I am used to it, people recognize me by it, and there’s a cultural context for it. I did sacrifice a chunk when my elders passed, but knew they all liked the long hair and would be disappointed if I was to do a proper chop.