What starts as an act of rebellion turns into a normal part of Liam O’Connor’s, life.

It’s the second to last day of Liam’s eighth grade year. He walks into his Christian school.

His uniform wrinkle free, his hair neatly combed and off to the side, it’s like any other day.

Except today, instead of sporting his natural light brown hair, Liam’s hair is a bright, vibrant blue that accentuates his eyes.

He’s excited as he struts down the hallway, his hair acting like a lit up sign that reads:

“Hey! Look at me!”

It’s only a matter of minutes after the school bell rings when Liam is ushered down to the administration’s office by his teacher.

He’s lucky it is the end of the school year because instead of getting suspended, he gets a stern talk.

Even as he’s being punished for having unnaturally colored hair, Liam’s mood is not affected. His hair looks amazing and he knows it; No one is going to take that away from him.

Three years later, his hair is now in a mohawk of purple, blue and green. Scrolling through his camera roll, he points out pictures of past colors.

Red.

Orange.

Yellow.

Green.

Blue.

Purple.

Black.

Liam models them all.

Having unnaturally colored hair requires flair. It costs him jobs because employers deem him unprofessional. It’s serves as a source for bullies. Throughout all this, Liam continues dying his hair because it is part of his identity.

People say to him: “I could never do that” and that bothers him.  

His advice is simple:  pick a color; it’s not that hard. “If you’re contemplating dying your hair, just do it.