Elementary, my dear Watson

You know who I have always liked (though not in that way until after 2008 and even then, more like a precocious and beloved younger sister)? Emma Watson. We haven’t talked about her new haircut because, I don’t know – war, famine, elections, fatties, vampires, tank tops, Tina Fey, British lesbians, lesbian cheerleaders, naked athletes and more tank tops. But today I feel I can ignore the topic no longer. I love Emma’s new hair. Love. It.

Sure, it took a second to get used to the new haircut. So much shortness. So much Mia Farrow circa “Rosemary’s Baby.” So much not Hermione Granger.

But it’s a wonderful representation of what makes Emma not just another Hollywood starlet (not that she was every really one, period). Sure she isn’t the first actress to crop off her hair. Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Sigourney Weaver and even Demi Moore took it almost all off. But those were largely for roles. Her gesture is for herself and an act of both freedom and independence. Even if you don’t like short haircuts you have to respect her decision.

As she told Marie Claire:

“I’ve wanted to do it since I was about 16, and when Harry Potter ended in June, I just needed a change. It was quite symbolic for me. It’s very short; it was buzzed at the back and on the sides. And it’s really liberating that I can walk out without thinking about it.”

And even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan (wait, you’re not a Harry Potter fan?), you have to respect the way she has conducted herself over the years. This is a young woman who has been world famous since she was 11 and now, at age 20, has yet to enter rehab, get a DUI, flash her lady business, start a Twitter feud or get caught with “someone else’s” coke in her purse. Instead she is entering her second year at Brown, completing her time on “Harry Potter” with class and making it all look completely effortless.

She also told the magazine:

“I do things in my own way, but I’ve never felt any need to rebel. To be honest, I’ve always had far too much freedom. I had a job when I was 10. I started living on my own when I was 17 or 18. I’ve earned my own money; I’ve traveled the world. What would I rebel against?”

Sometimes, you don’t have to rage against the dying of the light. Sometimes it’s better to just enjoy and be thankful for the light while it lasts. And, Emma, in this light, with your hair like that? It hurts to look at you.