With the flick of a tint brush or the snip of shears, millennials are beginning to battle an element fundamental in their self expression: their hair. On social media, pictures featuring hairstyles unique in color or cut have amassed millions of hits.

“I’ve always wanted to dye my hair, even since I was little. I was on Pinterest and I just loved looking at all of the pretty [hair] colors,” Morgan Coirier, junior, said. “I decided that I wanted to have a hairstyle that was different and unique.”

The decision to finally make her hair goals a reality was one that Coirier says she was lucky to get her family’s support for. Her mother even gave a little bit of inspiration for her own style.

“[My parents] were totally supportive. My mom dyed her hair a lot in college; she dyed it bright pink, red, and orange, all different colors,” Coirier said. “They thought [my hair] was going to be really awesome.

Not only did Coirier add a little more color to her hair style, but she also chose to cut up the traditional with her hair length. After cutting her waist length hair to her shoulders, she dared to go even shorter.

“Some of my friends had recently cut their hair short too and I thought it was really cute on them,” Coirier said. “With my shorter, colorful hair, I think I’m better at expressing who I am. With the long hair, [I felt] so carbon cut. I just wanted to do something different.”

This short pixie cut style has even gained attention in Hollywood over the last few year with the help of celebrities from Emma Watson to Shailene Woodley. Even pink adaptations like Coirier’s style have ganied media attention.

“People want to be like their idols; they look up to them. So when a celebrity does something, it becomes more acceptable,” Coirier said. “Some things are still in progress, but I think that variation is becoming acceptable. We’re starting to recognize that not every girl is the same.”

Girls are not the only ones who can go against the crowd with their hairstyles. Some boys have also chosen to trade in the traditional for something with a little more length by avoiding the barber’s chair all together.

“I’ve had long hair pretty much my entire life,” Chris Keramidas, senior, said. “Having long hair has always been kind of a thing for me, but it’s just been getting longer and longer.”

A person’s image is one that can be either fluid, or completely steadfast. Since being influenced by his brother, Keramidas says that his longer hair has the potential to give others a window into his personality, sometimes at first glance.

“I feel like having long hair is almost like a symbol of being a free spirit. I don’t necessarily consider myself to be that but it’s kind of the message it sends,” Keramidas said. “I play a lot of music so it’s just part of the look.”

While sending off the wrong image can be a factor in staying within what is familiar and comfortable in society, Coirier says that having what some people may call “unusual” or “untraditional” can have its own advantages.

“It takes a while to get used to, but [my hair] expresses who I am and that I don’t care about what others think. I can be myself and be happy with myself,” Coirier said.

Overall, Corier says she has only gotten compliments on her pastel pink pixie cut, and encourages others to step out of their box.

“You need to be true to yourself and know what you want,” Coirier said. “If you don’t do it now, you could regret it later.”