How Come?

How come every time I get a compliment on my new hairstyle, I wonder if they actually thought my old one was horrible for years & years? I had it super short for a long time & felt very edgy & non-dowdy in it. But now that I have been growing it out for the last two years, (and it is still barely chin length, thats how short I had it!!) people are just loving it & saying it is the "real" me. What!? Did they hate it all that time? Was I hiding under my non-hair? Was I looking too severe & man-ish? I thought I looked pretty cute most of the time.
I'm liking my new look also. I love that my hair actually moves & I have options of how to style it. Of course the option is totally up to my hair & what mood it is in each morning. I don't really have a lot of say in the matter. :) But it even went into two little pigtails one day while I was doing housework! Barretts & headbands are fun new toys for me to play with now. Another great change is that my helmet-head after going for a motorcycle ride is not as bad with longer hair. Yay! Someday my hair my even be as long as the Amazing Husbands' & then I can wear a real pony-tail!