The Evolution of Style

I once read that for all intents and purposes, our sense of style from high school graduation is the one that stays with us forever. Obviously, this is less true in highly cosmopolitan areas where people are very chic and fashion-conscious. But, by and large, when I look around at people my age, I see a lot of poofy bangs that never grew out. For guys, I think this is a more pervasive issue: the obvious exception being any metrosexual guy out there who happens to subscribe to GQ or Esquire.
I got my hair cut this weekend. I was having issues with multi-grown out layers, weird angles, and goofy sticky-outy parts. Out of frustration, I had a bunch cut off to approximate a bob and to be done with the whole growing out "process." The end result is the same basic cut I had when I graduated from high school.
Now bear with me: since high school, my hair has been partly shaved, auburn, red, very long, very short, dangerously close to a mullet, purple, the "Rachel," heavily layered, not layered at all, with bangs and without bangs, highlighted a little, highlighted a lot.
Looking back on all of these styles, and looking at my reflection NOW, I realize that this is probably the most flattering, easy to maintain 'do I've had in a while. Which means that the last time my mother had any input into my style, she was right.
This is a bad development. What if she was right about other things? What if the last time my mother had any control/input into other parts of my life it was the highlight of those aspects, too?
Let's review: she was clearly right about the hairstyle. She was clearly right about bedtime, too. An early bedtime REALLY is refreshing. Also, Mom may have been right about one of my best friends in high school--she DID kind of turn out to be "promiscuous" (my mother LOVED that word as the most scathing criticism she could offer.) She seems to have been right about make-up as well: less is more, and brown eyeliner DOES make my eyes look more blue. Brown is so much less severe than black. (This applies to mascara as well.) Also, as it turns out, long hippie skirts over jeans with a man's undershirt tee might not have been my fahion apex.
While I am apprehensive about this development, I am reassured that Mom was definitely not right about some other things: matching bra and panties is not necessary. The firemen will not care if I am not wearing clean underwear. Pantyhose are OVER. Black is still the best way to go when it comes to cocktail dresses and daily work wear. A pattern would probably kill me. A ponytail can be stumpy AND cute. It's ok for girls to call boys to ask them out. Otherwise I'd never met M.
So, phew. As it turns out, Mom was not always right. And fashion should evolve, at least some of the time. (Although I REALLY miss those hippie skirts. So practical!) And bangs? Bangs are never EVER the answer.