Velma & Ed
You're not a girl.
The bowl cut worked for a busy mom who didn't have time to groom a rambunctious kid, but for said rambunctious kid it grew tiring.
The boy on the playground was the only one with the problem - the other kids took her at her word, but apparently he had too much doubt to trust anything other than his own eyes.
After staring in the mirror the solution seemed simple - longer hair. Nobody would mistake a girl for a boy no matter how rowdy if she looked the part, right?
It lasted until school photos in second grade, long enough to log the evidence, and that was it. Her mother, still busy with new little ones, had explained if she wanted long hair she'd have to take care of it. This included not only washing it but brushing out the ever growing tangles and cleaning up loose ends left in the bathroom.
After that experiment a compromise was formed - shoulder length hair. Long enough to make the cut, yet short enough to manage easily on a rowdy tomboy's late morning schedule.
Growing up the hair style didn't waver much. Experimentation when you work a nine to five wasn't as easy, and the old shoulder length bob stuck. Once on a whim for Halloween she decided to dress up as Velma from Scooby Doo, shrugging a thick orange turtleneck and a brown skirt.
Sadly, nobody at her office noticed she'd even worn a costume.
~~~
Why did you get a lesbian haircut?
Her friends had supported her trying something new, so she'd excitedly gone to her favorite stylist and requested a red faux hawk. It felt fun and different, no more Velma just a bright red crop of messy bangs. She'd even bought some forming cream to help it stick up a bit, the easy styling not too much harder than her usual comb through in the morning.
The disparaging comment didn't really matter in the end. Sure she'd married him twelve years ago and given him her heart, but sadly after all that time he'd turned out to be just another little boy full of doubt and opinions.
Now her heart was her own again. She could chase her dreams, not the reality that others continually pushed her towards. The analytical, mousy nerd who'd quietly accepted things and solved problems in the past had fallen to the floor of the Super Cuts along with her curls. In her place a new being had entered. Someone more punky and confident, like the rowdy little girl she used to be.
And when she looked in the mirror the solution surprised her.
...Ed Sheeran?