Terry Rombeck's 2008 driver's license photo.
Terry Rombeck's 1995 driver's license photo.
Someday, I hope my child will come to me and say, “Daddy, what’s a mullet?” And I’ll be able to calmly pull out my 1995 driver’s license, from when I was 16, and say, “See that hair? That is a textbook mullet.”
I’m not exactly sure why I kept that driver’s license. Maybe it’s because it was my first license that brought full driving privileges. Maybe it just makes a good story. Maybe it’s a reminder to never, EVER try that hair style again.
I cringe when I see that photo. It doesn’t help that I look sullen, and that I appear to be wearing a purple T-shirt (hope the color on the license has faded through the years). Let’s just say I didn’t realize, 14 years later, that I’d be writing about that picture and putting it in the paper. Maybe I would have cut my hair and put on a polo.
It seems many people have a rocky relationship with their driver’s license photo. It’s not exactly a magazine photo shoot, but Hailey Osterhaus’ story reminds us it’s not just up to DMV employees to make us look good. There are things we can do, too.
I guess it doesn’t matter a whole lot. The only people who ever see it are police officers, bar doormen and the occasional store employee. I don’t really care what any of them think of the way I look.
But then again, I’m sitting pretty — er, handsome? — now. The photo I had taken last year is suitable for framing. Plus, my license still says I’m 20 pounds lighter than I am now. What’s not to like?
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