Rihanna says her shorter hairdo allowed her to discover herself,

She says: "I felt like the whole world had long, curly, flowy blonde hair. Ciara, Beyonce, Mariah, Christina Milian. Everybody wanted to be like everybody else. So I cut my hair and they (Def Jam) made me put my long hair back in (as extensions).

"The second time, I didn't have any discussions, nothing. I just cut it, I dyed it black, I went into the studio making music my way. I found myself all at once. I like things strong, edgy, a little to the left. I don't like things that are expected - nothing cliched."

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