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real life rapunzel
Classen enjoys likening herself to Rapunzel – the fairy-tale princess who escapes from a tower by lowering her endless hair down for her rescuer to climb up.
“I've always associated having long hair with being beautiful. As soon as I became an adult, I made the conscious decision to stop getting it cut," she said.
“Now my hair's down to my ankles, I'm constantly getting Ralph to take photos. We're both very creative and the longer my hair grew, the more I wanted to show it off in different scenarios."
“I'll often come up with an idea in my head and Ralph will help execute it," she continued.
Wearing her hair short throughout her early teens, when Stefanie turned 16 she made the decision to grow it.
“My parents never let me grow my hair any longer than my shoulders."
“I suppose it was easier for them to manage, but as soon as I became an adult I knew I wanted to grow it long, to see how it would look," she continued.
After three years without having it cut professionally, Stefanie's hair had reached her shoulders and she loved the result.
“It was down to my shoulders and it really did make me feel prettier," she continued.
“I guess in a way I felt like I was taking back control – it was part of my journey into adulthood," she said.
Washing her hair twice a week, Classen says that is the easy part, it is drying it that can take hours.
“I use regular shampoo and conditioner," she said. “I go to bed with wet hair and it will normally be dry by the time I wake up – depending on the weather."
“I don't use a hair dryer as heat can be damaging. The last time I went to the hairdresser was 2005. I usually cut any damaged ends off once a month myself, but that's it," she continued.
“By then it was longer than most people's and I started getting a lot of comments from friends and strangers. They'd say things like, 'Wow, your hair is so long.' It was nice receiving compliments, which encouraged me to keep growing it."
“And if people didn't like it, I didn't care, as I love my hair long," she continued.
In December 2016, she dressed as the evil queen from ABC's fantasy drama Once Upon A Time she attended the comic convention in Dortmund, Germany, where she met her now-boyfriend Ralph.
“My friend knew Ralph, who is a keen photographer, and suggested he take a photo of me in my outfit," she said.
“Afterwards he sent over the photos and we started writing to each other. By New Year's Eve, we were an official couple," she said.
Now, Ralph often helps Stefanie to stage amazing photoshoots, with her hair taking centre stage.
Sharing snaps of her curls on her personal Instagram account, Classen soon drew masses of attention.
“Strangers started seeing my hair on social media and, although most people were very flattering, I received some unusual requests," she said.
“People would ask if they could meet me to touch or brush my hair, which was knee length by 2018. One man asked if I could record myself doing sexual things with it, which was very strange. I still get the strange comments, but they're contained on a separate platform."
“I ignore unpleasant requests, though, as for the most part people are very kind and flattering."
Uploading photos roughly once a week for her 2,000 strong followers, Classen has no plans on cutting it any time soon.
In fact, she plans to keep growing it until it is two meters long.
“I hope by 2022 it will be two meters long," she said. “I think it would be quite funny to reach that goal."
“After that, I'll probably go to the hairdresser and keep it at floor length," she concluded.
“I don't want to walk around with my hair dragging on the floor forever!"
To keep up with Stefanie's hair goals, follow her @loreleys_hairdream