QuoteReplyTopic: Older women and longer hair Posted: January 11 2000 at 8:59pm
One of Dave's responses reminded me of this -- why is it that older women often tell (pester) younger women to cut their hair short?I recall a few years back, I was in a salon for a trim and afterwards was getting it put up in a bun. I'm not sure why, but the stylist had a little bit of length that she didn't put in the bun and wondered aloud what she should do with it. There was an older woman in the next chair who was a bit chunky and had the standard short haircut for women her age who said with a bit of an evil smirk, "Cut it off!" and then laughed.And I'm finding now that with my short hair, older women just seem to love it and one acquaintance (a lady who is probably in her late 50s or early 60s) told me, "it was about time you cut your hair" as if it were an unavoidable conclusion.Hair seems to be a peculiar subject in that we don't often make comments about other aspects of our appearance, such as fingernails, weight, clothing, and so forth, yet hair seems to generate quite the diverse and vocal opinions!
So true! My mother grew up in the 30's-40's when short hair was de regiour (sp!). She has never point blank said I need to cut my hair, but she'll ask me if my hair is "still long". I have never seen her with anything other than short hair (even in earlier photos). On the other hand, her mother, my grandmother had long gray hair which she put up in a bun all the time. Kept it that way until she died. Of course, she grew up in the turn of the century when long hair was in fashion. I think when you "come-of-age" you get really affected by the current hair trends. My mother always had my hair really short when I was growing up, so I think that is why I always wanted long hair (which I have).
Hm. I wonder if it may be a generational thing. My mother is the only person who has ever told me I should cut my hair---mostly in jest---and her mother had waist length hair until she died. My mom never cut her hair until she was twelve, and then, although she had given permission, my grandmother didn't speak to her for three days! I don't care how much you like long hair (which I do), that's just cruel! So maybe my mom has some "issues" about long hair.On the other hand, my mom is a terrific teaser, and it is sometimes hard to tell when people like that are serious, or joking, or joking but with serious intent. It may be that the woman sitting beside you was joking too, but that is certainly an odd thing to say to someone you've never met.Take care.Kim
> And I'm finding now that with my short hair, older> women just seem to love it and one acquaintance (a> lady who is probably in her late 50s or early 60s)> told me, "it was about time you cut your> hair" as if it were an unavoidable conclusion.The same exact thing has happened to me, but I just ignored it! Sometimes I have thought that the the people giving these compliments were being sincere, other times I've kind of wondered if jealousy wasn't a factor. Who knows?DawnRelated Link:Dawn's Secret Garden
(And I am totally willing to admit I may be wrong about this) You know, it may be not so much that older women are pro-short hair, as they are less willing to withhold their opinions when they are. I have heard (and yeah, I'm writing this from just this side of thirty) that one of the great things about getting older is that you worry less about what other people think. On the positive side, this may mean not giving into pressure or backing down on what you believe, but the negatives may mean voicing unsolicited opinions about other people's appearance. Just a thought (peppered with disclaimers; you can tell I'm not that comfortable with voicing my opinions yet!)---Kim
> (And I am totally willing to admit I may be wrong> about this) You know, it may be not so much that older> women are pro-short hair, as they are less willing to> withhold their opinions when they are. I have heard> (and yeah, I'm writing this from just this side of> thirty) that one of the great things about getting> older is that you worry less about what other people> think. On the positive side, this may mean not giving> into pressure or backing down on what you believe, but> the negatives may mean voicing unsolicited opinions> about other people's appearance.Yet the other side of the coin of having a greater sense of freedom to express our opinions is the acquisition of wisdom (through life experiences) of knowing when --and when NOT -- to express those opinions. Anyone who goes around personally dispensing unsolicited criticism on appearances is a loose cannon out of control -- and would be less mature than a like-minded person who avoids directing such negative thoughts onto others.Dave
> There was an older woman in the> next chair who was a bit chunky and had the standard> short haircut for women her age who said with a bit of> an evil smirk, "Cut it off!" and then> laughed.That woman is truly evil and ought to be crucified. My wife is 50.5, has long blond hair (to her waist), and I have reduced to tears more than one person who has recommended she cut her hair off.DAVID
> That woman is truly evil and ought to be crucified. My> wife is 50.5, has long blond hair (to her waist), and> I have reduced to tears more than one person who has> recommended she cut her hair off.> DAVIDHello David:As I read this note I have to say that I admire that you love your wife very much. So much that it hurts you to see when someone tries to knock down her choice she has made in life having long hair. YOu are very much a good man for your wife.
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