Jackpot!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8544668/ - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8544668/

I feared this was coming: In the process of providing four hairstyles for Sarah Raley's wedding on The Today Show, she agreed to let the stylists cut a foot off her gorgeous mane. Needless to say, it's no longer down to her butt. When it was curled it was about to midback length. Naturally, the cut will be donated to the stockpile at the Locks of Life warehouse. You can't tell the length from these photos, but here are the choices for "us" to choose:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8544668/ - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8544668/

I think the updo wins in a landslide.

In my opinion, it is still very long.  The cut was her decision - they said 10" on the show.  She wanted to be sure everyone saw her dress (that is what she said on the show today).  I liked the style that was down - she does have pretty hair - hate to have her tie it all up.

I know that not everyone will agree but I find very little difference in how butt length and mid-back length hair look.

DaveDecker wrote: loveshort&blonde wrote: The cut was her decision Hmm.... I truly wonder if she came up with the idea, or if it was suggested (or more firmly "encouraged").  Somehow I don't believe that cutting her hair was her decision.  I think "acquiesced" is the more appropriate term for what happened.

With the many years of time and care for your long hair Dave, could someone "fimly encourage" you to cut 10 inches of your hair?  I didn't think so and I doubt she did either, unless she wanted too.

DaveDecker wrote: loveshort&blonde wrote: The cut was her decision Hmm.... I truly wonder if she came up with the idea, or if it was suggested (or more firmly "encouraged").  Somehow I don't believe that cutting her hair was her decision.  I think "acquiesced" is the more appropriate term for what happened.

I watched the show Dave, and it was her decision.  The stylist suggested she may want to cut it just a bit to make it easier to do some of the styles, but that's what you'd expect them to do.  When she did it, she wasn't on the verge of tears, she didn't have her face in her hands, she didn't lament the 10 inch braid as she held it in her hands.  Back on the live show, when Natalie Morales commented breathlessly that she had cut her hair, the bride said, rather emphatically, that it was her decision, the stylists didn't pressure her to do it at all, she wasn't attached to her hair being that length, and that if she wore it down that she wanted everyone to see the back of her dress and she was worried they wouldn't with it as long as it was.

So, she didn't "acquiesce", she "decided".  Not every woman who cuts or trims her long hair is the victim of arm-twisting or brain-washing by the vast short hair conspiracy.

As usual,

JF

     A cut may not be the end of the world, but were I the prospective groom, the last thing *I * would hope for is to see my fiance's hair whacked from hip-length to BS.

     The decision may have been the bride's, but isn't it time that everyone knew that only about 1% of hair donations given to LoL actually adorn girls' heads? The ignorance of the truth *may* have been the main reason she chopped her spectacular hair. Bob

As a follow-up to all this...

1) One of the reasons I voted for Sarah and what's-his-name is because she had the prettiest -- and longest -- hair. She's a doll.

2) Videotape will show that when they met, Sarah had somewhat shorter hair and her fiance had hair. Now he shaves what he has. (The video may follow a commercial from the Red Cross.)

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?f=00&g=49f42736-b8f9-417a-93c2-851ce0035abc&t=m5&p=Source_Today%20Show - http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?f=00&g=49f42736-b8f9-417 a-93c2-851ce0035abc&t=m5&p=Source_Today%20Show

3) As soon as they mentioned that viewers would be able to vote on a hairstyle, I cringed that the audience would have a say on whether Sarah would cut her hair. I never thought the stylist would suggest it and she would go along with it.

4) Bob, I agree with everything you said. But as I recall, the fiance had a chance to talk her out of it and instead sat there reading his magazine.

5) Natalie Morales' hair looked spectacular that morning (Monday). She is doing a great job when called upon and is looking the part. I wish they'd use her more and Alexis Glick less.

6) Katie Couric's hair can't grow fast enough for me.

Flea Rules!!!

On a related note, here's hopong that Ann Curry visits that same stylist...stat!

My two cents.

DaveDecker wrote: Hal and JF... my take on the "decision" is that if she had wanted to cut her hair she would have brought up the issue.  But as you said JF, "The stylist suggested she may want to cut it just a bit to make it easier to do some of the styles, but that's what you'd expect them to do."  What this tells me is that she was easy to persuade.  And possibly felt some pressure (even if very gentle, like a virtual nudge) to approve the stylist's suggestion. I'd bet $ that if the stylist hadn't said a word about cutting her hair, she would have been perfectly happy. So the depth of her conviction to keep what she had wasn't strong.  It doesn't mean she didn't acquiesce.  And please tell me why you hold so dearly the notion that I believe these events are the results of brain-washing or a conspiracy.

Hey Dave,

I was said rather tongue-in-cheek, but the impetus of the statement is the predictable response that anytime any long haired woman gets her hair cut on any show there is never the admission of even the remote possibility that she may have actually wanted to do it.  It's always because they were pressured or coerced or guilted into it.

Basically, the fact I'm wearing a shirt that I've been wearing for a while, doesn't necessarily mean I'm that attached to it or wouldn't prefer a new shirt if I was given the chance for one.  I just may not have had the reason or opportunity to get a new one yet.

And Dave, you know I'm not trying to pick a fight, right?  Not my style.

And Bob S., don't drag the LoL argument into this.  There's never going to be an agreement on that on the board so I'd humbly suggest we make it an off-limits topic.  Fair enough?

As usual,

JF

long straight hair like that is extremely sexy  WHY cut off 10.5 inches?????

its either have long gorgeous hair or short sexy hair  there is no in between  that is just blahhhhhh

she should have kept it long  there are very few girls around with LONG hair that is kept nice all you really see is long rat tails  THIS IS A SHAME!!!!

Flea, buddy, not only did the stylist suggest the haircut, he suggested the donation to LOL. In this case it's gotta be open for discussion.

For those that haven't seen it, I think this is the video of the Today Show segment. I'm not sure how much they show because it won't currently work on my computer.

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?f=00&g=91de782d-0c7c-491a-a0f7-8d7e829bc25b&t=m5&p=Source_Today%20Show - http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?f=00&g=91de782d-0c7c-491 a-a0f7-8d7e829bc25b&t=m5&p=Source_Today%20Show

Kramer wrote: Flea, buddy, not only did the stylist suggest the haircut, he suggested the donation to LOL. In this case it's gotta be open for discussion.

KramerGord, my man, let's skip ahead a bit and this is an honest question:  She cuts 10.5 inches of hair.  She has it in a braid.  Both are done deals.  What should she do with it?  Throw it away?  Auction it on eBay?  Donate it to LoL?  Donate it to WigsForKids?  Hang it from her rear view mirror?  What?

As for pressure to cut/donate at all, I'm sure the conversation went something like, "If we take a 6-8 inches off, the styles would work better.  But if you cut 10 inches, you could donate it to Locks of Love".  Which is, as I said before, a suggestion by the stylist.  Not born of hatred of long hair or a devious plan to allow her to start chopping away, but a suggestion.  One that could be ignored.

However, my point to Dave, and to you is that not every woman with super long hair is intimately attached to every inch of it, so a) cutting wasn't that big of a deal to her and b) cutting a little more wasn't that big of a deal to her.  My frustration in these conversations is that the folks that prefer long hair on the board seem to project their intense love of and need to protect every inch of all the long flowing locks they see onto anyone with long hair.  Whether that person has that deep attachment or not. 

What further baffles me is some of the reactions even within the long hair community itself.  We've all see the posts where someone will lament that they wanted 1 inch cut off and ended up losing 4 instead.  Amongst the offerings of sympathy and support, there is always the one poster that calls for the stylist to be drawn and quartered.  And not in jest either.  I'm not belittling the loss of six months worth of growth, but the violence and deep hatred those type of posts reveal bothers me.

And don't think I'm picking on that group especially, as I give crap to everyone and get equally tired of reading the posts by folks whose opinion I can predict before they type a word.  Not saying that should dissuade anyone from posting; just pointing out (as I have before) that the most enjoyable threads to me are the ones where someone offers some insight or opinion that I may not have expected.

Bailing out of this thread...except to respond to Dave if he responds to me,

JF

Well, I watched the video (didn't see it earlier).  Whether the stylist made a suggestion or not (isn't that what stylist do - I know they do with my wife).  If you watch the video, she definately did not seem in the least upset she lost 10.5".  I was waiting for bare knuckle grip on the chair or tears or fleeing....the way some of you made it sound.  I always ask my wife (she cuts my hair) what style she likes, how she thinks I should wear it....but I'm sure this won't satisfy many of you...let's try it another way. What if the girl had real short hair and the stylist wanted to use massive extensions.  How many of you would be "complaining" about the abusive power of the stylist?

Just a thought...why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends....

DaveDecker wrote: Hi Carmichael, BTW JF, I like your style of "arguing" better than that of many people, Hal.

If I had feeling, that my have hurt them...lol 

DaveDecker wrote: Interesting shirt analogy.  On one level, it makes sense.  On another, it doesn't.  So what if the deal to try on this new shirt was that you had to give up the old shirt, and continue wearing the new shirt every day (presumably laundered daily ), but after a day or a week or whatever you decided that you really didn't like this shirt, that you preferred the previous shirt.  But wait, the deal was that you couldn't have that shirt back (let's say, for 2 years).  Now how do you feel about the deal?  Like it was a rather cr@ppy deal.

Yes, but that also assumes that if I didn't like the new shirt that there is no other new shirt that I would like and the only way I'll be happy is to get my old shirt back.  And it's not like I can't get it back, it will just take a while.  The question then becomes that if the only way I can ever try a new shirt is to get rid of the old one, is it worth denying myself those possibilities to retain my old comfortable shirt?  Some would say yes, some would say no, and still others would say this shirt analogy has gotten entirely out of control.

DaveDecker wrote: You wear your hair a certain way.  I might guess that you like to keep it about the same length year after year (not that there's anything wrong with that.  The same goes for those who have any particular length of hair, including long).  So to maintain that length, you make a mental note (or don't, since it's almost instinctive) to get a trim of your short hairstyle every 6 weeks.  So also might a woman whose hair is waist-length.  'Cause she wants to keep it at that length.

Actually I go every 3-4 weeks and generally because it starts to look bad.  But I get your point.

DaveDecker wrote: My point is that people can decide well enough on their own what length they want their hair to be.  People don't need suggestions.  I'm not saying they don't happen; rather, that they don't need to be honored.

And this is where we diverge.  I disagree with "people don't need suggestions" because that implies that any suggestion is an intrusion on their personal self-image and/or a violation of their rights.  If you and I were working a job where we were repairing the gearing on a conveyor belt system, I may suggest that you cut or put up your hair to keep it from potentially catching in the gears and getting ripped from your head or your head ripped from the rest of you.  Is that a suggestion you don't need?

If that's too obvious, then let's say that if we were hanging out and I mentioned that, given your features and hair texture, you'd have a cool "rock god" look going if you cut your hair to between your shoulders and mid-back and added some layering.  Just my opinion, throwing it out there, you can take it or leave it.  Doesn't make me think any more or less of you for taking or not taking my suggestion.  As you said, it's up to you to choose to actually do something based on it.

Now, if I berated you about it daily, that would be different...

DaveDecker wrote: BTW JF, I like your style of "arguing" better than that of many people, Hal.

Thanks.  And I know that Hal would be happier if we just understood that most women look better with a banged and layered flippy bob.

As usual,

JF

Seems to me that the conveyor belt analogy is accurate but very exagerrated. The person making either suggestion, about hair or conveyor, is only stating an opinion as to what they think would make the other person's life better even in some small way.

DaveDecker wrote: Hardly a violation of rights.  Rather, I believe that the impetus for the most meaningful changes come from within.

Not arguing that.  And who said we were talking life altering change?  That's part of my point.  Simply that every person with really long hair isn't immediately going to break down if they receive a suggestion to cut it or be permanently damaged if they do.  Just saying that for most folks, the hair follicles aren't tied directly to the soul.

JF

Which hairstyle did she choose?

Maybe Katie can get the 10-plus inches of wasted hair and use it as extensions.

Found this interesting strand on The Long Hair Site:

http://members4.boardhost.com/tlhs/msg/128915.html - http://members4.boardhost.com/tlhs/msg/128915.html

Kramer wrote: Found this interesting strand on The Long Hair Site: http://members4.boardhost.com/tlhs/msg/128915.html - http://members4.boardhost.com/tlhs/msg/128915.html

From the Kramer-to-English Dictionary:

Main Entry: in·ter·est·ing
Pronunciation: 'in-t(&-)r&s-ti[ng]; 'in-t&-"res-, 'in-"tres-; 'in-t&rs-
Function: adjective
: One-sided and/or inflammatory : rehashing of a previous argument adding no new insight and solely for the sake of provocation

As usual,

JF

OK. Alert the media.

What took you so long? Did you go on the honeymoon with the Today Show bride and groom?

Oh man, what a grouch. Perhaps you need another vacation.

If anybody sees any other photos of Sarah Raley and her gorgeous strands of hair, please post them.

Sarah would laugh if she could see the discussion about her hair!  I am Sarah's cousin, and I live in Baltimore.  I discovered this thread as I was googling information about their wedding (I am making a scrap book for her).  Sarah made the decision on her own to cut the 10 inches off.  She made it clear that she was willing to part with a portion of it but not all of her length.  Mark was very supportive to whatever she wanted to do.  She also figured that if she was going to get her hair cut, it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to have Louis Licari do it.  Sarah has a beautiful, thick, heavy, natural wave in her hair (seriously, she could do Pantene commercials - I'm jealous!), so that's why it looks shorter.  The week they did the reveal for the hairstyle, Sarah actually hid her hair in a bun so everyone would be surprised to know if she cut it - including her mother!  Sarah looks beautiful no matter how she wears her hair, but I do like the shorter length.  Now you see Sarah and not the hair.  She also wanted to make sure that whatever hairstyle was chosen, the dress would be visible.  When she tried the wedding gowns on in New York on the day of the reveal (Sarah, her mother, my mother, our grandmother, and I went to New York for the reveal) her hair got caught in the dresses.  The dress that was chosen had such beautiful detail that Sarah wanted to make sure it would be visible.  It's a good thing America chose the updo.  It was so humid the day of the wedding - even at 6am in the morning!  The last thing she would have needed was her hair sticking to her face while trying to balance in the gown (it was heavy!). 

So there you have it.  Someone who knows Sarah and can testify that she alone made the decision to lop off 10 inches and donate it to Locks of Love. 

ErinAshley

Rod wrote: I'm sorry that you stumbled onto this site. Some people feel a sense of ownership of her and her hair because it was so long. It's her hair and doesn't belong to those of us on a message board. She's not a celebrity. How she wears her hair from now on should be up to her.

DO NOT apologize for me, Rod. I think I introduced the topic of Sarah's hair. And I disagree with your assessment that she is not a celebrity. When you go on national television and get married, you become an instant celebrity. Sarah's hair is perfect for this thread.  Aren't there 60-some responses so far?

As a lover of long hair, I stand by the disappointment of having to watch Sarah's hair cut on national TV. I accept that it was her idea to do it and appreciate her cousin's insight on it (although I still have my doubts about Locks of Love and their factory full of hair). But I remain hopeful that Sarah will grow it longer and longer just the same.

By the way, I, too, voted for the updo. She was a stunning bride -- and I'm sure that sentiment was echoed across America.

If you show this to Sarah and Mark, please let her know we're not crazy, just very passionate to the topic.

Have no fear, Sarah would be delighted at the thread!  Although she enjoyed her long hair, as far as I know, she is not planning on growing her hair back to that length.  I know that it was a decision she had a really hard time making, but was glad that she did it.  Like she says, it's not every day or every person that has the chance to have Louis Licari do your hair.  Sarah's had the long length for several years and had said that the whole reason she was growing it out was to donate it to Locks of Love.  She just never got around to it until now!  She went regularly to her hair dresser in St. Mary's County to get it highlighted and trimmed which is why it looked so good.  Honestly, I have never seen anyone with long hair that looked as nice as hers - and it's not because I'm partial!  I've noticed that most long, long hair starts to get long and stringy at the ends.  Hair grows faster and better the more it's trimmed (at least that's what my dresser says).    Anyway, Sarah's enjoying being able to put her hair up without it feeling like a brick on her head!  When she and Mark honeymooned in the Maldives, her luggage got lost (it was at the airport the whole time!) and she had only one pony tail holder (her hairbrush and the like were in her luggage, of couse), which broke during her and Mark's private yoga lesson...and that was only day 2 of the trip.  It wasn't like Mark could help her out any in the hair accessory department, least of all a hair brush!

ErinAshley

She's had it super long for the past 3 years or 4 years if I remember correctly.  As for growing it out, her hair seems to grow pretty fast - probably two years?  She used to have it in a cute shag cut, and then grew it out to just past her shoulders, and then the next time we saw her it was long.  Actually, I had just chopped my waist length hair off and not long after, Sarah started to grow her out. So it's been within the past 5 or 6 years that she's had the long hair.