Long hair, Age and Walmart/Grocery store

I have seen many women in wal-mart/ grocer's w/ long hair.  Here are my thoughts:
I think that when people go to the mall, they generally want to look nice.   They know that they will be doing a lot of walking and they prepare their hair in a bun, twist it up, tuck it up in a french braid or wear a hat.  If they have long hair, they don't want it to get caught on racks, hangers or dressing room hooks.  People normally go to malls to buy clothing.  I think that women/men w/ long hair would not want to get it tangled when pulling sweaters over their heads or get it stuck in zippers. 
When my hair is pulled up, no one can really tell how long it is, so I think this is the same for others, too.

When people go to Wal-mart/grocer, they go up and down the aisles for food, mostly.  They won't be there too long, and if they will be, they won't be trying to impress.  This is why they probably wear hair down.  I think that grocery shopping can be strenuous because most women try to resist the temptations of buying unhealthy foods and such.  This is why they probably want to be comfortable when they shop.
BTW, I think this is a good hair topic, because it is encouraging to see women w/ hair like I want.  It gives me the strength not to cut.  Thanks for sharing insight on where to find more long haired buddies.  I will keep my eyes out the next time I go to the store!

-Char

I agree you do see a lot of long haired ladies at Wallmart,  I was at Disney with my sister, her husband and the 3 kids and saw a lady in the gift shop with hair down to her calfs.  That is something you don't see everyday,  just thought it was interesting.

Thanks, Erinlynn. You have really beautiful hair, I noticed. :)

Kris

In fact you hair is very pretty =)

*was actually at the Wal-mart today, so might as well answer despite being on the wrong side of the tracks* *laughs*
Yes, I do notice an unusual number of people with very long hair at the Wal-mart and other discount stores. I just kind of assumed it was a money thing-- they don't have a lot of money to spend on their hair, so they forgo haircuts and go where the shampoo and other hair products are cheap, to save money.
But it also might be a "cultural" thing, since I live in a very conservative, "Bible-Belt" area, where a lot of people have really old-fashioned views. Maybe they're just stuck on that bit in the bible about long hair being a woman's glory, so they're less likely to go for cuts than people in more liberal areas.

Very insightful comments, Viktoria.

Kris, not only can grow "that type of hair" someday, you will grow that type of hair someday.

Good question, Jacqui. The money or the short haircuts, which begets which? Sort of like trying to answer the question, "which came first -- the chicken or the egg?" We could guess that possession of the money enabled the "purchase" of the haircuts, but basic haircuts are extremely inexpensive (in other words, lack of funds don't preclude people from getting short haircuts). I think the hairstyles/lengths are more a matter of choices. Why these choices pan out as you notice, I still don't know.

Dave - You are right...I am in the wrong part of town!

I too notice this phenomenon of hair "districts" within certain stores in town. The Walmart is chock full of long haired women, while the Mall is more "trendy" and short. I attribute it to the money. I am making an observation here, not an opinion....I have noticed that the more affluent, the shorter the hair. This is, of course, in women of 30+...I am not sure why though....ANyone?jacqui

WEll this is a very funny thread because guess what! Over here we have some at Kmart, IGA grocery store doing demos and Costco.

Yes, I agree. I think this subject is very well chosen. I´m as obsessed with split ends and conditioner as the next guy on this sight, but sometimes it´s interesting to look beyond the actual hair and reflect on the long hair in society.

Fact is, in the western world, long hair is a very rare thing. As society is becoming more commercial, secular and people move around more, money becomes more important as the means to "buy oneself into" a tribe of ones choice. It´s all about looks and trends and manners. Long hair will never be a trend, it cannot be sold or bought or accuired in the short time that a trend lasts these days. Therefore, really long hair will often be percieved, even if not intended, as an upturned finger on group values and codes. And, as many participants on this forum and others relating to long hair have testified, there is hair related abuse going on in families, workplaces and elsewhere. Like in Simsons days, if your strength seems to be in your hair (beauty, confidence), that´s what controlling, power-needy people will try to take away from you.

I believe that "long hair sightings" and reflections on long haired people is us, in a way, looking for our "lost tribe". One must always try to figure out one´s place in the world and one´s place depends on where everybody else is. Long haired people will check out long haired people as much as Chevrolet lovers will check out each other´s cars. In a spiritual sense, we may even be looking for ourselves. Or maybe it´s just support.

Hm, I´m thinking about this, beeing a long way from any of the american states. I´m also a thrift shopper... And I shop at Willy´s, a best-price food chain. I live for my books and my art.

I once had a friend studying at a university in southern Sweden saying that you can tell from the way students dress and wear their hair, what subjects they major in. Well, here, every student wears goretex, to keep warm! But maybe hair, as well as other aspects of the way we look is somehow slightly class related. For example, in Piteå, the neighbouring town, there are a lot more pricy clothing stores, because it´s a more "bourgoise" town, where people have worked in trade, rather than at the steel plant, like us in Luleå. Maybe one could say something about different hair fashions as well, maybe hairdressers have a theory on this.