How long is long?

When you think of hair, how long is "long" to you?

Many media sources consider "long" to be just below shoulder length. Sure, that length is long when compared to a pixie. But can just below shoulder length really be considered long when hair can grow as long as knee-length or longer?

I don't really start to think hair is long until it is about mid-back, and when it's to the waist, that's when hair is truly long (in my eyes) -- at least, for women. For men, it's a much shorter length. Even something near shoulder length on a man seems long to me.

So, what are your thoughts on the subject?

Dave:
So many men and women wear their hair at or above the shoulders today that past the shoulders probably is considered long.
A man or woman with hair as long as your Dave is usually considered "super" long or "ultra' long.

Brent wrote: Dave: So many men and women wear their hair at or above the shoulders today that past the shoulders probably is considered long. A man or woman with hair as long as your Dave is usually considered "super" long or "ultra' long.

This demonstrates the basic difference that perception makes.

From my somewhat unique perspective, I can differentiate between short, medium and long based on hair's growth potential.

From the perspective of what John and Jane Q. Public, when they see hair that is longer than most other people have, that is what they think of as "long," (just past shoulder length), even though it's vastly different than my perspective.

"Long" and "short" are relative terms anyway, but it's interesting to note the large discrepancy, based on one's valid perspective, that can be ascribed to the vague description that is "long."

I wonder if this perception changes with the height of the person.

Of course, a taller person with waist-length hair is going to have more hair than a shorter person with waist-length hair.

But does the perception of "long" change when you're looking at people of different heights?

My opinion is that hair finally becomes long when it takes time to detangle, and you have to do this several times a day, or else it threatens to become a real problem. On me, this would be about mid-back to waist length, but then I'm tall and have a long torso. I didn't start measuring my hair until a GM stylist did it for me when it was 54 inches long! I'd never thought of measuring my hair before then, and still today I don't measure often, maybe 2-3 times per year.

Jennifer Eve