Thoughts on long hair

People in love with period clothing, historical romance, medieval dance and/or re-creation, roleplaying, vampires, etc. I'll throw comic books in here too.

I wonder if that is why a lot of the lingerie catalogues like showing a long hair woman wearing lingerie. Not everyone that is in love with historical has long hair. I haven't seen a vampire lately have you? lol ( Diane)

* Women from extremely conservative walks of life (very often Christian, Mormon, or Seikh, or from the deep South, Appalachia, or Utah).

I been to utah and seen many many short hair ladies . I guess times have change. Do you have a specific Christian religion in mind that seems to have a lot of long hair ladies because I am Christian and that doesn't ring a bell.( Diane)

* Men and women from extremely liberal walks of life (Goths, performing artists, Wiccans, health junkies, anyone with lifestyle in which it's a status boon to look as different as possible).

Well I don't know who knows mabye our modern day Wiccans have middle length hair. It is not like those people come up and say here I am and here is my hair length. ( Diane)

Buns are convenient, but they almost always scream "old fashioned" and "dowdy."
there goes our ballirina look. Buns are also seen as very elegant. ( Diane)

Always love your funny replies Ally

I'm jumping in a little late here--hopefully not /too/ late. :)

It's always been my impression that when people maintain a specific "look," they do so with specific inspiration. Generally they have a role model or theme in mind.

In my experience, these are the kinds of people who wear long hair:

* People in love with period clothing, historical romance, medieval dance and/or re-creation, roleplaying, vampires, etc. I'll throw comic books in here too.

* Musicians/music fans of certain genres (heavy metal, alternative).

* Women from extremely conservative walks of life (very often Christian, Mormon, or Seikh, or from the deep South, Appalachia, or Utah).

* Men and women from extremely liberal walks of life (Goths, performing artists, Wiccans, health junkies, anyone with lifestyle in which it's a status boon to look as different as possible).

* Models.

* People who are emulating a movie star, film role, or actual person who has impressed them.

Obviously everyone can't be pigeonholed, but I think anyone with long hair will admit that one or more of these factors plays a part in their preference.

The way long hair is perceived on a person depends on what that person looks like otherwise. If the person is generally unfit and unkempt, the long hair will be seen as the result of lazy grooming or inattention to her appearance.

If a woman with long hair wears it unstyled and dresses in modest, frowsy, dull-colored outfits, she will be perceived as conservative and housewife-ish. Buns are convenient, but they almost always scream "old fashioned" and "dowdy."

Hair is an accessory like anything else. Like my red miniskirt. If I pair my red minskirt with combat boots and an anorak, I look very hip and Greenwich Village. I wear the same red miniskirt with argyle tights, a sweater set, and Mary Janes, I look young and preppy. If I wear it with stiletto heels.....well, you get the picture.

Ally

I do not agree with your statement. For some ladies,long
hair is an important part of their female identity.
As a man, I think long hair can provide a very brilliant
enhancement of the female identity. In my area,where I
live, some ladies consider long hair an important part
of their female identity,and feel good about the artistic
enhancement their long hair gives them. I am taking notice
of the fact that there is some increase in ladies over
age 40,that are growing waist length hair,and very happy
and feel very good about the patience,they took to grow
long hair.
Then there are some other ladies,who look upon their hair
as trouble some appendage,who do not care about their
hair,but might miss out on the brilliant enhancement
long hair could be,for them.

Hi PD,

I have to admit a personal prejudice and preference: With rare exception, I think longer hair is more feminine on women. It doesn't have to be super long, either. However, I've also seen people with long hair that unfortunately has been largely ignored. The same holds true for short hair, but with long hair, there's simply more of it, so it's more noticeable. And unfortunately, many people look at hair like that and think, "Yuck! Long hair is so messy and unkempt." It can be, but it doesn't have to be!

>>Now, I pose a few questions for those with long hair: if everyone wore their hair long, would you wear yours long too, or would you cut it, just to be different?

Until last summer, I had long hair and am currently growing it out. If I were the only one with long hair, I'd still want and wear mine long. If everyone else wore long hair, I'd still want and wear mine long. I may slightly amend the styling so I don't look like I'm stuck in a certain time period, but I would wear the style that looks best on me, and I'd wear the length long (about mid-back looks best on me).

>>How much of your identity does your long hair hold?

Honest answer? More than I'd care to admit. Hair is a simple covering on our heads and shouldn't make a difference in our identities. To many, it doesn't. To many, it does. I didn't realize just how much it did to me until I cut my hair short. But it wasn't an awful experience, as I did learn to concentrate on my other areas of identity and beauty. Also, the longer my hair grows, the more I appreciate it!

>>Do you feel that if you have long hair, you are obligated to show it off?

No, but I'm not really sure I understand the question.

>>What kinds of people usually have long hair, in terms of personality?

From my experience only, I've seen two kinds: Those who do not take care of it at all and also don't take very good care of the rest of their bodies -- bad teeth, overweight, and such. And the opposite -- those who take immaculate care of it and do show it off. For both situations -- I'm using examples of people with hair almost waist-length or longer.

Jennifer

Hi Dave,

Thanks for answering my message. Sure, I'll answer!

If everyone wore their hair long, I wouldn't cut my hair either. I like the feeling of it on my skin, and I really like the length. Besides, I think that short hair wouldn't suit my face.

I think that long hair does not affect personality (at least it doesn't affect mine), but sometimes, others try to read my personality by looking at my hair. People who don't know me seem to think that because I have long hair, I am weak, shy, not outgoing, old-fasioned, house-wifely...the list can go on. I get a little upset by this not because all of these qualities are bad, but because I am completely oposite of them.

On the other hand, I haven't cut my hair in 12 years, and I feel that if I lost all of my length, I would be loosing an important (but not essential) part of myself. I put so much effort and care into growing it out, that I think it would be an emotional shock to suddenly have short hair. This would not change my personality, but it would be hard emotionally.

People often tell me that since I have long hair, I should wear it down (I usually have it up in a bun). I think that a)no one has the right to tell me how I should wear my hair, b)I only put my hair down for special occasions or for special people, and c)I kinda like the fact that no one really knows what my hair looks like:)

As to what kinds of people have long hair, I agree with your statements. I would also add: people who are not afraid of the attention (both negative and positive) that long hair attracts. This doesn't mean that people wear long hair for the sake of attention, but when the attention is there, they are not afraid of it.

Take care,
PD

Why does long hair have to signify just one type of person ? I think both ways can be beautiful in their own way -- just like different looking people are attractive. Would you really want everybody to look the same ?

Now-a-days, truly long hair is a rare site. And whenever I do see long hair, it is usually worn by older ladies. I also noticed that my monthly dose of long hair sitings usually comes from the health food store, when I go to buy my vitamins and other goodies. And finally, I also noticed that these people (mostly women, but men too) do not take good care of their hair. They take special pride in using organic products and in going "natural," but their hair is full of split ends and breakage, and they rarely have trims. In other words, when we find our society stereotypically associating long hair with hippie-wana-be's, it is generally true, at least where I live.

At the same time, long hair is also a symbol of glamour, exotic beaty, femininity (sorry guys, but this is usually the case), and health. Yesterday I was flipping through a magazine, and I saw two different Pantene ads, where the models had thick, long, shiny, gorgeous red hair.

These two images of long hair clearly contradict each other. Society can't make up its mind about what long hair is supposed to symbolize. However, I think I can make out one similarity in these two contradictions: either way, whether un-taken-care-of or papmered, long hair is DIFFERENT.

Now, I pose a few questions for those with long hair: if everyone wore their hair long, would you wear yours long too, or would you cut it, just to be different? How much of your identity does your long hair hold? Do you feel that if you have long hair, you are obligated to show it off? What kinds of people usually have long hair, in terms of personality? I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to these questions-- but I would be interested in hearing your opinions.

PD