Jennifer, if you want to debate long hair vs. short hair the Hair Politics board would seem the more appropriate place. This is a Short Hair board, not a Knock Short Hair board.
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I’m not sure it’s extremely easy to chop hair. Many girls are raised to think long hair is the ideal of femininity out there. There are a lot of emotions tied to hair length and the decision for some women isn’t easy. More than once I've heard women talk about having the guts to go short.
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With some long hair is about laziness. With long hair, a woman can just put her hair into a ponytail and go out for the day. She doesn’t have to think about styling it or spending the time to gel, blow dry, or get it just right.
Or the reason may be inertia and a lack of imagination. Or a belief that men won’t find them attractive with short hair. It isn’t patience and dedication with all women. I love long hair on women that take the time to style it and wear it down. I know quite a few who just tie it back in a ponytail. What’s the point of long hair if you don’t do anything to make it look good?
<< You’d have to agree that very few women today allow their hair to grow long>>
I consider long below the shoulders and I see plenty of women with long hair. I’d hazard to guess at least half.
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Excuses? You had short hair and now have long hair. You give your reasons for liking long hair better. I think they are giving their reasons too.
DaveDecker’s post: << There is no doubt that magazine editors in recent past decades did frequently promote short haircuts in terms that seemed merely regurgitated by Headboy ("adventure," "confidence," "modern" being the primary adjectives).>>
Dave, for brevity I’ll respond to both posts together.
Long hair is perceived as more feminine, so a woman is perceived as more confident in her femininity if she’s willing to wear a less feminine haircut. She can’t hide behind her hair. Of course magazine editors are going to preach change. No one wants to read a magazine that tells you to do nothing. Women already know that. Women want to read magazines that show them options to do with their life, whether these options are about relationships, career, or beauty.
Again, I don’t know where Headboy got his opinions.
<< Unlike you … I don't believe every woman should try short and long hair at least once in her life. I believe each woman should decide for herself whether or not she wants to try either.>>
Of course she should decide for herself. I think life is more exciting when you really live it. Change jobs periodically. Change careers or at least investigate doing so. Travel. Take a night course. Do volunteer work. Buy clothes you wouldn’t normally buy, but a friend recommends to you. I understand being adventurous isn’t for everyone, but I think everyone benefits from having someone encourage them to be adventurous. Whether you take that advice is up to you.
Tina, I'm so sorry that you feel so threatened by me!! I know that you've personally thrown vicious attacks to me in the past, but I certainly hope you've worked over your anger.
>>>Jennifer, if you want to debate long hair vs. short hair the Hair Politics board would seem the more appropriate place.
If you'll read my post and that of Dave Decker's, I'm really not. But the reasons for enjoying short hair seem to have nothing to do with the length. I think it has far more to do with aesthetics.
What's "cute?" What's "sexy?"
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Again, the reasons for enjoying short hair could also be applied to long hair.
>>>Many girls are raised to think long hair is the ideal of femininity out there.
Perhaps, but that doesn't stop the majority of them from cutting their hair off.
>>>>What’s the point of long hair if you don’t do anything to make it look good?
I agree wholeheartely. There are many women whom (I think) simply do not look good in longer hair. No matter what the length, a woman should feel confident enough about it to want to look her best.
DaveDecker
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First, a compliment to you. Though our opinions on the appeal of hair lengths are not exactly the same , I always like reading what you post because you write with clarity, thoughtfulness, and more.
A brief comment on your latest response to me... yes, I agree, the magazine editors preach change, because change is indirectly good for their bottom line. Besides, things (in general) are always changing, so they can't lose, whether or not they push (oops, I might be slipping off into a politics train of thought there).
Also, you wrote, "Change jobs periodically." As if we have a choice? LOL. The grass is not always greener. And, there is good and bad in just about any job. Thankfully, the job I have now is really good.
And I agree with Tina the latest exchange would be best discussed on the Hair Politics board. I regret to say that I may have helped nudge the conversation off on that tangent. Sorry!
Okay, I'm heading back to the LH board... happy posting SH fans...
To Dave ,...his idea of a short haircut for himself would be waist length hair-(tee hee)-.-(actually Dave has great hair!)-.
I like both very long and very short styles on men AND women,-(and "in between hairstyles")- that is why I like to read and post on both the long and short haired boards. I love the variety! Same with jewelry and clothes, I like variety! That's fashion!
Dave, thanks for the compliment. No reason to leave. If you have insight and advice that is beneficial to short haired women, do so. After all, I'm not a short-haired woman either.
I do prefer short hair, but I can appreciate gorgeous long hair. [Can you appreciate gorgeous short hair?] I have many long haired friends, two of whom I'll mention.
My friend Michelle has the most gorgeous head of long hair. She usually wears it to her shoulder blades, but grew it to her bra strap. It looked even better. She got some layers cut into her hair and it was too short. She didn't like it and I can't say I did. She's since grown it back to her shoulder blades.
Michelle has talked about cutting her hair short since I met her. She's never had short hair, but she doesn't want a chin length cut. She says that if she went shorter than her shoulders she would get it "over the ears boy short." She talks about it a lot, but has never cut it. Now, I'd just love to see her in short hair. She has a gorgeous face. It would be a shame to cut it, and I've told her that.
My friend Allison has hair to the middle of her back. She's had long hair forever and is stuck in a rut. She's talked about going short for over a year, and she admits she needs a change. I'll admit I'm a nudger. I love hair on women. It's the sexiest part. So, I've been nudging her a little bit. She wants to go short, but she's been chicken. She hasn't cut it so far. She should keep it this long or go chin length. When I met her she had in between lengths. They don't work with her.
Kuroneko
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*peers in to make sure it's calmed down a bit before posting not to be seen as taking sides* Personally, I feel like short hair is an expression of freedom, as it's only been in the past century or so since women have felt empowered enough to cut their hair. It's been used in the past like a political statement, as of demanding equality or thumbing one's nose at long-held ideas of what a woman should be. I think that's a major reason why short hair is so sexy to me, because of the history and symbolism behind it. Long hair, to me, seems to symbolise keeping women in old-fashioned roles and expectations, which is part of why I'm so completely adverse to it. Probably sounds stupid to most people, though. *hides in the corner out od embarrassment and fear of attack*
Jennifer
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Personally, I feel like short hair is an expression of freedom, as it's only been in the past century or so since women have felt empowered enough to cut their hair.
Actually, from what I've read in history books, there were periods of time when women did wear short hair.
Taken from the book, "Daring Dos," by Mary Trasko, I quote,
The short, classically-inspired "Titus Cut" remained popular from the turn of the 18th century through the 1830s and reflected a freedom hitherto unknown for women, although its opponents criticized its too-masculine look as being against the laws of nature.
There is an illustration of the style, and it looks relatively similar to a modern day pixie.
Aesthetics can be argued endlessly, but I just wanted to share that it hasn't only been in the last century when women wore short hair.
Oh, and to answer the original question, to me, short hair is anything above the shoulders or that which can't be easily put into a ponytail.
HeadBoy
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I go away for a few days and look what happens. :-)
DaveDecker is of course entitled to his opinion, much as we all are. I was just trying to be whimsical, and thankfully, most everyone caught that point.
For the record, I was not influenced by women's magazine editors. Being an editor myself, I know all too well how full of you know what we as a group can be!
I was influenced by Dorothy Hammil, Louise Brookes, Terry Hatcher and Persis Khambata (the bald alien character in Star Trek: The Motion Picture). There are several others too.
Mostly, it probably stems from a 7th grade when I had a wild crush on a neighbor named Patty. She was heaven-sent and friendly, the most attractive girl in my then tiny world. One summer she cut her hair from mid-back to her chin. Now, 27 years later, her hair has ranged to various lengths (usually above the collar) and she is still a delight to talk to and know. The crush turned to friendship, which has weathered plenty. Back to the point though –- It is most likely her kindness and the fact that she ooozed everything I wanted in a girl at an impressionable age that started this attraction.
I've traveled the world and seen cultures as vast and unique as there are in this world. Hair seems quite possibly one of the least interesting aspects of going to Europe, Australia, Japan, Canada, Mexico and various places in South America.
I don't wish to slam Jennifer, she is of a totally different opinion than I and we have discussed it often and I honestly like the woman. Short hair was a mistake for her. Shaving my head was an interesting experiment for me that I most likely won't repeat. But the world is a large place and it has plenty of room for opinions as varied as all of ours.
I do get a bit tired of the long haired advocates coming over to this board and trying to tell those of us that prefer short hair how wrong we are or how misinformed we are.
News flash -- We are quite capable of having a preference of our own. I'll only speak for myself, I find the nape of a woman and exposed ears far more attractive than hair hanging mid-back. No amount of bullyragging or ballyhoo will switch that. A wise woman once suggested "Save your head, not your legs," I'm not quite *that* militant. I do, however, stand with my opinions as my own and not the result of any magazine editor's plot to undo the world order by suggesting short hair is sexier or long hair is superior.
I hold the opinion that short hair on a woman is a combination of personal choice and style. A style I happen to prefer. A style I have a weakness for. Will short hair ever become the dominant style among women? I don't know, I'm just a guy from San Diego with a penchant for pixies and swingy bobs.
I've been blessed by God above with a wife that prefers short hair for herself, three children to love and dote on and the ability to know I'm one of the luckiest people in the world. Not because of my affection for short hair, that's just a small part of any of us on this board. My personal taste, any of ours really, does not make us superior or inferior people. It does, however, make us who we are.
What is short hair? Wasn't that the initial question? Well, apparently, that answer has changed since the world began. It will again.
*shrugs* I guess hair is a very cultural thing. Should've been more specific in my reply, for sure. I know there have been certain cultures or religions that have allowed short hair on women for a long time now, but I was being too narrow, like a lot of history books, focusing too much on Christian Europe and all. And for sure, they've been frowning on women in short hair for all those centuries. It's been ages since I read it, but there was a book about the history of hairstyles, and though I did see a time or two women tried to make fashions of short hair before this last century, it said the church would publicly denounce it and try to discourage women from doing it. But even as recently as the 1920s, it was being discouraged, though I don't know that they brought religion into it so much by then. *shrugs* It really hasn't been that long women could do it without causing trouble, though, at least in the Christian world.
tina m wrote:
I've read some history.
Short hair on women has actually been around for many centuries.
Certain tribes of African women have always had short hair or shaved heads.
At times in ancient Egypt men and women shaved their heads and wore wigs.
Certain classes of women in ancient Greece and the Mediterranean wore short hair.
Some women in East Asia and India wore short hair or had shaved heads for religious reasons.
The list goes on and on.
When it comes to fashion very little is new, we just think it's new!
I didn't think this board was specifically for women with short hair. I thought it was for anyone with short hair....
......we have long-haired guys as regular posters (and Mod) on the Long Hair board. I would not want them to be discluded on the basis that they are not female.
I know that the Men's Hair board is a specific hang-out for guys, that's cool. Surely the focus of the Short Hair and Long Hair boards should be the hair, not the gender.
I agree with Uzma Jeffrey, I like the men who write here. Anyone with any length of hair, male or female should be able to write here.
No offense Jeffrey but women are sex objects to men and visa versa. That really can't be helped and hairstyles is part of that-(along with other aspects of a lady)-.
I don't mind what the guys are saying here and I have chatted with all the guys who write here, as have the other women who write here , and most of these guys are good guys Jeffrey, they are nice to us and write interesting things on a variety of topics concerning short hair.
I don't mind being a sex object, I do the same with guys, that is just part of being human, you shouldn't try and stop that, it is one of the things that makes life-(and this board)- fun!!!
We have written all kinds of things about short hair on this board. If we try and stifle or limit what the men who write in here can say about short haired women, the board will just die, which would be too bad because many of us like this board.
All of the guys who have written on this thread and who write here; - Rod, Headboy, Brent, Tony9999, Dave Decker and others have been very cool to the women here. I like this board the way it is. I hope you don't limit what the men can say here about short haired women. I personally enjoy the compliments.
tina
uzma
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I stand corrected. My statement should have been people with short hair. However, the main point was that the focus of the board should not be short hair worship.
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