Jennifer, I'm with you. I like men to be strong, protective, and /masculine/. Long hair can be part of this look, but rollers just smack of cross-dressing.
There's nothing /wrong/ with a man using rollers in his hair (or cross dressing, for that matter!), but I think it's offputting to most women. I couldn't take someone seriously as a lover if I knew he did that.
Ally
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I don't come here nearly as often as I used to, but hre, you have made some excellent, thought-provoking points here. Your hierarchical theory astounded me, and you have a keen sense into the gender inequalities down through time, remaining still today.
There isn't anything inherently feminine or masculine about curling hair, wearing lace, skirts, makeup, stockings or high heels. It's all due to intense conditioning from birth that modern westerners associate these behaviors with only women. However, in ages past, just like with long hair, all the above so-called "feminine" decorations were regularly worn by the male gender, and without so much as a second glance from the equally-frilled female gender (except when the ladies found the gents attractive!). In fact, long, long ago, Viking warriors tied their beautiful long braids with ribbons prior to battle! History always provides explanations to frustrate misguided modern-day preconceptions.
For what it is worth, the present "system" actually works just fine for me. I am essentially lazy. I comb my short masculine hair when I get out of the shower and my hair styling is done for the day. My hair is the generic male style and has been essentially the same for the last twenty years (except for these grey "highlights" that are taking over). I wear clothes. If it is cold I hear a heavier shirt. If it is hot I wear a light shirt. When you are a guy this is considered perfectly normal. No one tells you to do something different with your style because you look outdated. There is no pressure to change the color of my hair. No reason to waste time painting my face in the morning etc etc. Yes, it is boring. I think guys are boring but that too is considered normal. My wife seems to think I'm cute and while I don't really understand why I'll take it.
While it works for me as a guy though, it doesn't change my belief that the fact that "feminine" things are demeaning to to males in our society while "masculine" things are not demeaning to women is a symptom of an underlying misogyny. I wonder if in the days when it was NOT OK for women to imitate men in so many ways if there was more of an "equivalence" between the sexes than there is today with the sexes striving for "equality". I wasn't alive then and I think it is very hard to see previous times without a modern day bias.
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If it really makes you feel masculine, by all means, play with the rollers, make-up, skirts, and high heels!! I sincerely respect your right to play "beauty shop" but find it terribly feminine. And FWIW, I don't want equality with men. Men and women are different. Period. Neither is superior, but we're simply not the same. Women used to be respected, but since we threw off our bras and chopped off our hair, it's been downhill. We want to be treated like men, but when we are, we scream HARASSMENT!! I don't want to be treated like a man! I personally like the big brotherly, chivalric treatment that men give ladies. And, sorry to offend, but my knight in shining armor wouldn't be caught dead with his hair in rollers, wearing women's clothing! Ah, but to each his own. {grin}
Another interesting question. I think this falls into the same category as why it is generally socially unacceptable in the US for men to wear skirts, dresses, wear makeup, paint their nails, have traditionally female names etc while it is OK for women to have short spikey haircuts, wear men's clothes and name their daughters Alex, Blair, Kyle etc..
This is not my idea but I think it makes sense. We have a hierarchy that goes something like : plants, animals, children, women, men, God. It is OK to imitate up the scale but unacceptable to imitate down. We tell children not to act like animals, young adults not to act like children and boys not to act like girls. The women's movement won women the right to imitate men but the fact that it is still socially unacceptible for men to imitate women in many ways is a sign that women are still looked down upon in our society.
When the time comes that setting your hair in rollers if that is your style does not raise any more eyebrows than a woman getting a short spikey haircut arrives, it will be a sign that men and women have achieved some sort of equality.
I think roller sets are a wonderful method of styling, and people tend to believe that there is too much stigma associated roler setting, Iam a 30 year old straight male who has enjoyed many a roller set over time, I think that the greatest joy is when you see the shock on a female hairdressers face when a male who is over walks into a cosy little salon and asks for a shampoo and set, after all if girls can enjoy short spiky haircuts what is the difference?.
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