What I saw on Oprah.
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URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=13613
Printed Date: September 30 2025 at 9:54pm
Topic: What I saw on Oprah.
Posted By: gigi
Subject: What I saw on Oprah.
Date Posted: January 12 2000 at 2:14am
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I have been thinking a lot about something I noticed on the Oprah show last week. I think it was a re-run and the show was about "Lightning love," or some such thing. Anyway, there were several couples in the audience sharing their story, and as they did, the camera would cut away to a picture of them when they were newly married. Every single one of the women had long hair in the dating or newly married pictures and every one had short hair presently. I never would have even noticed this before I became hair obsessed, but now I wonder if there is some cultural thing going on here? My husband says it is just because they probably have kids and don't have time anymore to fuss with their hair. I wonder though. I have had short hair all of my life so now that I am getting long the whole issue of hair length just fascinates me, it is like a whole other world.
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Replies:
Posted By: KAREN
Date Posted: January 12 2000 at 2:15am
Hi Gigi,What you noticed is actually known by many hairstylists. I have talked to several about this phenomenon. It seems that women do tend to grow their hair longer in anticipation of their weddings and that after the wedding, they go back to shorter hair. It is also true that once women have children they have a tendency to cut it shorter or even short.I have had at least 10 different friends and acquaintences cut their hair after having their first child. It is a number of factors. They want a new look, a new image. They want less fuss and muss with their hair, they don't want a baby pulling on it etc etc etc.There is also a similar thing that happens with women who graduate from college and get a job. Somehow they feel that long hair is not "professional" so they get it all cut off.Many women equate cutting their hair with "changing their image" from bride to wife, student to professional, from sex symbol to serious woman, etc.It is very interesting to watch and many stylists can tell you all the different cycles that seem to trigger the need for women to get their hair cut.Thanks for sharing that. Very interesting to watch.Best wishes,Karen> I have been thinking a lot about something> I noticed on the Oprah show last week. I think> it was a re-run and the show was about "Lightning> love," or some such thing. Anyway, there> were several couples in the audience sharing their> story, and as they did, the camera would cut away> to a picture of them when they were newly married.> Every single one of the women had long hair in> the dating or newly married pictures and every> one had short hair presently. I never would have> even noticed this before I became hair obsessed,> but now I wonder if there is some cultural thing> going on here? My husband says it is just because> they probably have kids and don't have time anymore> to fuss with their hair. I wonder though. I have> had short hair all of my life so now that I am> getting long the whole issue of hair length just> fascinates me, it is like a whole other world.>
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TAKE CARE WITH YOUR HAIR!
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Posted By: Stephen
Date Posted: January 12 2000 at 2:15am
There may be another reason. Anybody can grow their hair, but it takes a lot more courage to cut it. When you and your stylist shape your hair, you make a statement: look at me! This is what I stand for! This requires a maturity. You have to know what image you want to project; you have to able to communicate that to your hairdresser. This is not easy as a client in a salon is at a discadvantage: she sits in a chair in a shapeless cape with colours and texture chosen by some one else. Your stylist wears what (s)he fancied putting on that morning and stands there armed with ferocious looking implements. Is it a wonder that few young people can do that. They take the easy way out and grow their hair. Bravo to each woman that takes on her hairdresser against the odds and appears from under the cape looking good and feeling inches taller! And I certainly understand why you need to be mature before you can do so.
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Posted By: Dawn
Date Posted: January 12 2000 at 2:15am
Whoa. There are lots of reasons for cutting your hair, the foremost of which should be because you want to, because that's how you like it. But equating mental and emotional maturity with the act of letting someone cut your hair off is just beyond ridiculous. That post was a joke right? Just something to irk people huh? It worked, Stephen, because I think your reasoning is illogically irritating in the extreme!The fantastically immature and proudly scissor-phobic,Dawn
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Posted By: Dave
Date Posted: January 12 2000 at 2:15am
Hi Stephen,> Anybody can grow their hair, but it takes a lot more courage to cut it.You know Stephen, from what I've seen and heard and experienced myself, I think the opposite is true. It takes guts to go against conventional "wisdom" and with one's own conviction to grow and wear long hair. Yup, (relatively) short hair for women has become quite conventional.> When you and your stylist shape your hair, you make a> statement: look at me! This is what I stand for!Shaping is one thing. Lopping is another.> This requires a maturity. You have to know what image you want to project;> you have to able to communicate that to your hairdresser.True no matter what one's choice.> This is not easy as a client in a salon is> at a discadvantage: she sits in a chair in a shapeless cape with colours and> texture chosen by some one else. Your stylist wears what (s)he fancied putting> on that morning and stands there armed with ferocious looking implements. Is> it a wonder that few young people can do that. They take the easy way out and> grow their hair.I dunno, Stephen. You presume that those who have long hair have it because they are afraid of the salon insted of because they want it to be long.> Bravo to each woman that takes on her hairdresser against the odds> and appears from under the cape looking good and feeling inches taller!You've depicted a rather adversarial relationship. And presumed that the stylist has counseled in favor of keeping it long, against a given client's wishes to go shorter? So your wish to encourage these women to go shorter is unnecessary as that is already what they want? Even if it were the other way around, where the stylist was counseling in favor of cutting, against the wishes of the client to keep it long, why would you (or the stylist, for that matter) argue with the client's wishes? I don't think I understand your point.Dave
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David M Squires
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