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Hello everyone, I'm fairly new to this site and have been following the opinions on short vs. long hair. Let me state what I think is an underlying reason for this earthshaking controversy (just kidding)!It's true that both women and men with long hair encounter negativity about it, especially in the office workplace. With men, it's simple. Just don't do it. The age-old prohibition against long hair males is alive and well in professional America. For women it's a bit more complicated. Long hair on women is expected to be kept under control to give a "professional" look - there is a reason for this and it's driven by men. Although I've never seen statistics on this, I have always believed that most (not all!!) men find long hair sexually attractive on women, and therein lies the problem.Big business is still dominated by males (not advocating, just a fact) and in the sexually sterile environment of most offices, a long haired female stands out in a way that many men can't resist. They become distracted, often flirtatious (hope I spelled that right), and sometimes aggressive. If they have supervisory authority, then things get really serious. Do you think Monica Lewinsky would have had her 15 minutes of fame if she had a buzz cut? I think not!All this serves to create friction among the troops, both male and female, so the answer has traditionally been to get rid of the temptation. What a message that is! A few of us men can't control our impulses, so we try to create an environment that visually neutralizes everyone.Personally, I look forward to a day when this isn't necessary. When people can appreciate the great variation in other peoples' appearance, with hair length being a prime example. I think it would also defuse the office situation if women and men are allowed more, not less, freedom of expression. Will that day ever come? Probably not in my lifetime, but I can dream can't I??Great site Karen and Jeff! Thanks!
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