The very long hair fashion

[Emery.]

Is it just my impression or about every woman 30 years old or younger has really long hair? Why? Just because? And dress the same. The fashion is so uniform.

[Luftschlosseule]

A few years ago I heard the theory that there is a correlation between women's hairstyles and economy. If the economy is bad, women cut their hair short and favor platinum blonde, but then they let it grow out as their situation gets better. Also, they suggested that skirts tend to get shorter when bad things arise.

Don't know what's in it. Sounds so absurd that it may be true.

I dislike people that look like the current fashion suggests, because everybody tends to look the same. Creepy.

It's not that I am against wearing what you like or go with the time, but I have prosopagnosia and trouble to remember people's faces, so I rely on hairstyles, clothing, patterns of speech. I want everybody to have an avatar in real life, a button somewhere that never changes. Which is not gonna happen, I know.

[Busrider]

I might be checking the other age group but nonetheless I vote: "Just your impression". - And yes, fashion uniformity is a disease that is apparently hard to grow out, so maybe you are right about drawing a line around age 30.

[Emery.]

That what my aunt says that it a sign of depression when a woman cuts her hair as well.

Yeah, doesn't everyone look exactly the same. It's good that the outfits are flattering, but fashion is also a means of self-expression, and being "too original", well, I wouldn't want to be seen as a person who wants to stand out, because when it comes to me, I could wear the same thing everyday, and often in fact do. It's also troublesome that if there is a set "uniform" and you don't like what it expresses, like the lacy tops all over malls, you have it bad.

I don't have the same condition as you do, but I confuse people a lot too, Eule, and don't remember faces quite frequently.

It's cool that people find what they look good in, but why do 99.9% of them look the same in result, for Christ's sake?

Maybe it's also geography-dependent. In here, a certain Zara look is way too popular.

[.,.]

It's just your impression. A beautiful young woman with beautiful long hair is very beautiful though, I find it a good look and so I understand that people go for it. Also, there's so many ways to wear long hair and so it offers a lot of variation, many wearers of hair appreciate that, I believe.

[Starlit Sky]

Well, long hair (for females) goes way back, even further than the good old days before the Bible was put together. It's considered by society to be feminine, while short hair is considered to be masculine. In the past few years, women having short hair has become more trendy, and men having long hair is in a similar boat. And yet still, long hair (for girls) is considered to make them "look more womanly."

That being said, it's definitely your impression. At least here in Mississippi, most elderly women I know have short hair, and many women more towards their middle age are also rocking pixie cuts and whatever else strikes their fancy.

I prefer to have long hair, though. There's something to be said about being able to style it differently, like above poster pointed out.

[Luftschlosseule]

But it's kind of funny when people dress and behave exactly as another person and get angry when you confuse both of them, which happened to me in school once. Usually people are just as confused as I am in that situation, but one person got really loud.

Another thing may be that people decide around the same time they want to have long hair and let it grow, like I did.
For a long time you won't see it, but suddenly you realise that someone has long hair. Also it depends on who you look at, because not everybody is able to have long hair.

And it depends on where you look. A friend of mine is a nurse and for her it's easier to be hygienic and feel beautiful while having short hair. Older people may have not the ability to brush long hair because of immobility, or their hair simply won't grow that long.

Folk with kinky hair may have trouble tending their hair if it's too long.

[Emery.]

Exactly. Middle aged.

But it's very practical as well. You don't really have to take care of it much and it looks decently even in a mess. I've had waist long hair for the majority of my life

[Juno_L]

I'm going to go against the grain and say that it's not just your impression. Certain hair styles and types of clothing go in and out of style, and right now long hair is in style for some groups of women. I don't really understand the whole "in style" thing. Sometimes it seems to me like everyone just decides to all love the same thing at the same time. I have even attempted to understand by internet searching "why is ____ so popular" (kind of pitiful, but I really don't understand and want to understand). The people on Yahoo Answers seem to think that when a lot of people start doing something, others want to fit in, so they do the same. People are afraid of not fitting in.

Obviously not all women under 30 have long hair, but many of the high school girls I know have waist-long hair that they straighten every morning. (I hate this phrase, but it's sort of the 'basic white girl' look) Also, for some reason, most of the nursing students at my school have long hair.

Personally, I got so fed up with most of the girls in my school having long, straight hair that I shaved my head to almost a buzz cut last year. I felt disappointingly unchanged after shaving my hair.

[King Al]

I just feel comfortable being the way I look. Whether that's the same as everyone else or I'm standing out, as long as I'm comfortable with the way I am presenting myself I don't really care what other people think. They can think I'm following the crowd, I wouldn't care. They can think I'm sticking out like a sore thumb, I still would not care. I buy what I like and I look like I want.

What I don't understand is why it bothers people so much? I understand Eule's reason for not recognising faces, but why does it bother others so much?

[ChillaKilla]

I have long hair currently. I'm growing it out for a cosplay, and I'm gonna cut it when I plan t come out publicly. That's in seven months, so hopefully I'll be able to do mermaid hair (long enough to cover chest) with it before then because I've always wanted to :lol:

[Finn.]

That what my aunt says that it a sign of depression when a woman cuts her hair as well.

Interesting. For me it seems to be the other way around, but I also got issues with going to the hairdressers. This has been getting better, and I can keep my hair short by going to the hairdressers every 4-6 weeks now.

The whole same style thing depends on your environment I believe. In my experience it's very common at schools. I remember that in 9th grade we all looked the same, as we all shopped at h&m at the time =) And in the later grades everybody grew out their hair, because they all wanted to wear up-do's at the graduation party.

At my current school there are a few more eccentric people (style-wise) which I like. Some of them started out with chin to shoulder length hair, but almost all of them grew it out in the last three years. There's only me and one girl that changed their hair length to shorter in the meantime (and she still got nearly shoulder length hair).

At the retirement home, the girls my age still had long hair. Most others had short hair, as it's really practical as well. It really seems to be an age thing.

When I go to the city it indeed seems like girls in their teens and twenties look quite alike. I guess it's because lots of people just shop at the same stores (probably also a budget thing). But I mean, look at guys, they all look even more alike.

[Juno_L]

What I don't understand is why it bothers people so much? I understand Eule's reason for not recognising faces, but why does it bother others so much?

The long hair itself doesn't bother me, it's the societal norm that you're supposed to fit in and not look different that does bother me. I don't get mad at individual people with long hair, because I know for many people that is their genuine preference. But I do get mad at things like magazines that talk about how to keep up with the latest trends, and what the "fashion rules" are.

[King Al]

What I don't understand is why it bothers people so much? I understand Eule's reason for not recognising faces, but why does it bother others so much?

The long hair itself doesn't bother me, it's the societal norm that you're supposed to fit in and not look different that does bother me. I don't get mad at individual people with long hair, because I know for many people that is their genuine preference. But I do get mad at things like magazines that talk about how to keep up with the latest trends, and what the "fashion rules" are.

I agree with this. Fair point.

[Chardog]

All I've gotta say about hair- I <3 Man Buns!!!

[R_1]

A few years ago I heard the theory that there is a correlation between women's hairstyles and economy. If the economy is bad, women cut their hair short and favor platinum blonde, but then they let it grow out as their situation gets better. Also, they suggested that skirts tend to get shorter when bad things arise.

Don't know what's in it. Sounds so absurd that it may be true.

I'm gonna look this up. It sounds so interesting.

[binary suns]

Is it just my impression or about every woman 30 years old or younger has really long hair? Why? Just because? And dress the same. The fashion is so uniform.

in my area short hair styles above the shoulder are dominant by far.

[Lightning Blue Ray]

When I was young, I wanted long hair and got mad if my mom forced me to cut it. When I reached secondary school, my hair grew out to about mid-back length. When I was 16, nearly 17, I decided to cut my hair, but I didn't cut it short all at once. Eventually, I got shoulder-length hair, which is how I like it.

Many of my friends (or acquaintances) have long hair, especially those who used to be dancers. But some of them cut their hair, probably for convenience. Those who keep their hair long, or at least long enough to make a decent ponytail, tend to be more feminine in their mannerisms, though that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Of course, there are those who cut their hair because they are finally able to, not because of anything else, or at least that's what I think.

Also, a lot of young women in their 20s tend to have long hair. It's something I have not consciously taken note of, but now that this thread exists, I do recall seeing younger women with longer hair, whereas older women might go for short hair. That said, there isn't necessarily a trend. It could be due to personal preferences, which somehow appear to fit a pattern. Elderly women almost always have short hair. I've yet to see an elderly woman with long hair in my area.

[SleepyFox]

pretty sure I'm under 30 and my hair is very short; normally a more androgynous sort of long pixie cut? Hm. Like Ginnifer Goodwin's, if that makes sense. I always waver between "short hair is easier in the mornings/ looks more androgynous" and "but I could do cool pin-up styles with long hair".

I think that long hair (and all its variations) can also suit different face shapes more easily than a short, defined haircut. Plus with long hair you don't have to have it styled as often so it could well be cheaper?

I live in Australia though and we're going into Summer so I'll stick with my short hair for a while yet.

[Dodecahedron314]

Honestly, my hair is probably one of the biggest reasons I get misgendered, for exactly this reason. I refuse to cut it out of a combination of stubbornness (whenever I complained about my parents brushing my hair roughly when I was little, they would always say "well, we could always just cut it all off", which stuck with me far more deeply than it probably should have), a sort of bizarre subconscious psychological baggage thing (I wear my hair exactly like my dad did before he cut it short, and he cut it in relation to something sort of traumatizing in a really difficult part of my life), and a knowledge that because I've had long hair all my life it would just really throw me off. Fashion has nothing to do with it.

[Finn.]

Just watched this! She makes some good points

https://youtu.be/116ca1LUvQQ

[Emery.]

Yes, those reations, that's why I'm making this topic. I wonder that if it was more trendy, people would freak out a bit less.

[Finn.]

Yeah, I think if it would be more trendy, the whole "gasp, you want to do what?!" would be happening less often. Even my hairdressers were reluctant to cut my hair shorter. And by shorter I mean anything more than 15cm shorter than whatever it was before.

I had pretty long hair for a while and wanted to have it cut to a bit above shoulder length and the hairdresser was like "Are you sure? You have such beautiful hair! Is it a spontaneous decision?". And I mean, my hair was still long after that. Same last time with a "Big" change. My hair was a bit longer than chinlength and I wanted this kind of asymmatrical undercut thing (this was one of my references: http://www.prettydesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Short-Undercut-Hairstyle-for-Black-Hair.jpg). Myhairdresser actually had a very similar haircut (but was growing it out) and she hesitated like three times till she used the hairclipper.

I think it's also about (deliberately as well as subconsciously) conforming to the mainstream? It comes with a sense of safety to be looking similar to everybody else I think. I used to have tons of anxiety, and having shorter hair would have been horrible, as I would have thought everybody was looking at me. I also felt really insecure in general. And that's also correlating with the age thing.

Short anecdote. My first try at shorter hair (in 2013, after considering it for a while) was motivated by some guy telling me "No, please don't cut your hair, you look way prettier with long hair. Girls with shorter hair are too masculine and less attractive". I was out as gay to him and he was continually coming on to me all the time, he obviously didn't believe in me not being into men. He never commented on my new haircut.

[Emery.]

Yeah, when I wanted to cut my hair shoulder length a year or two ago, my mom kept on standing there and saying "but not too short, please don't cut too much!". Duh. Great. That's why I took scissors in the end. Agree or not, a fact is a fact. And everyone was like "Oh you have such beautiful hair".

Yeah, but... people don't really account for the fact that it's all over the place and it doesn't look that pretty. Or that it's tied up all the time, or it takes me half an hour to dry it. Or that I don't like how I look when I have my hair down. Or that I don't actually look good with long hair down, because my hair is super-volumous and thick, and sleek at the same time. Or that I can't make nice hairstyles with it, like updos or braids, because it's too slippy and heavy. I mean, my hair is extremely healthy, so I can grow it like Rapunsel and then donate and it looks great at all length. Additionally it grows super duper fast. 2 cm per month. I just measured. Yes, I do donate my hair regularily. What else can I do? But it doesn't really look good, in reality. Okey, I can wear a bun 24/7. Not a bad solution. But it's now that I can make a nice updo, with a bob. There is something like too healthy hair. It exists. I have one. It's not health and life. It's jungle and wilderness. Especially paired with my tendency to mess myself up all the time.

Besides, I have a feeling it is just a tiny bit too attractive and makes everyone notice not me but the hair. It's like... as if you were wearing a t-shirt with a flashy print all the time. Something like neon colour, and a big bold colourful print on it. Or like a sequin blouse. Shines. Everyone looks at it if they want or not. Catches attention. I mean great, but if I want to attract attention, I can always wear a sequin blouse, but I can take it off when I just want to take a train and not be bothered all the time by someone. That's the main reason I prefer not to have long hair. It just catches attention in a completely pathological way in my case. It makes me ashamed. It makes me self-conscious, it makes me completely sexually discouraged, it makes me not want to take care of my body. It makes me ashamed of my body. It makes me not want to feel pretty. It makes me give up on things I really like. It makes me hate dressing myself or shopping. It's not healthy. That's my issue with it. Magpies. Everyone is like magpies. (You know, the bird that collects shiny things). Since I have short hair, I feel like I can finally breathe with fresh air after being in a small, stuffy room. I don't suffer from a lack of attention since I have short hair. But it's more like the motorcycle kind of guy, or the long haired guy, or the guy in cargos. It's not conventional people, I think.

Aha. What you posted is a really nice hairstyle. What do you mean by the age thing?

Yeah, like maybe it's about conformity. Maybe, but now that I think about it, I can't stop giving it a meaning of existing for others, even at a cost of your own sense of comfort and ease. Of a sacrifice. But this might be my individual standpoint. I can see a link to what was said in the video you posted, Finn. Men saying it's attractive. People saying it's attractive. Well. It is, it's like jewelry or this sequin top I keep on metioning. It catches the eye. It pleases others. It's like a "Would you like to have a coffee? I can make it for you, stranger. I can give you a chocolate bar for free. Or no, I'd just offer you sensual pleasure of staring at me just because, it's the same. Have a good day and remember, I'm here for you, whatever you want. At your service." Of course, I'm speaking of cases like me who don't like it. If you have long hair for yourself and that's your own preference, you rock and props to you. But the conformist line of thinking goes something like this, I think.

Also, I think there is a "Why rebel?" factor. At least I often think "Why oppose? It will get me into unnecessary trouble" or "Why stand out?". That's a factor too, I think, in conformity. Funny, because long hair actually makes you stand out.

Oh, and I saw one woman approximately my age who had medium length hair today. She was quite clearly a tomboy. Military coat, a beanie. Yeah. And another one, with a buzz cut and she rocked it.

I don't mean any offense, I'm just doubly angry at the whole situation: for one at the comments, for two that I'm finally enjoying my body, which I didn't ever since the beginning of puberty. That those people were keeping it away from me.

[Finn.]

My mother had no say in how I wear my hair, when I had it cut short the first time (not counting my childhood) I was still living at home but it was no big deal. She kind of liked it. Most people were shocked when they first saw me but didn't say anything bad about it. It wasn't that great of a haircut so I let it grow out. I also started with the trainingship and wanted to blend in more I guess (conformity!, I also just started being more out about my sexuality so it was like everything else should be "normal").

Then last year at my internship everybody was quite excited. The ward physician (who obviously liked me, ew) outright told me he liked it better longer which I couldn't care less about, and also duh. My classmates were quite shocked, I think some of them didn't like it but again, no one said anything bad about it. I actually got a few compliments, with undercuts being all trendy I guess. My mom told me she liked it better at chin length but that was it.

My hair is even shorter now compared to when I had it cut last year. But I grew out the undercut (12mm to 15mm in the back now). It's pretty much "a men's haircut" at this point. (I meet a lot of men with longer hair than I have and that always makes me happy) It's sort of like this, but with less of a fringe http://hair-design.do.am/Man/Classic.png

I always had lots of anxiety attached to my hair, then as a young teen I had some hairloss (no one knows why) for a year or so, and the relationship with my hair got even more stressful. I preferred long hair because I wanted to hide my ears, as I've been ridiculed for them a few times when i was younger.

I didn't like being what men are attracted to quite so stereotypically, if that makes sense. Especially in 2012-2013, when two guys had taken an unwanted interest in me, it made me even more uncomfortable. I don't like being pretty for men, I want to be my own kind of pretty. And it was always just this chore. I have quite oily hair like my father, so I usually wash it daily and that's just exhausting with that much hair. Particularly when you're not even happy with the general outcome. It makes no difference if other people would love to have your hair.

By the age thing I meant, that at least for me, lots of insecurities were tied to my age. As I got older I got more confident/independent and cared less about what other people think of me. And I can imagine it's similar for a lot of people. As a hypothesis to explain why the long hair is more common with younger people.

Having my hair cut short made all the difference for me, confidence-wise and dysphoria-wise. I don't think I will ever have it long again. On occasion I want to go back to chinlength, I had a cute wavy thing going on. But that's really rare and would make my dypshoria on all the other days / most days way worse.

The shorter my hair got the more I got into selfies (I used to hate pictures of myself) and I am more comfortable being called pretty or cute (or handsome).

I think lots of women think their beauty is tied to their hair, and it's really not. I think everyone would benefit from trying out short hair once. Even if you realize it's not your thing and you feel prettier with longer hair, I think it gives you a different feel for your whole body.

I totally get your frustrations!

[Emery.]

The ward physician (who obviously liked me, ew) outright told me he liked it better longer which I couldn't care less about, and also duh.

Ugh. How I hate those situations. Like he implicitly had the right to you or to hitting on you...

I don't like being pretty for men, I want to be my own kind of pretty.

Do you read my thoughts? :P That's what I said to my parents in June.

I have quite oily hair like my father, so I usually wash it daily and that's just exhausting with that much hair.

Same here. I sometimes even wash my hair twice a day...

By the age thing I meant, that at least for me, lots of insecurities were tied to my age. As I got older I got more confident/independent and cared less about what other people think of me. And I can imagine it's similar for a lot of people. As a hypothesis to explain why the long hair is more common with younger people.

Aha. Okey. Yeah... That's right. Seems very probable.

I don't know how much I'll grow my hair out. Maybe I will again. I seem to care less and less about everything, so I might grow numb to even all that. I might grow it back. Sometimes I even want to. But, I remeber complaining ever more and more about the long hair and not even liking how it looks, only being irrtated by it being everywhere. I can't help a certain annoyance when my hair touches my shoulders. Or when it's wrapped into my scarf or bag strap. That is a kill. So I think I'll just let it be a good memory, and won't come back to it. I'll stick with the chin length.

I think everyone would benefit from trying out short hair once. Even if you realize it's not your thing and you feel prettier with longer hair, I think it gives you a different feel for your whole body.

Agreed. Everyone should have long hair and short hair at least once. My dad is very positive about my short hair from the very beginning. And I think it's because he had long hair himself long ago.

[Starbogen]

Hmm I don't think so, I've seen a lot of girls at my uni and women in general when going out who have long hair like that but it's not unusual at all to see young women with shoulder length hair or even a lot shorter than that, and I think it's more common here to see girls in jeans than anything else but I feel like I've seen a variety of styles, jeans and a blouse, masc clothing, very fem dresses/skirts, very conservative skirts and shirts, super short shorts, etc. I feel like I could people watch and see women with any hairstyle and clothing style.

[KaitlynS]

I don't have long hair, but i want long hair and i am growing it out. I have been growing it out since last November and it has probably grown five or six inches, so it is growing pretty good. I have always had short hair so i really want to try long hair and i think long hair looks better on girls too. I feel like my hair is just now starting to get out of that akward in between stage, and it has gone all the way down to my collar bone. When it was shorter it was a little easier to manage because my hair gets tangly and hard to brush through at times, but I love how my hair is starting to look. The bottom is curly and wavy and I think it looks really good, but I don't like how the top of my hair looks. It is just flat and not that attractive, so I need to figure out what to do differently with that. So, I think the main reasons for having longer hair is because long hair looks great and because it is popular.

[Finn.]

Congrats on growing your hair out! I had the same issue, with it being flat at the top. It was better when I didn't let it dry on its own but blow-dried it with the head bent forward (English words forsake me, I hope you get what I mean). And when it's long enough you can try to let it dry overnight wearing it in a high bun? That's what I did for a while. Or try using some volumizing hair mousse. I think there's even this volumizing powder for your scalp/roots now?

[Luftschlosseule]

When long hair gets complicated to manage because it is so thick, you could think about an undercut. You won't see the undercut when you're wearing your hair down, but it makes it easier to brush and style.

I cut my hair down once, about chin-length, and it simply felt wrong. I feel more comfortable with long hair, so long hair it is.