Interesting article in NYT about middle aged women and long hair

[helena]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/fashion/24Mirror.html

 

I was listening to talk radio yesterday, when the host starting talking about this article in the NYT. I was shocked to hear so much disgust and irritation toward older ladies wearing their hair long.

 

Once again I feel out of the loop of things people hate. Is it just me, or do people hate way too much stuff?

 

My mom has grown her hair out. It's long and very blond, and I think it's so beautiful. I like to watch her braid it, and pin it up.

Which is another thing, do people think braids are juvenile?

 

Ultimately, I couldn't care less what people think of my hair. But I just found this so interesting. The negative comments to the article, and the callers comments on the radio show truly surprised me.

 

What do you think about this?

Does this hold a woman back in the workplace?

Is it holding on to youth? (Not in my opinion :))

 

Now I'm thinking about all of this... my dad had very long hair and often wore it in a braid. It was very handsome looking, but that really bothered some people too. My moms long hair seems to make a lot of people happy, because she is one of those very naturally blond girls. And people like that look. People constantly comment on it, in an affectionate way. When I had my head shaved for a few years I was spat at, called names, randomly kissed, hugged and thanked by strangers.. the hair is some powerful stuff.

:bigear:

Edited October 26, 2010 by helena

[TechWife]

Once again I feel out of the loop of things people hate. Is it just me, or do people hate way too much stuff?

 

I agree. People are sticking their nose in where it doesn't belong. They are opinionated about things they have no business paying attention to, while at the same time they cannot hold an intelligent conversation on anything that is going on in our world. This very well may be part of the legacy of a celebrity enamored, appearance focused culture here in the US.

 

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

[Hedgehog]

Once again I feel out of the loop of things people hate. Is it just me, or do people hate way too much stuff?

 

Probably. It's so much less stressful not to hate things that other people are or do - it's not like you can change them, anyway.

 

I happen to like short hair on a man, and longer hair on a woman, but that's a completely personal perspective that dh and I keep for ourselves. Having said that, I've seen some pretty impressive heads of hair on both men and women alike, and also some great short styles.

 

Does this hold a woman back in the workplace?

 

Probably not, if she's determined enough! I'm so out of touch with any workplace apart from my home that I really have no idea.

 

Is it holding on to youth?

 

I suppose if you consider long hair to be for younger women it might look as if an older person was trying to hold on to their youth, but personally I don't think so. If someone wants to have their hair long, then why not?

[nono]

Wow I had no idea!

 

Heck, a woman of a certain age should be allowed to do whatever she darn well pleases as long as it isn't illegal!

[KidsHappen]

I just saw an article on yahoo this morning saying that it was becoming more acceptable for older women to wear longer hair, mostly due to older actress continuing to wear their hair long and still looking good while doing it. I have let my hair grow out just this past year and when I saw my older dd's just this past week every single one commented on how they can't remember ever seeing me with long straight hair before (my natural state). My gma and her mother both had long hair well into old age and the younger people in the family washed and braided for them. This has always been my plan as well. So I am trying to head in that direction now. I think I am going to get it framed around my face some for awhile but I have no intention of cutting it any time in the near future. I think the social standard of women cutting their hair (at all and especially after a certain age) was a fad of very short duration (maybe from the '20s to '90s) in the grand scheme of history.

[jenn&charles]

I also found the article interesting. I have long hair and I'm starting to get some strands of gray.

I always have family members trying to get me to cut it all off. I have been told that they hope I'm not going to be like one of those "old hippie women" and that long hair doesn't belong on someone my age.

My husband likes it though and so do I.

 

I remember, when I was a teen, seeing a really cute, old (in their 70's?) pair of sisters at church with long hair that they braided and pinned up. I always thought it was really sweet and kind of old fashioned looking.

 

I'm not sure why it gets such a reaction...

[Jean in Newcastle]

I saw a woman with the most gorgeous long white hair the other day. I wanted to tell her how much I liked it but unfortunately I was in a hurry and couldn't wait for her to finish checking out of the line she was in.

[Imprimis]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/fashion/24Mirror.html

 

Once again I feel out of the loop of things people hate. Is it just me, or do people hate way too much stuff?

 

 

:bigear:

 

I don't know if it's hate, superficiality, or just a need to dictate how everyone else should dress, wear their hair, and live their lives.

 

I mean, really, don't people have anything more productive and worthwhile to do than put down others' choices? Especially when those choices in NO way affect or harm them (or others). I just don't get it.

[UmMusa]

Interesting subject.I think it reflects on the society. In countries outside of the US, longer hair on older women is normal. I noticed even when I was young that most older women in the US had the same hairdo! Short. And the ones who considered their hair 'long' had hair that covered their ears or came like one inch longer than that... just long enough to perm it and set it for the week.

 

Also as a young girl/teenager I remember my mom commenting if she saw a woman her age (let's say around 40) that long hair just doesn't look good on older women and that they should wear it short. I often wondered why she thought that.

 

Now that I"m 35 and possibly the same age she was referring to back then, I have asked her if she thinks my long hair looks too young on me! Her answer is "No". I guess b/c I'm her baby? Hehehe

[Brilliant]

I wonder if the criticism is regional. Lots of "older" or "middle-aged" women in SoCal have long hair. And yes, I think many of them are trying to hang on to their youth - the plastic surgeries go along with that! But I also think it looks wonderful, and have never heard any criticism about older women keeping their hair.

 

Mine will be long until the day I die. But I imagine when I am *much* older - 60s or 70s - I will probably wear it pulled up, or something that feels more age-appropriate. I don't know - I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

[joannqn]

Growing up, I loved that my grandmother had long, beautiful hair. She had long hair, in fact, until just a few years ago when it fell out due to chemo therapy in her 80s.

[Sophia]

I hope this trend continues and more older women keep their long. I think it looks beautiful.

[CoastalGal]

People are sticking their nose in where it doesn't belong. They are opinionated about things they have no business paying attention to, while at the same time they cannot hold an intelligent conversation on anything that is going on in our world. This very well may be part of the legacy of a celebrity enamored, appearance focused culture here in the US.

 

:iagree:

 

My great aunt had the most beautiful, long white hair. I used to love to watch her brush it out and braid it and pin it up.

 

I've gone back and forth between long and short hair for the past 4 years. I've decided that I'm going to grow it out...it's currently about shoulder length.

[Wheres Toto]

Heck, a woman of a certain age should be allowed to do whatever she darn well pleases as long as it isn't illegal!

:iagree:

I'm always telling my husband and dd that I'm going to be one of those old ladies with the long, white braid. I haven't had short hair since I was about 11 and, in a traumatic experience similar to what the articles author had, my hair was cut into a very short pixie. Everyone thought I was a boy. I have never had hair shorter than my shoulders since. Right now it's about mid-back, so long enough to braid, and I'm letting it grow longer (although only isolated strands of gray so far). My hair is very heavy so when it's long I can't wear it up in a ponytail without getting a headache but other than that, I actually find it easier to "do" - wash, brush and go. If it was short, I'd have to remember to get haircuts every 6 weeks (I average 1-2 a year now) and it's so thick it would stick straight out without the weight to hold it down. I'd actually have to blow dry and gel it into some semblance of order. Something I know better than to think I'm going to take the time to do. If I don't want to fuss with my hair now, why would I want to do it when I'm even older?

 

Depending on what is consider that "certain age" (I've seen anything from 29 to 40) I don't know if it would have an effect in the workplace. I worked in "Corporate America" until I was 36 and I had long hair.

[Audrey]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/fashion/24Mirror.html

 

I was listening to talk radio yesterday, when the host starting talking about this article in the NYT. I was shocked to hear so much disgust and irritation toward older ladies wearing their hair long.

 

Once again I feel out of the loop of things people hate. Is it just me, or do people hate way too much stuff?

 

My mom has grown her hair out. It's long and very blond, and I think it's so beautiful. I like to watch her braid it, and pin it up.

Which is another thing, do people think braids are juvenile?

 

Ultimately, I could care less what people think of my hair. But I just found this so interesting. The negative comments to the article, and the callers comments on the radio show truly surprised me.

 

What do you think about this?

...

 

 

 

I hate that women think they have to chop all their hair off just because they reach a certain age. I don't care what age you are, a woman should be able to wear her hair short, long or in between. It's no one else's place to tell her otherwise!

 

Personally, I'll keep my long hair until it falls out or I die. I think I look like a man with short hair. That is just sooooo not my style. But, I have friends who have short hair -- one even with a brush cut -- and it looks perfectly lovely on them! My hair suits me. Their hair suits them.

 

As to the workplace... I've never seen a woman be discriminated against for the length of her hair. Now... disheveled hair may not go over well in some more conservative workplaces, but that would hold true no matter what its length. Perhaps the styles one chooses may not be viewed very well -- depending again on the workplace -- but short hair can be styled just as inappropriately as long hair.

[tex-mex]

I hope this trend continues and more older women keep their long. I think it looks beautiful.

:iagree: I love long hair on older women. Personally, I had great-aunties (Tias) who would braid their long hair and then roll it up in a bun. I also love the look from Victorian days and to the 1930's when older women (like Miss Marple) have it in "finger waves" and a bun in the back. Perhaps some people don't realize short hair for women is only a recent innovation within the 20th century?

[Cinder]

Funny that I was just contemplating this subject the other day. I wear my hair long. Not as long as when I was in high school (down to my waist) but long enough to do all the things the author of the article talked about--about 1/4 way down my back. I look better in long hair than short. Yes, I have had my hair short. Very short. Medium short. Bobbed. All that. I also still wear a ponytail a lot. Because of allergies I can't stand having anything touch my face--including my hair. I don't wear a mature bottom-of-the-head ponytail. I wear a high-on-the-head ponytail because it doesn't give me a headache. I also don't wear headbands to keep the hair off my face because they give me headaches, too. I know several women my age (45) who wear their hair the same length as mine. My mother's hair is much longer than mine.

 

A number of years ago, a friend (who is about 15 years older) was given a lot of grief for having hair the same length that mine is now. She was approaching 50yo at the time. She was told mature women wear their hair short. Period. Of course, she refused to cut her hair to satisfy someone else's opinion.

 

I, too, saw someone once with beautiful, waist-length white hair. I thought it was pretty cool. It brought a smile to my face. :001_smile:

 

Cinder

[stripe]

My great-aunt always believed in long hair for old ladies, but then she always had it in a bun. I think there's something that maybe long hair is too sensual for an older woman (who is presumably sexless and should lop off her hair completely)? I am not really sure. However, I don't really see why it's anyone's business anyway. In some cultures, virtually every woman traditionally has long hair (most notably Indian) or almost no woman has long hair (Masai), so it is cultural. Also long hair can be kept back more easily than short hair, so it's not necessarily the case that long hair = loose, flowing wildness.

[radiobrain]

What is the "certain age"? As when I reach it, I will need to let my hair grow down to my knees. Break that inner Crystal Gayle out.

 

Maybe I have already hit it. :tongue_smilie:

 

On a serious note....I am sure that part of the reason is due to... thinning or limp hair that might come with age.

 

Did it say anything about the old hippie dudes with their bald heads, yet clinging to their sad, little ponytails? Or was it just women?

 

I just turned 40 and I still wear pig tails, quite often, so... :D

 

When I turn 60 I will wear my inevitable snow white hair in a beehive, or like Marie Antoinette with a battleship, airplane, lollipop or Venus de Milo statue sticking out of it. Most likely striped with red like a starlight mint. Wow, my kids will love that.

[Stacy in NJ]

I expect young girls to be "unpolished"; they're kids. Adults should look a bit "finished", especially older adults. Long hair can look sophisticated or Little House on the Prairie-ish regardless of age. I'm not really talking about casualness; we live in a casual society. I accept that, but casual and unkept or messy are distinct.

 

Stacy who's hair is 2 inches below her shoulders but not grey (yet). :001_smile:

[Garga]

I've seen a lot of little old women in the nursing home I used to volunteer at. Hair usually gets scraggly and thin the older we get.

 

I think that in the past women HAD to have long hair (that was the social norm) even when it looked ugly. Later, women were able to wear their hair however they wanted it, so the older women cut off their thinning hair because it looked bad. And now, if there's an older woman whose long hair looks good, she's the anomaly, and people cast about for reasons on why she's not following today's social norm. (She must be rebellious. She's trying to hold on to her youth, etc.) When really she's just one of the few lucky ones with a full head of hair, even if she's older.

[Alicia64]

I'm 46 and have just realized that my Italian hair will forever look like a massive bush when I "grow" it. I look ridiculous. A shortish bob is about the best it can do.

 

I WISH I could have long, beautiful hair. I've always wanted it.

 

I say: if you have it, enjoy it to the fullest!

 

I think it's a "yesterday" idea of what fashion is. Only kids and young women can have long hair. Today, with highly skilled hair stylist, hair color, highlights, lowlights, good hair conditioner etc. etc. anyone can look great.

 

I also agree that it might be a CA thing. I grew up in CA and it's pretty normal to see "older" women with long hair.

 

Alley

[Danestress]

Really, if she's having a problem with her mother, shouldn't she call her mother and talk to her about it privately instead of writing about it in the NY times? I mean, it's just hair. She doesn't really need to air all her grievances that way, does she?

 

That said, I think long hair can be very nice on older women. JJ Jill catalogs are often proof of that. I cut mine to a "bob" this year, and I kind of regret it. I do look younger, but I am not sure I really look better.

[FO4UR]

meh...I'm planning on keeping my long hair forever and going gray gracefully. I've already got a good start on the graying gracefully part and I'm only 31...nope, I'm not coloring it.

 

I like to keep mine flowing between my shoulders and my elbows...any shorter or longer is a nuisance to me. Mine is stick straight and I need some length to pull it back into a bun with a Ticonderoga pencil (my hair-pin of convieneince:tongue_smilie:))

 

I've seen some beautifully sophisticated older women with long gray hair...I hope my hair turns a bright gray, and not a ruddy dirty-dishwater color. (hmmm....)

 

If I ever get a job in the corporate world, I'll exchange my Ticonderoga pencil for a delicate chop-stick.:001_huh::lol: (...but will I have to give up my polo shirts and Levi's????)

[Mama Anna]

I saw a woman with the most gorgeous long white hair the other day. I wanted to tell her how much I liked it but unfortunately I was in a hurry and couldn't wait for her to finish checking out of the line she was in.

 

I remember seeing a mail-carrier who wore her silver hair in a long pony-tail when I was just finishing college. My immediate thought (My hair was and still is past my waist) was "I want to be like her."

 

Of course, I tend to always wear it up. Like, always. But maybe, one of these days when the littles are bigger, that'll change. I like it, Dh likes it, and that's enough for me! :)

 

Mama Anna

[Nakia]

Good grief. Something else to add to the many things women fight about. I agree with everyone else that said a woman should be able to wear her hair however she feels like wearing it!!

[justamouse]

I think it has to do more with sexuality. We perceive younger women more sexually beautiful and so long hair on them is ok. Wearing it down is an invitation, no? Older women with longer hair.... See? But older women are taking their sexuality back, and want their hair long. Bully for them, I say.

[Carol in Cal.]

It's funny, in the last two days I have to two big events mostly attended by women. One was called "Women of Impact" and was a fundraising luncheon for the Catholic high school that my daughter attends. I was wearing a business suit to that one, and felt a little out of place among all the perfectly polished, coiffed haired women. Today I attended a homeschooling presentation by the woman who wrote Writers' Jungle, and my hair was right at home, looking shaggy and long, among all the homeschoolers. There I was one of a very few with mascara and lipstick on. I guess I'm just one big compromise! Both events were very fun, and it was interesting to think about the correlation between homeschooling and long hair on mature women.

 

BTW, Julie Bogart, today's author, had a very nice haircut and tasteful make up on, but did not look overly polished--a very nice balance for her audience. She was awesome, too.

[Hockey Mom]

I have red hair. Little orphan Annie red hair. When I was 8 my stepmom and I got perms. Yep, I was Annie's spitting image. When the curls started growing out, we had them all cut off into a pixie, and I absolutely hated it. Since then, I've worn my hair very long (almost to my waist). I turned 40 last week, and I've had people asking me when I plan on getting it cut. My answer? I don't.

 

WRT coloring...Red heads don't go gray like most people. Our color fades to a blond, then turns white. I plan on having Lady Godiva hair well into my 80s. I don't care what anyone thinks either. :D

 

Now, if I could just get past the hot flashes long enough to wear it down....;)

[Georgiana Daniels]

I LOVE long hair, and who cares about the age? Think of Jane Seymour in Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and she was not in her 20's. Looked awesome!

[texasmama]

I have been growing my hair out longer lately. I am 43. I have a fair amount of gray showing on the top. In two weeks, I received three compliments from strangers about my "beautiful hair". :001_smile:

[Mallorie]

My great-grandmother had long hair, down to her waist, when she was in her 80's. They cut it due to shingles, because it kept getting very goopy from the ointment, and she screamed her head off. It was her pride and joy.

 

She also never went to the doctor until she was in her 80's. She had her own kitchen garden and had everything she needed in it.

[Rebecca VA]

I'd love to wear my hair long -- it has always been my best feature. But lately it's been falling out a lot (I really appreciated the recent thread on this!), and it just isn't as thick and glossy as it used to be. So, sadly, now I have to wear it a little below chin length. I'm not going to flatter myself into believing that I look gorgeous with long hair anymore.

[angela in ohio]

My dh loves my hair long, and I don't care too much one way or the other, so I keep mine long. He runs his fingers through it all the time, and I love that, so I have incentive. ;) I do know that it is more 'acceptable', 'stylish', and 'polished' to have short hair, but I don't care. :D I also wear it in a messy bun or a ponytail like a teen girl (often matching my tenn girl's) some days. And some days I wear it huge and curly (because dh really likes that. ;)) I did have short hair for a few years after I first had dc, because I had a baby face, and I wanted to look older (I was in my mid-20s.)

 

My girls have followed suit, and they held out when every other girl was getting the identical slightly-shorter-in-the-back-bob last year.

 

What's interesting is that older female celebrities are "allowed" to have long hair.

[Kimber]

Everyone has their preferences. I like all kinds, and now that my kids are getting older I'm thinking of growing mine out again and going straight, rather than my little natural fro.

 

My dh actually prefers my hair short. Many people say it makes me look younger.

 

But the conversation reminded me of this song. It doesn't really address the conversation, but I love, love, love this song.

 

 

[helena]

Really, if she's having a problem with her mother, shouldn't she call her mother and talk to her about it privately instead of writing about it in the NY times? I mean, it's just hair. She doesn't really need to air all her grievances that way, does she?

 

:iagree:

It's such an interesting subject, it's too bad it was written with a weird slant like that.

[helena]

I wonder if the criticism is regional. Lots of "older" or "middle-aged" women in SoCal have long hair. And yes, I think many of them are trying to hang on to their youth - the plastic surgeries go along with that! But I also think it looks wonderful, and have never heard any criticism about older women keeping their hair.

 

:iagree:

I was telling my cousin about the article today while we ran errands in Newport and Laguna. She said the same thing. And you have to admit, their hair does look great. :)

When I posted this morning I said I didn't think it was holding on to youth. I didn't even think of these "OC ladies" that I'm surrounded by. It's all good though, it takes all kinds.

Edited October 24, 2010 by helena

[Peela]

A friend told me that a year or so ago...that one should cut their cut shorter as one grows older. Its just what one does- it was a direct jab at my longer hair at the time, and the fact she had just cut hers short. I just shrugged.

 

I tihnk it depends on what one is trying to do. Some people want to look fashionable- as in, they are looking from the outside back at themselves and really care to be in the vogue. Others like myself actually just enjoy having lots of hair.

I have always wanted to have long hair but my very fine hair doesnt handle length very well and shoulder length is the most I can ever get before it dries out and the ends split and it loses body. Since my mother always kept my very fine hair very short when I was a kid, I have loved to have it shoulder length as an adult. Whenever I cut it I regret it.

At 43 I am not going gray- I probably won't go gray as I am so blonde.

There is a certain freedom in having short hair and sometimes i am attracted to cutting it off...but last time I had it cut quite short a year or so ago I had several people actually say it looked fine but they preferred it long.

I know a couple of poeple who have shaved their heads in their 40s - for spiritual reasons, to let go of the past- and I must admit that it is such a radical change and it always looks very impressive and I love the look.

I do tend to notice that it is often the more hippie /feral older women in my area who have their hair long- but I dont mind being associated with them so its ok :) My girlfriends have long hair and some of them are older than me.

When only a few people do it...its a faux pas. When lots of us do it- it becomes fashion soon enough anyway.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Well, I'm middle-aged and my hair doesn't look great. It has white all along both temples which might look very distinguished on a man but makes me just look washed out. It is thin (has always been thin) and tends to be rather straggly. But my hair doesn't look all that good short either so I wear it longer (a bit past shoulder length) because that's what I like best. I don't dye it because like the lady who wrote the article, I don't do well with chemicals.

[JennifersLost]

This is a pet peeve of mine, too. I think long hair is beautiful and doesn't belong to any age group. I have never had an issue with women cutting their hair short, either. Hair belongs to the owner of it, plain and simple.

 

 

 

But - you know what I've been told in the past? That women should cut their hair as soon as they're married. That proclaims they are "off the market" in no uncertain terms.

 

Also, I've been told that it is unfair to men for an older woman to wear it long because if a man is standing behind her or far away from her, he may mistake her for a young woman, get excited...and then be disappointed when he gets close enough to see her face.

 

Seriously. I've been told that.

 

 

People are such idiots.

 

 

 

 

Sorry - random moment of disgust for the human race - I'm over it now.

[JennifersLost]

My girls have followed suit, and they held out when every other girl was getting the identical slightly-shorter-in-the-back-bob last year.

 

What's interesting is that older female celebrities are "allowed" to have long hair.

 

LOL!!!! Every middle aged woman in my town has that same exact bob!

[AndyJoy]

Both my grandmother (born in 1923) and great-grandmother (born in 1902) disapproved of long hair on women "past a certain age." I don't know what that age is exactly, but I know they always gushed when my mom would cut her hair short starting at about 45. Something in their cultural background apparently made this their norm.

 

I however, plan to never dye my hair as it goes grey and wear it as long as I feel like and wear it up or down. I've known several women age 60+ with waist-length white or greying hair that is gorgeous. I bet I'll get more flack for not dyeing my hair than for it's length--I know my mom will get after me to dye it for sure.

[mommaduck]

I don't get this. Honestly, I always thought the constantly cutting their hair shorter and shorter...then the bobs, the granny curls, and the making half the short hair poof up (I guess to hide thinning?) made older women LOOK just that...OLD. Evidence was in my own mother. I got mistaken for my stepdad's wife and my mama for his mother-in-law (there is only two year's difference...but she was graying and had the short curls, he had minimal gray...but still! There's more than 20yrs difference between stepdad and me!). Her hair made her look OLDer than what she was.

 

My mother hated long hair...even on me as a child.

 

Keeping my long hair into old age.

Edited October 24, 2010 by mommaduck

[helena]

Interesting subject.I think it reflects on the society. In countries outside of the US, longer hair on older women is normal. I noticed even when I was young that most older women in the US had the same hairdo! Short. And the ones who considered their hair 'long' had hair that covered their ears or came like one inch longer than that... just long enough to perm it and set it for the week.

 

Also as a young girl/teenager I remember my mom commenting if she saw a woman her age (let's say around 40) that long hair just doesn't look good on older women and that they should wear it short. I often wondered why she thought that.

 

Now that I"m 35 and possibly the same age she was referring to back then, I have asked her if she thinks my long hair looks too young on me! Her answer is "No". I guess b/c I'm her baby? Hehehe

 

I think it can have a lot to do with your culture. I had looong braids down to my behind. Colorful yarn and all :001_smile:. That was the way my dad liked it (and mom), that's the way my mom kept it until I was in jr. high. It was a big deal when I finally cut it.

 

Now I have two daughters, and I can honestly say that I've been mocked for insisting the girl grow their hair out long. They had short stylish hair cuts for a while, but my husband and I decided that we prefer the girls to wear it long and natural. It's the way I grew up and I wanted the girls to experience that as well. People have insinuated that we live in the dark ages and that it feeds into outdated gender stereotypes.

 

I don't know why this article surprised me. The more I think and write about this, the more I realize that the hair thing has been a life long "issue". :tongue_smilie:

[Dawn in OH]

I had no idea people had issues with mature women having long hair.

 

I do remember being asked a billion times when I had my first child if I was going to cut my hair.

 

My mom often comments on how long my hair is. I never really know what she means by it.

 

I remember my Grandmother telling my aunt that she needed to cut her hair now that she had children.

 

I have long hair. It's my hair. It's how I want it. If someone doesn't like it, they don't have to look at it.

[helena]

Also, I've been told that it is unfair to men for an older woman to wear it long because if a man is standing behind her or far away from her, he may mistake her for a young woman, get excited...and then be disappointed when he gets close enough to see her face.

 

Seriously. I've been told that.

Someone made that exact comment in reaction to this article!! I couldn't believe it!!

 

It just blows my mind.

[helena]

A friend told me that a year or so ago...that one should cut their cut shorter as one grows older. Its just what one does- it was a direct jab at my longer hair at the time, and the fact she had just cut hers short. I just shrugged.

 

I tihnk it depends on what one is trying to do. Some people want to look fashionable- as in, they are looking from the outside back at themselves and really care to be in the vogue. Others like myself actually just enjoy having lots of hair.

I have always wanted to have long hair but my very fine hair doesnt handle length very well and shoulder length is the most I can ever get before it dries out and the ends split and it loses body. Since my mother always kept my very fine hair very short when I was a kid, I have loved to have it shoulder length as an adult. Whenever I cut it I regret it.

At 43 I am not going gray- I probably won't go gray as I am so blonde.

There is a certain freedom in having short hair and sometimes i am attracted to cutting it off...but last time I had it cut quite short a year or so ago I had several people actually say it looked fine but they preferred it long.

I know a couple of poeple who have shaved their heads in their 40s - for spiritual reasons, to let go of the past- and I must admit that it is such a radical change and it always looks very impressive and I love the look.

I do tend to notice that it is often the more hippie /feral older women in my area who have their hair long- but I dont mind being associated with them so its ok :) My girlfriends have long hair and some of them are older than me.

When only a few people do it...its a faux pas. When lots of us do it- it becomes fashion soon enough anyway.

 

Peela, can I just say

Your daughters hair looks great!! :)

[justamouse]

Now I have two daughters, and I can honestly say that I've been mocked for insisting the girl grow their hair out long. They had short stylish hair cuts for a while, but my husband and I decided that we prefer the girls to wear it long and natural. It's the way I grew up and I wanted the girls to experience that as well. People have insinuated that we live in the dark ages and that it feeds into outdated gender stereotypes.

 

I don't know why this article surprised me. The more I think and write about this, the more I realize that the hair thing has been a life long "issue". :tongue_smilie:

 

All my daughters have gorgeous, long hair. I cut mine a few years ago because I wanted a change, and it was spunky and fun, but now I'm growing it back out, and I have to say, I love it.

 

Many girls around here have long hair, too. There's something very classic about it.

[stripe]

Also, I've been told that it is unfair to men for an older woman to wear it long because if a man is standing behind her or far away from her, he may mistake her for a young woman, get excited...and then be disappointed when he gets close enough to see her face.

 

The same feeling one often gets when you see someone, think they might be intelligent, and then they open their mouths!

[Cinder]

The same feeling one often gets when you see someone, think they might be intelligent, and then they open their mouths!

 

:lol::lol::lol:

 

Cinder