An interesting article from 1988 on short hair

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An interesting article from 1988 on short hair

catgirl

Veteran

Apropos of our discussion on femininity, I found this on The Glamourai today:

http://www.paulwhkan.com/pq/shorthair.html

15 years ago

General

13 replies

Latest reply was from judy

Maya

Veteran

First of all, how could anyone possibly think that putting neon green text on a black background was a good idea? Just reading the first couple of lines made me feel like someone stabbed me in the eyes.

Yeah, I don't really agree with a single word of that article, but ok. It's interesting if taken as one person's perspective.

Does anyone look at men with long hair and think they look feminine? I absolutely do not. It never even crosses my mind. I don't know why women struggle so much with hair length and perceived femininity.

15 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Er, I don't agree either, but it is a view I'm sure more women hold than just the writer. Women struggle with hair issues because women struggle with all aspects of their bodies. You gotta admit that, Maya.

15 years ago

cloud9

Veteran

One trick is to use your mouse to highlight the text, so it becomes white on blue, a slight improvement over green on black.

From the front view, no one is going to mistake (usually) a man from a woman; Or a femininely dressed (e.g. skirt dress) woman with short hair for a man, However, if the women dress very androgynous, and with very short hair, it's easier to be mistaken as the other gender, especially from the back. I have definitely made that mistake before (as matter of a fact, I've mistaken a man for a woman who had a nice long head of *gorgeous* hair that any woman would admire, until "she" turned around. lol.)

Call me weird, even though I am not a girly girl, and I have had my share of short hair cuts in my life, I've always made sure that I don't get a man's hair cut, because I don't want to look like a man from the back! Just my personal preference. FWIW.

15 years ago

Kristine

Veteran

As someone who just cut their long hair to short(ish), I really enjoyed it and could relate to a lot of the points. I took it more poetically than literally though.

15 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I chuckled while reading it. Some points I could relate to, others made me roll my eyes.

Many years ago in my 20s, I went through a breakup that inspired me to get my hair cut very short. It felt very liberating, and oddly enough, I seemed to get more male attention than before (maybe I was putting off "newly single!" vibes too). One guy I chatted with at a concert even said to me, "I love your hair. Any girl can wear their hair long, but you stand out."

Bottom line is, be true to yourself, and have fun! There are some truisms that work for most people, but there are exceptions to every rule. The great thing about changing your hair is that it will always grow out!

15 years ago

RoseandJoan

Veteran

As someone who has recently cut their hair short and been obsessed with her tweezers since I had to laugh. Perhaps there are some truisms applicable to some people,

15 years ago

PalmFronds

Active Member

As someone who has had both long and short hair and current have a pixie cut, I loved that article I don't necessarily agree with ALL of it, but some of the major point are true:
You can't "hide" behind hair anymore obviously, so you do tend to put more focus on details.Atleast I do. Your neck is more noticeable, obviously as well. There can be some androgeny to it unless you have curves that rival Lombard street. And yes, whether or not anyone wants to admit it, much of the world and society(of all types) puts stress on a woman's hair as her femininity, and for many(but not all) that means LONG hair. Femininity is not equal to long hair on everyone(like men), but for women it is PART of that package in the eyes of many.
Bottom line I agree with many of you above: have fun with your hair,and accept that there will always be people who either love it or not, no matter what you do with it

15 years ago

Maya

Veteran

I never said women don't struggle with their hair length. I said I didn't understand why, and I still don't understand why. You could write a novella on the subject, and I still won't understand why. Like Julie, it just doesn't register with me.

15 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

So interesting! Thanks for posting, Una.

Obviously, I don't struggle with the length on my short hair:). In fact, short hair makes me feel powerful. But I know women who feel the opposite and "hold onto their hair", and men who like their wives/ partners to have long hair. In the same breath, I must also say that I love certain women with long hair. If Vani or Mo cut their hair I would have an apoplexy.

15 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Interesting. I'm baffled by many women's (and men's) attitudes to long vs. short hair as well, but the point about hiding behind long hair especially makes me wonder. I think there are some (note: not all) long-haired women who freak out about the idea of getting even a slight trim because losing a smidgen of length is akin to losing part of their identity. At least, I've known a few friends who react this way when they are faced with the need to get a haircut.

I've always been the kind of person who gets excited, not nervous, when I see hair piling up on the floor of the salon. I've never had a cut that I felt was too short, and on my hair type, the more layering the better. Part of this is due to the fact that I've had a few really spectacular hair stylists, though. I trust that I am going to come out of the salon liking my hair much better than when I came in.

15 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Maya, I see what you meant now. I won't bother trying to explain or writing the novella, but I think there are any number of reasons it's an issue. For me, it's important to understand signifiers in our culture, and "long hair", like "blond hair", carries connotations that can only be played with and/or undermined as desired if the significance is first acknowledged. To me, the article exposes some of those signfiiers. What we do with them is of course up to us - that's the real beauty of it.

15 years ago

Anonymous

As a person that goes back and forth between longish and shortish hair, I was prepared to object to this article but thinking it through, there are some points. When I wear my hair long, I tend to go light on the make-up and let my hair do the "work" of my personal presentation. When I wear my hair short, I do tend to tweeze and primp my make-up a little more....and even wear more feminine clothes. And like Angie, I do feel more powerful when my hair is shorter...in a self-confident way.

I am currently growing my hair out a little longer these days and finding I am wearing more edgy clothes...cowboy boots and black.

15 years ago

judy

Veteran

I took it poetically as well, and also, a bit dated. I recognized the authors name from Vogue and did a google search and interestingly enough, now she has long hair. She's probably written about that too, poetically of course!
http://www.zimbio.com/Joan+Jul.....ctures/pro

p.s The Glamorai and all you short hair girls look fab, tho!

15 years ago

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