Musings on hair... - YouLookFab Forum

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Musings on hair...

Sal

Veteran

I was a child in the 70s and had long and pageboy type haircuts. My Mum always wanted me to have long hair and I wanted short.

As a teenager in the 1980s I tried perms, tints (pinks and reds), shaved sides, asymmetric cuts, a rats tail, crimped hair, lots of backcombing, bandannas, flicks, spikes etc..... Some of these looked good, some were pretty bad, but it was a lot of fun.

In the 1990s I was more into the platinum look - short, long - mostly because I did it myself which was cheap. Then I went shorter again but a more natural colour...

And from 2000 to now I have had short, mid length and long hairstyles, mostly blonde, but some darker and sometimes brighter. I am more consistent now than I was in my younger years.

Teenage girls here mostly have long hair, in mostly natural colours. Some may have balayage or highlights, but in general it is long and for school tied back. People in a more alternative crowd may experiment a bit more with shorter cuts and adventurous colours. It is the same in the 20s - women have long hair - my guess would be over 80%.

In contrast boys and men are more experimental, moustaches, beards, long hair. Lots of cool undercuts and shaved sides and patterns. Barbers do a roaring trade.

There were experimental hairstyles for males in the 70s (long hair, beards), 80s (bleach, long fringes, moustaches), 90s (the goatee) etc..

I love seeing young people experiment with hair - it's so impermanent that it’s the perfect way to try something mad or new. I find it interesting that less younger females are experimenting - I don’t know why? I could surmise a whole lot of reasons.

What are your reflections on hair in your community? Do you agree with my musings re trends and your own experiences being more or less experimental at different ages and stages.

16 replies

Latest reply was from Suz

Dee

Veteran

As a young girl I wore my hair long, but in the 1980s perms were all the rage, and mom was a heavy perm lady herself, so she used to give me homestyle perms. I also had an asymmetrical cut, and a French cut 70s shag. When Farrah Fawcett hair was a big thing, I tried in vain to copy that hairstyle too. I also used Sun- in to streak my hair blond. Only once did I permanently colour my hair not realizing how to get rid of it once I was tired of it. Then it was pixie time followed by many different lengths of bobs. Basically, I'm a short layered bob person.

Star (Lise)

Veteran

I too was a child in the 70s and I had long hair. By 10 years of age I was nagging to cut it. I wanted a shaggy dog type hair with short flicks. Mother was very reluctant and finally cut it to shoulder length. I was still not happy and went to a hairdresser for the first time when I was 11 years. I went by myself. Oh my word, this hairdresser needed a guinea pig and I was it. I ended up with a super short hair cut that I had no way of managing. Especially with my hair that had suddenly become curly with cutting! I have never forgotten how unhappy I was and have never chopped my hair that short again. Thereafter hair has always been mid length, mostly with layers which also does not really suit my hair type. I too had a perm or two in the 80s to try and control my curl that had developed. I started colouring my hair very young, early teens. And so this went on until 2021. My hair was an unhealthy mess. Then I grew out all the colour. A tedious 2 year long story, well documented here. My gorgeous natural silver colour was not received well where I live in Eastern Europe. Nobody could stand it. Some actually said so, others would not look me in the eye. After 2 years of silver I put on a temporary copper red that fades to warm blonde. Everybody loves it. Seriously the whole town comments on it :). To answer your question the young girls all have very long hair, with no layers. Very boring imo. The guys all had almost shaved heads but now are growing their hair, some to shoulder length, some with 80s style long fringes. A refreshing change. Unfortunately my colour seems to have been discontinued and now I need to figure out what to do next.

Suntiger

Veteran

I think there's a lot of experimenting with hair here across the age spectrum. Lots of different colors (usually streaks of color), and braids especially.

Most of my hair variety has come from color (I too, started with Sun In), but I did have a perm in the 80s, and like to play with extensions. Right now, it's bobbed and a bit below chin length, but probably wouldn't go any shorter. I also prefer to stick to shades of brown until my hair gets so grey that I have to go blonde.

lyn67

Veteran

Just don't remind me of the pageboy cuts and the perms I've had in my youth!
I hated pageboy but have to reluctantly admit it is the only style my hair falls/stays into it for more than a few hours in it's natural thin and fine state to date-and I could never ever get rid of my bangs given in my early childhood without asking.
So, I rather grew my hair out (except bangs, like I said) and did perms in my late teens (and as a young adult, too) to achieve some curls which gave me texture and some great Farrah Fawcett kind of styles when dried on rollers but otherwise hated perms when wet or humid so never wore my hair in it's natural permed style! OMG so much work back then!
I am aware my hair would benefit of a perm for getting some hold and texture again but I am so afraid of burning it...yet again so much work with my hair to achieve a more structural compact & fuller shape without. I am really tired of the hair fuss I have to struggle with daily for looking somehow respectable, but Oh well, still doing it each day.
Young girls here including my DD(28) who graduated medical school this summer still wears her hair naturally long not many layers-so to not beeing forced into any serious styling and/or in a low pony most of the times. But I never gave her bangs and we both love that!
Dudes (including DH) are very short now and wear close to skin fades. Younger boys wear it longer on front, but still short in the back.

LJP

Veteran

I've had short hair since I was in grade 5 or 6 with one brief foray into a just-below chin length bob when I was 50 (got there with the use of extensions). I don't have great hair, so short hair works for me. Most women I see, including my friends, have longer hair and I think I'm the only one with a true pixie. Young women around here have long hair - imprecisely cut and very natural looking. (no blunt edges and kind of stringy looking - a la Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lawrence etc). The only women I see with sort-of-bobs are the older women at the gym which is likely how I'll end up once I retire and don't need to deal with haircuts and colouring anymore- lol. Men are all over the place - but the young men I work with all keep their hair very short and sometimes even buzzed. Not a lot of experimenting going on in my universe, which is admittedly pretty white-bread and homogenous.

JAileen

Veteran

I was in high school in the 70s, and I grew my hair to below my waist. I wore it in a braid with big plaid bow on the end. I cut it when I was a senior, and haven’t had it long since.

My son is in his 30s now, but he has definitely experimented with his hair - he had dreadlocks in high school! Now he keeps his hair fairly short, but wears a beard of course. His fiancee experiments a lot with her hair - extensions, color, the works.

It seems like most girls and young women have long hair here. I haven’t noticed any particular trends WRT styles, color, etc.

Roberta

Veteran

A big experimenter here, as Sal says, it will always grow out if you don't like it. Sun -In, a Dorothy Hamill wedge in the 70s, a perm of course, and every shade of color. Bangs have been pretty constant. I grew them out once but didn't like the shape of my face, so cut them again. Now I am letting my hair grow, not with much purpose, but just because it seems to be quite curly and bouncy in the summer and I like the feel of the extra length. We'll see where I wind up this winter. Currently it is a medium reddish brown, and I really like that color when the sun hits it. I liked being a bleached blonde too, but what can I say, I like change.

In my community, the teenage girls generally wear their hair long and unfussed, and every boy with curly hair has a cloud of it. I heard someone call this the alpaca cut, and laughed and laughed. Men in their 30s are wearing more interesting styles in the city, but not in the suburbs. The only hair I truly envy, is those of you who have long thick silver hair. What a crown of glory!

RobinF

Veteran

My mom liked my hair very short as a child and I hated it. I eventually grew out the pixie to long "Marsha Brady" hair and then had it cut in a shag when I was in my early teens. That was probably my first salon cut! I loved that and it looked good on me but I eventually got the Dorothy Hamill short wedge cut and had a version of that for many years, including lots of perms so it was curly on top. I didn't let it grow out until maybe my mid-40's and then only as long as my current short bob. I straightened it at first until I decided to go with the waves about 10 years ago and the gray about 7 years ago. It is a lifelong evolution!

I would agree with your assessment of young women's hair in my area and extended family. Most young men I know (and older too) are pretty conservative with their short cuts. One exception is my youngest who has long curly hair.

Irina

Veteran

Teen to mid 20’s - short hair, perm, mullet cut, natural color
Mid 20’s to early 30’s - long hair blond once but mostly in natural color
Early 30´s to 40 - bob, followed by a pixie in dark brown
40 to 46 - long hair in warm brown. Here is me in 2010. These were my best hair years, I think
46 bob, natural hair
Had shoulder length hair during Covid once but for now stick to bobs.

I find popularity of long hair in North America fascinating. I see more variety in hair styles when I’m in Europe.

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Lisa

Veteran

My hair has been long more often than it has been short over the years. At one point in my teens I experimented with perms (they made me look like a poodle) and a bob (too much work to style straight everyday).

For many years I colored my hair various shades of blonde. I dabbled with red and mahogany as well, but both were short lived. As I got more greys and developed sensitivity to dyes I've accepted that I just need to sport my natural color.

I often wear my hair pulled into a pony tail, clip, or braid. Letting my hair "air dry natural" leaves me with a frizzy mess that I hate and no product has ever helped with that (assuming I can even tolerate the product to begin with). I've stopped wasting my time and money trying.

I prefer my hair straightened but it's a lot of work, damaging to do often, and again requires products that I often can't tolerate for very long. Wearing my natural hair pulled back is easy, simple, wallet friendly, and most importantly doesn't irritate my scalp from dyes or products.

In my community I mostly see long hair on younger girls and shorter hair as women age. I will see colors of the rainbow on pre-teens and occasionally a young adult.

I rarely see an older woman with natural grey hair, dying to cover greys is very popular. I never see anyone who is older with natural, long, grey hair, on the rare occasion I've seen natural grey it is short. The most common dyed color is blonde or lighter shades of brown and usually around the shoulders or collarbones in length.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Sal, we were born in the same year! We are the same era, so I'm high fiving everything you said!! SO MUCH similarity.

I am experimental with my hair STYLE - not the colour.

I'm always blonde, but began highlighting it blonder 22 years ago. Then I stopped for 4 years, recently. I'm back to 11 foils twice a year.

As for the styles - I've had it ALL apart from a perm, shag, or mullet. I've had all sorts of long hair in the '70s and late '90s. There isn't a style of bob or pixie I haven't tried. I've had all sorts of asymmetrical cuts too. Fringes, flicks, French plaits, spikes, layers, teased BIG hair, crimping, waves, curls, dead straight, gelled back - just like you, Sal! Super fun

As for around here and on my travels - you perfectly described Gen Z and their hairstyles. Almost everyone has very long hair if you identify as female. It's ubiquitous.

Sal

Veteran

Thanks all for sharing your thoughts. It seems long natural hair is the most common style.

I realise I was a bit Euro Centric in my post - the Maori community here mostly also have long natural hair but there are some cool undercuts by the men. It is similar in the Pacific Island community. We have a smaller African community but the women do have braids mostly. And the Indian men have the sharpest haircuts around and there are many barbers catering to their needs.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

My image of myself as a teenager is out of control hair pulled back into a ponytail, but I don't really remember. I had a very negative self-image as a teen. Definitely no color experiments, my hair was nearly black so it would have taken way more effort than I would have considered at the time to change it. I have become more experimental as I got older actually. Not radically but somewhat. Even letting my hair go grey about 15 years ago was a bit radical at the time.
I would agree that most young woman around here have long or longish hair.

Cookie

Veteran

I’ve never been a hair experimenter apart from attempts to figure out how to get the curls to look the best with the least effort. The curls and the sense of being a Natural Hair Person become such a part of one’s identity. And it takes a lot longer to grow out than straight hair! It just seems like a whole different mindset.
I sort of want to fist-bump every other woman I see with curly gray hair. But I think there is a gradient of this as one travels north, at least here on the east coast. Vermont is the capital of natural gray hair, lol.

Sal

Veteran

There are certainly some differences between regions as to hair styles. And as to greying or not.

I am mid 50s and my friends are varied in their approach to hair colour. Some are grey, some are similar to their colour in their 30s and others have a completely new colour. I like some version of a natural colour on me but I suspect as I grey I will mix it up with some fun colours too.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I am slow to respond here but I wanted to add that I wear my hair essentially the same way I did when I was 6. I may start a thread on that.

But I did experiment with longer hair at various times -- mostly in my teens -- and also a perm, and colour -- mostly in the 80s.

Young women around here almost uniformly wear their hair long. That was true when I was a teen and in my 20s, too, but I was an exception then, as now.