new thread
My hair has finally grown past my ear, and I emphasize the FINALLY.
Anyway, I've decided to go a little past chin length.
Would my hair right now be considered long hair or medium length hair? What is considered long hair by your terms?
I'd post a pic, but my scanner is down.
thanks
I'd consider yours short to medium length. Hair that is at least to the bottom of the ears but no longer than shoulder length is medium as far as I'm concerned. Anything that's past the shoulders I'd consider long. Others may take issue with my definitions and that's ok... just expressing my opinion.
I'm with John on this one,short to medium with a lean towards medium. This, of course, may also go with the actual style. When you 'grow out' a short style, covering the ears, going past the collar and hanging over the eyes are hallmarks of calling one's hair long. But that is relative to the short[er] style. Where "long" is is personal. Like John said, it's just my opinion, but then, My hair is reaching for my waist.
When I first met my [future]brother-in-law six years ago, his first words were, "Cool, you've got long hair!" To which his sister [or was it me] replied that I had just had it cut... the back was a mid-shoulder blade and was now/then just past my collar. I since let it grow out with only a few trims and one major cut to even the ends out to a one-length style.
Past or below the ears is probably the first hallmark you'll come to as you let you hair grow. How many you reach depends on you.
There are the rest of the Top Ten Long Hair Hallmarks:
9)Bangs long enough to push behind your ears to get out of your eyes.
8)Being able to tie back in a ponytail.
7)Being able to cut off a substantial amount to make a one-length style and still able to do #1 & #2.
6)Long enough to braid. Usually as a single braid down the back.
5)Discovering that you have to do something with/about your hair before going to bed so you can [comfortably]roll over.
4)Being told by women that they wish they had your hair or that its unfair that a man has suck long hair.
3)Actually thinking about the use of conditioner and really thinging about which one.
2)Going out and buying you first hairbands/ponytail holders. This usually comes at #2 & #4.
And, the Number One Hallmark of Long Hair:
1)Feeling you have an accurate opinion about what is truely considered long hair
Well, I'd be of the opinion that anything above the collar is really short, if its shaved in any way its a buzz cut. (Ick, Ick, Ick on shaved necks, Uggg, so very unappealing)Anything below the collar is approaching kinda long, kinda long starting at the top of the shoulders for guys, though for women I'd say that is still very short. Nicely long begins around mid back and actually long by anyone's definition is anything waist length or longer. (My personal favorite.) However, these kind of comparisons are more destructive than they are helpful since for any given person long is really whatever is longer than their own. Long for me is way, way longer than for most anyone else. Its all relative to your own perspective.
I notice your emphasis on the finally though and can't help but wonder what your definition of finally is (given your already offered definition of medium to long length for your hair). Finally meaning you've been growing it for a couple of weeks, or a couple of months or a couple of years? I've always found that people expect way too much from hair. Its growth, like the growth of a person, is measured across the span of many, many moons and expecting it to move faster is a major waste of time. If you really want long hair, relax and let it grow. One fine day you'll realize that it is actually long but if you're expecting to constantly measure and track the results it can be a very tedious wait.
Just a couple thoughts
I found people started calling me "a longhair" when my hair began to lay on my shoulders. And I've seen that term applied to characters on television who had hair of that length or longer. So that is the definition I use.
Webster's Third New International Dictionary (still the latest in their unabridged series though it came out before the Beatles) offers no help as to a specific length, but this is what it says:
It defines "longhair" as "a man who wears his hair long", so it does point out that the compound noun is applied to males. But one must then turn to the word "long" for further information:
It defines "long" as "having great length", "having greater length than usual", and "longer than desirable or necessary".
So it is all left up to one's personal perspective. As for me, I enjoy "having great length"!