new thread
I just read in this long hair f.a.q that to be, i guess a word for it is "officially", a longhair, you need atleast 9 inches of hair. I quote, "As a long haired man, I think that anyone with hair at 9 inches or more is a longhair."
So is 9 inches about what your hair has to be to be an "official longhair"?
Long hair is a subjective term. Long hair for ultra-conservative types might be "over the collar and ears". Long hair for a heavy metal musician might be waist length. You know what i'm saying?
Well if long hair is considered a minimum 9 inches, then technically, i'm a long hair. Personally, i still don't feel like a "long hair" and i want atleast about another 10 inches before i can comfortably say that word and not have any doubts :)
"Official Longhair" you say? No such thing buddy. That's a made up term in my eyes.
too true
wouldn't mind 9 inches myself but!
I'd say once your bangs visibly hit shoulder-length and the back is a bit longer, you're a longhair.
I address this question in the F.A.Q.
I don't use a particular number of inches because of two reasons:
-the perception of the person and their community
-the physical size of the person (my 3 y/o niece has waist length hair but she is about a 1/4 of my height)
The adjective "long" is a relative term. To your neighbor who is a Marine, two inches may seem long. If you've never had your hair over three inches, six inches may seem long. Some school and work dress codes consider hair that touches the collar or hides the ears to be long.
The noun "longhair" is more definitely defined by society. People tend to call you "a longhair" when your hair is falling upon your shoulders. By "fall upon", I mean not to just barely touch, but to have major contact with. When a man is seen as being a longhair, he is seen as being in a different social group, and this can trigger stereotypes in people. Hair length does not have this same effect on women, and the term "longhair" is by most people only applied to men.
As examples of the difference between the adjective and the noun, consider that the Marine who sees two inches of hair as "long" would not be likely to see the man with such short hair as "a longhair". And people see both me and Absalom as "longhairs", but no one ever comes up to me and says, "Wow, you have really long hair!" They do do that to Absalom. (His longest strands are twice the length of mine and come down to his knees.)
You will realize you've achieved the distinction of being a longhair when you hear someone call you one. Hippies will start offering to share their drugs with you. Other longhairs will start acknowledging you. Security guards will start paying extra attention to you. If with several other longhairs, people will ask if you're in a band. You don't need really long hair for this to happen. It just needs to be making major contact with your shoulders.
This is about the same length as the one where you can get it all into a ponytail. It is thus the end of the "awkward stage". Most people don't want to be in the awkward stage, and they blow right through it as fast as possible. Men are therefore mostly seen in two groups - those with hair shorter than the awkward stage and those with hair longer than it - and this makes it somewhat natural for society to have made the distinction and therefore labeled us as "longhairs".
Bill
For a donation of just $199.95 US to this site you not only get all the benefits of the basic level membership: photo listing in the membership directory, a photo with every post you write, and personal correspondence from a moderator when your posts are out of line, but also the paid members only laminated photo ID badge that is valid proof in every country that you indisputably are a longhair, business cards declaring the same, nifty "I'm a longhair" imprinted water bottle and pen, official MLHH goldlike plated comb, and listing in the International Longhairs Directory available for purchase for an additional $49.99. Yearly dues of $29.99 apply for continued recognition as a longhair.
Elizabeth
Mods- lemme know if anybody tries to take you up on this offer, I'd be happy to cobble together the prize package once the board has the money in hand. :-)
Maybe better,
How about adding benefits to that package, like giving rights and guarantees of no hassles from employers, parents, spouses, lovers, etc, and for the annual fee, protection from changes in fashions.
That would be a licence for the right to wear long hair ;)
Have a nice day,
Georges in Montreal.
If I had power to make it so Georges, I would grant all those things in an instant for free. Everybody deserves to be treated with respect and it shouldn't take a bodyguard at your side to enforce it.
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
Sounds like a grat bargain to me...oh dear I've not paid up yet!!!
John.B
PS...do we get a discount for each inch of hair we have grown!!!
Hi Elizabeth,
Sounds like a grat bargain to me...oh dear I've not paid up yet!!!
John.B
PS...do we get a discount for each inch of hair we have grown!!!
Of course a growth discount would have to apply to everybody, it is not how much we have grown but how much we have kept that makes a difference. Besides John, you certainly don't need a discount. You have far surpassed $199.95 already if the labor value of the work you put in on the board is counted in. I think I'll need to get to work on a set of 15 packages now. :-)
Elizabeth
Is there a discount for knee-length?
Ed
Ed, if you can't tell you have long hair by now your are far beyond the help of this board. ;-) You, sir, will never need an ID card to certify your gorgeous hair is long.
Elizabeth
About membership cards...
It takes a strong individualist to complete our pledge program, and if a man wasn't one going in, he will nevertheless be one coming out. When you flash our membership card, this tells people you own yourself, the most defining personality trait of longhairs. This, of course, is what freaks out control freaks. [grin]
Forever flyin' the freak flag,
Bill
One more year to go and I'm truly in the brotherhood!
David(Waiting for that glorious ponytail moment!)
Dear Elizabeth Queen,
I hope I am the first to officially accept your order. I did find it impossible to doneate $199.95, for the board kept rejecting my offers. However, I broke it down into segments and I think I have come close to the amount you specified.I hope you will bear with me in adjusting these details. I confess that I find this site even more valuable than your posted fee, even without the additional benefits you have offered. Thank you for making this kind offer available.
James
Amazon takes only chunks up to fifty, thanks for persevering James. If you were willing to donate the near $200 amount that is great and you are right that the site is worth even more. After the seven day refund period has passed please write to Victor to have him confirm to me that he did get your generous multi-part donation. Once I know that Victor did get the entire amount from one sender I'll have the fun of getting to work on your loot.
Elizabeth
Heh! I can help with the business cards; and for a slight additional premium, they can be refrigerator magnets!
I think you are officially a longhair when your parents or some member of society puts pressure on you to cut your hair shorter, and you refuse. If you were in the military you would have earned your first Purple Heart medal.
