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Why is it that alot of people who had long hair when young decided to go normal and cut it? Is it social pressure? I am seeing more and more sports guys cutting their hair or musicians do the same too.
Boredom with their image, I'd guess, particularly for the celebrities. For normal young people, it may be this coupled with social pressure, yes, and perhaps pressure from a significant other, school, a parent or work, if these don't fall under social pressure.
Alot like David Beckham do it to gain publicity in the papers !
What is funny, is that people are like sheep, and what is ok today was not ok yesterday. As I work at a university, I have seen students keep long hair for three years and cut it short when came time to graduate. I often tell them that employers look at your student ID file until the time they were in high school and if they see you have had long hair at some point in your life, you are rejected for a job.
In 2005 there were a lot of long hairs, and a few of them cut it off in the name of common sense as well, and I have seen long hair come and go three times in my life. If someone comes to me saying that long hair is out of style I blast them verbally. I often say, "If being alive was out of fashion, would you kill yourself?"
A fun experiment, I did, in the early nineties as more guys were growing their hair, I was working as a courier and tucked my hair under my hat, making it look short. Whenever I encountered a guy with longer hair, I told him, I used to have long hair, and cut it off because (It felt hot, looked stupid, etc.... ) the reaction was like (Grow it back, it will look good on you). When people started to cut it off, they started to uses lame excuses like: Too much maintenance, too hot in summer, my significant other wants me to change, etc... In the early nineties, no one pressured me to cut off my hair to conform to shorter styles. in 1997-2001 there was a trend for shaved heads.
In Montreal, I still do notice about one longhair per subway car, in my commutes, and there are still lots of longhairs on the streets, and even in my suburb. The real test of long hair going away is seeing no longhairs in the business district, and in my suburb, but still a few in the bohemian districts, as artists tend not to be so sheepish.
Manipulative talk is seldom heard from others, but being 47 I am quite shielded from that. At work people are not too comfortable talking about my hair as a function of time. I tend to be very sarcastic in my humour about fashion. Often I equate being fashionable with having an attitude, being obnoxious, and controling. So fashion is the other "F" word for me. Basically I have a sunny disposition that goes with my "sixtyish" views on life, and the older people at work like it. It goes against the grain of cynicism, that is in style today.
As for manipulative talk: Your will hear:
Cut it off - it is soooo (last year, sixties, seventies, yesterday).
Who are you trying to impress?
Why don't you adopt a fresh new you.. shorter hair will make you look younger?
If a significant other forces you to cut your hair the answer is : DUMP HIM or HER. I have done that in the past. I often say, you like change, how about being left alone for a change?
Television and other media are also a source of anti-longhair propaganda, with makeover shows, making big news about some star or sports personality cutting off his hair, often for some charity. Makes having long hair seem so egocentric, narcistic. Just yesterday I read a newspaper article about hockey player's fashion choices. One of them, Canadien's Richard Zednik who sports hair that covers his ears was put down for his "non-haircut".
Georges, I like your posts.
The sunny disposition that you have exhibits itself through your words. You make some good points.
Thanks, and you as well have a nice day. Bragi
It disappoints me that this Hockey player cannot even get away with that relatively short hairstyle...my hair is at a similar length at the moment (8 months) and i too am hounded about having 'long-hair'
