new thread
While it might have been true that the Punks brought back short hairstyles in the U.K, this was not true in the U.S.
Punks were a small subculture at the beginning of the 1980's in the U.S and the scene was largly underground until the 1990's.
the Preppies and Yuppies were far more influential on the resurgence of short haircuts for Men in the early 1980's. I recall seeing some so-called "expert" on national tv after the election of Ronald Reagan making negative comments equating long hair on Men as the "underclass" and short hair with the "upperclass" which I found to be quite elitist and bigotted. there were still some long haired college students in 1980-82, but they were very few comparitive to the early 1970's.
the 1980's stressed "conformity" and greed over individuality and cooperation and the haircuts gradually got shorter to coincide with this going from the bottom of the ears to above the ears before the decade came to an end.
most Punks whom I encountered did not identify with the Preps or Yuppies and had disdain for them. they often attacked the lifestyles and beliefs of these two groups, often coming across like angry hippies.
the only fragment of the Punk culture which I am aware of which was hostile to longhairs, especially those with "hippie" beliefs was the neonazi skinhead types which gave the punk subculture a bad name.
Hello,
At the same time as the Punks, the Disco subculture and the Gay community were pushing for shorter haircuts as well. In 1977, as disco was going full steam, hair lengths went from shoulder-length to mid-ear, as you can see in my 1978 photos I have posted.
The disco crowed favored a neater look, and trendy discotheques had a no-jeans policy. In 1977 long hair stayed popular with the rockers, and metal fans, however even mainstream rockers cut their hair while listening to "hair bands". I remember a fellow student telling me, that I could cut my hair and still have a rock'n'roll look.
Punk wasn't visible in Montreal until 1981, but when I was in College, punk rock was only heard on radio and seen on some TV specials. I shivered at some lyrics that were vehemently anti-longhair, and I did not side with punk. However, I did start to enjoy the New Wave music on the early eighties at a rock bar called "The Mustache" across the street from the forum. It was a hangout for Dawson College students and there were great shows local talent. The musicians in the New Wave movement adopted crewcuts with sideburns, and very tight pants with skinny ties. Women singers may adopt the early sixties type big-hair doos. In the audience of these shows, about 1 in 8 had long hair. The crowd was mixed.
Have a nice day
Georges in Montreal.
For me,
Guys still had longish hair in the early 80's as I graduated from high school but some did start to have shorter hair with it being a little over the ears. The decade did seem like a transition of non conformity to comformity and here we are now...
You think their's any chance of society going back to the free thinking, non comformity of the late '60's-1970's?
Hello,
It seems things come and go in cycles, and the perception of the public seems to be dominated by mainstream media.
I recently was watching a rerun of the new "outer limits" 1997 where the scenario turned around a societ where net access was using wifi antenae on one's head (The look like the new cell phone headsets), and I saw a few people in suits sporting ponytails, like in the mid-nineties. The same goes for episodes of Mad Tv, I saw a few people with ponytails or loose hair. What to observe, is that movies and Tv show less heroes with long hair, and the long hair you see is on bad guys.
People who live in the boondocks and watch mainstream TV will perceive that long hair on men is completely gone, and reports about companies enforcing dress codes, makeover shows... are part of a big media manipulation of the public.
What will counter this manipulation (Tin foil hat off), is web sites like this one, and independent media using reporters with long hair. We should never suck up to ideas that long hair is not credible, make it credible by doing something positive.
Another thing, is the DVD revolution, that makes TV shows from past decades esily available for the cost of one month's cable. You can watch shows from the seventies, and espouse the values that transpire, taking and leaving some...
If a lot of what mainstream media show is trash, like makeover shows, fear factor, just cancel your cable subscription and either rent DVD's (boycott Blockbuster and any outfit that discriminates on hair styles), or make your own media. We do not need to follow mass media for information and thanks to the internet, we can make our own media, a medium that says men with long hair exist and they are not bad guys.
Have a nice day,
Georges
I got my "release from the service of the State" in 1979, and was well on my way to being a longhair then. However, I was in a very distinct minority, and by the mid 1980s I was one of only a tiny number of longhairs I knew about (northeast US). Things have not gotten better recently....
It'll take at least another generation -- and that means about 20 years -- if it happens at all. There was a whole lot of yuppie backlash about the events of the '60s and '70s, and that mess got integrated into current society's opinions quite well (sadly). So, we need to purge the yuppie mentality first; hopefully their children will do it, but it'll be a few years yet. Greed is still good, and it still works....
Wow... I haven't seen people placed in that many groups since the last time I googled "highschool stereotypes".
