new thread
What an amazing, supportive, articulate, and welcoming place this is!!
Wow!!
Thank you guys so much for the thoughtful replies.
There are so many things that are great about having long hair.
Community being a huge one!!
Long hair certainly sets you apart. And I don't mean 'apart' in terms of opposition -- I mean it much more positively.
Since each person's hair grows in a unique way, long hair is something of fulfillment of individuality. Your hair grows only in your own way -- and not only contributes to your own unique identitiy, it helps define it.
Short hair (to me) connotes conformity -- and also uniformity. It is no accident that institutions that promote collective thinking glorify short, uniform hairstyles, while those that embrace individuality and imagination celebrate hair however it emerges: shaggy, wild, flowing, straight, curly, frizzy, fro'd, whatever. What will be, will be, and grow with it!
Different societies see the idea of growth in dramatically different ways. For some, to grow is to mature into a pre-established pattern, For others, growth is organic, unplanned and surprising.
That's the thing that most discouraged me about my hair as it thinned. It was so much fun watching it grow, choosing its paths, organically establishing its own identity. For some people long hair is a crown, for others a cape, for others a friend.
For me it was like a fun hat that I loved wearing and didn't want to take off. It was a crucial part of my face and my head. Hell - it shaped my head!
When the thinning started, I cried. It was no different than if any other important facial feature had vanished. Like having an ear fall off, or an eye close over with skin.
I started wearing ball caps constantly, and eventually friends convinced me to cut my hair short. (Especially my boyfriend at the time).
Despite the tone of my previous post, my family was actually (albeit sullenly) tolerant of my long hair. My mother thought it was creepy, and my father always referred to me as "the hippie" but no one disowned me. What was most disappointing to me was the smug glee with which my thinning scalp was greeted
It was like "Ha -- nature will set you straight, boy."
And in retrospect -- I read that sentiment more as jealousy than anything else.
Okay -- enough rambling.
Even though I am not currently a LH, I thought some of you might appreciate these sentiments.
Thank you all again for the confidence and support.
I will definitley be researching transplants and can't wait to start down the shaggy path I so adored.
You guys are inspiring.
lifobryan
Everything you say is so true: this place has a membership that is
very supportive. Troublemakers who pop in quickly realize that
the things they are saying will not be tolerated and if they
are not banned first, they will leave or quickly adjust their attitude.
The 'real world' may not be like this, but this cyberplace is filled
with REAL people--many of whom are 'sensitive souls.'
Thanks for sharing the story man. . .my best friend cut his hair of 5 years because of thinning. . .and honestly, I know I'm weird, but I think that long hair with a little extra skin on top is a very distinguished look! Think of the wizard that Mickey Mouse apprenticed under in Fantasia. . .the leader of the Atlanteans in the movie "Atlantis" and that guy from Rocky Horror Picture Show (can't think of his name)
Either with or without the transplant, I hope you come back and enjoy the long-hair journey again.
Again, thanks for sharing
That "Ball" Guy
www.thatballguy.com