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Yet another of my pseudo interesting thoughts, why the aversion to males with long hair, yet women are allowed to have short hair and no one seems to care? Isn't a short haired female the "opposite of normal" since the minds of people expect longer hair on them???
Depends on how short, how it's styled, and the age of the person sporting the hair. Short hair on a child isn't typical. Very short hair on a teenager is unusual. A buzz cut on a 20-something woman is definitely out of the ordinary. I did all three. I was picked significantly in school (hair was just one of many things on the "outcast" list). I've endured many "Mom, there's a boy in here!" comments at public restrooms. I've had people assume I'm a butch lesbian (untrue). I have walked past kids in the hallway calling me "boy girl." I've been told, very politely but still insultingly, that I should have a more feminine cut to appear more professional.
I'll be the first to agree that women have a far greater range of expression when it comes to hair length and styles. There are still cultural norms though (speaking from the midwest of the USA), and anything too far outside of those norms gets unwanted attention.
Mouse
[quote from mouse] I've had people assume I'm a butch lesbian (untrue)
This is probably the crux of the problem:According to corporate America men with long hair in the work place are protesters and hippies and druggies
Women with real short hair in the work place are butches and Lesbians
If we send the long haired guy or the extremely short haired girl out as a sales person from company XYZ nobody will buy the product or service because people are predjudiced agaist anybody that isn't a clone of what a person in Corporate America is supposed to look like.
What a "F" ed up world we live in
An observation... you go to a job interview wearing a shirt, tie, the usual stuff. You get the job. Then, after you start work with the company you find out most people in the company casually dressed, ie. no shirt and tie. I think the only people wearing "stuffed shirts" are people in HR and sales...
--Rick
I did that! I interviewed in a suit, got the job, showed up on Day 1 with a suit...and promptly found out that the department was casual. No arguments from me since jeans and a t-shirt are more my style, not to mention it's a much cheaper wardrobe.
I'm also a 'jeans and t-shirt' type of person. 'J&T' is cheaper and much easier to maintain!
--Rick
Every woman I KNOW that chops her hair off gets the "what did you do THAT for???" speech...From what I've seen people do "care" when women cut their hair very short but society the way it is these days prevents anything be said that could be construed as discrimintating or harassing.. Men on the other hand haven't achieved that immunity yet... All this political "correctness" is bound to work in our favor some day!
my $.02
Tom
It's not just that women are 'allowed' to have short hair - once they are over 40 and especially if they are going grey,(like me) they face very similar attitudes to you guys. People say, or imply, that you are too old to have long hair, grey long hair looks horrible, 'why don't you dye it?', 'why don't you cut it?', 'you looked so good with short hair',.....etc etc.
I suppose the answer is that humans are driven by fashion, and although fashions change, the attitudes to those who don't conform is always negative.
It takes a certain strength of mind to buck the trend and remain happy with yourself. I admire the guys here for doing it, and I feel myself to be in a similar position!
[quote from Rose] It takes a certain strength of mind to buck the trend and remain happy with yourself
******
That is one thing that I am so greatful to God for, that he gave me the quality to do my own thing and not to care one single iota about what other people think about me. It is so libersating to be that way. The only time I give consideration to what others think is if they mean something in my life, or if they can effect something in my life. That doesn't mean that I will change something because of that, but at least I will give it a second thought
Todd B.
I definitely get the impression that long hair is only fashionable and socially acceptable on young women.
At the ripe old age of 43, I've decided I don't care if I'm fashionable or not. lol
Personally I think short hair on younger girls is horribly unattractive. But then again, I really like long hair. :)
Actually at my gym I've noticed a lot of younger women who are sporting shortish haircuts.When they attempt to tail their hair while working out there is only a little nub after the hair band.Others got this weird cut up the backs of their heads that I don't know what its even called.I love it though as I walk around the gym floor with my waist length ponytail as I know I've turned a few heads:)LOL.I have noticed a few longhaired guys at the gym which is cool so I'm not the only one but still we are rare.
Mark
It's just a choice.
And despite long going longhair though that most women in their forties force themselves to cut their hair, that's untrue. Some just like it better that way, like my mom.
And beyond that, some people just like it short. Not everyone wants long hair, and that includes women.
[quote from corvettemike] Yet another of my pseudo interesting thoughts, why the aversion to males with long hair, yet women are allowed to have short hair and no one seems to care? Isn't a short haired female the "opposite of normal" since the minds of people expect longer hair on them???
******
Mike doesn't the word pseudo mean false or fake. This isn't a fake thought it is a very good one.
We guys get a rotten deal with alot of things. Many companies make men wear collar shirt and tie [ughhhh] while woman get to wear almost anything they want.
I see long haired women with their hair out and I say to myself if I showed up at work with my long thick hair not tied back they would probably have a coronary.
You bring up a great point that I never really thought about if we long haired men are discriminated against in the work place why arent short haired women discriminated against???
Maybe because its a male dominated chauvanistic society, they don't really care what women do. All I know is it sucks
Todd B.
I must be stupid....I thought pseudo meant boring or uniteresting.....
[quote from corvettemike] I must be stupid....I thought pseudo meant boring or uniteresting.....
Dude your not stupid everybody makes mistakes
pseudo Definition pseudo (so̵̅o̅¡äd¨Â, syo̵̅o̅¡ä-)
adjective
sham; false; spurious; pretended; counterfeit
ToDD B.
I think that to some extent it is because women are taken less seriously. IOW, it is actually a symptom of people still looking at women as inferior. Not only that, but a traditionally masculine appearance (i.e. short hair, suits, dull coloured clothes) is seen as more dominant, whereas a traditionally feminine appearance (loose long hair, flowing clothes, interesting coloured clothing) is seen as low status.
IMHO these stereotypical attitudes are seriously insane, truly symptomatic of brains addled by a sick culture, but it explains to some extent why a woman can go for a more masculine style and she is seen as gaining status. All a total load of b*ll*cks IMHO, but there it is. The sooner all these stereotypes are completely smashed the better. Oddly enough, women who choose not to try to look masculine when they become the CEO etc are just as much bucking the system as guys growing out our hair. Smash the system!!!! LOL!