new thread
Just curious if anyone on this board has ever tried to define where "long hair" starts...is it when your hair is over the ears? to the shoulders? long enough to put in a ponytail? etc...
(n/t)
I get comments about being a long hair from a lot of people, but my length now bareley lets me make a ponytail, so to me I am not officially a long hair yet...but soon ;-)
My hair must be long a damn good deal of time then, and I still can't tie it back either.
Haha, same here on both counts.
Chris
Long hair definitions are notoriously difficult to make. We can take a view that anything from shoulder to terminal qualifies if we want.
Others including the proud 'owners' of it may think that simply having ears fully covered is long.
I really don't think one should set a standard/definition that includes or excludes any particular length from 'ears covered ' down.
That would be utterly unfair to those people who may well risk the ire of friends/family/colleagues. This Board is supportive of all regardless of choice and should now start to say that some are better at having 'long hair' than others simply to create an artificial consist of words.
Overall, I'd agree with you.
My personal definition would describe anything from covering the ears to shoulders as "longish", and anything long enough to be put in a low tail is truly "long"
And then you have Scott and Ed, shining examples of "Holy Crap!! long" [grin]
I agree, I hate trying to define these things as someone is bound to feel alienated.
If someone feels they're a longhair for whatever reason that's fine by me as you say we're here to support people to that effect.
Kevin
Yes. That sums up my opinion quite nicely.
When someone says 'Get yer hair cut' is a good indication that you are well on your way. As far as length goes, I would say shoulder length is defined as long to most people.
~ Dave
I think everyone has their own definitions on what constitutes "long hair"; as for myself, I define "long" as when you can start to feel the hair's own independent movement. That's biased; most of my life I've been a short-hair. I need to put one of my pics up here someday lol
Suppose when someone notices!
It's all relative. To my father, long hair was anything other than a military cut. I was in high school before I had anything longer than a flattop.
To a lady friend of mine, hers feels short when she trims back to waist.
I consider mine long now because it gets caught under my arms!
When others notice and begin to make comments is a good indicator that it is beginning to get long.
So goes the theme song from the famous 60's tribal love musical appropriately named, "Hair". Chin-length to just above shoulders is typically considered medium length. Above the chin is short. For example, a simple bob is a short hait style, a shag is uaually a medium length, but there are long versions of shags. And then long hair has it's own definitions; mid-back, waist, classic, etc.
That's exactly what I would have said, Carol.
Men often get as much flak for mid length hair as for long hair, but I think people understand that this board is as much for guys' mid length hair as truly long hair, without having to change the name of the board to the Men's Long and Medium Length Hair Hyperboard, LOL!
According to the National Hair Nazi ASSociation anything covering the ear or longer is considered longhair. This works for me because that increases our numbers dramatically and the more the merrier.
Paul
I say shoulder length is when you start becoming a long hair.
Matthew
It's all pretty relative now isn't it. I've pretty much always defined long hair as longer than mine. Back when my hair was much shorter, long hair would entail most guys whose hair fell on their shoulders, now that my hair is mid to low back, I don't really concider hair to be long until it's at least waist length. But it's all relative to how long 'my' hair is. But what is long in reality? I don't know if I could even dare to take a stab at that, nor do I think I would want to because everyone will define long differently. But one thing I do know, if your hair is long than you are tall, then you qualify as having really long hair.
Daniel
It is a moving target.
And is dependent on where you are.
For me, in San Francisco, long hair on men is mid-back, on women, past waist.
I tend to be equalitarian and apply the same yardstick to both sexes.
That is longish is below the ears to shoulder length. Long is below the shoulders
And very long waist length or longer. And this goes for both guys and gals. No
Sex discrimination here.
Hmmm...interesting...upon examination of what I think..."very long" is tailbone for men and women for me.
I would say the disparity was due to how common the "long" lengths were, but that doesn't explain the "very long" length...oh well, our brains and thoughts are quite interesting in how they work!
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I would consider hair to be long, for both men and women, if it is longer than shoulder length.
Scott
I think it's a very individual definition. For me, it was when I started getting comments such as, "Wow, your hair is (getting) long." That was around shoulder length, so that is now my definition.
Tracy
"Long" is a relative term, as is beauty, so one could say length is in the eye of the beholder. However, as mentioned in the recent "am I a hippie" thread, how the public defines it counts, and how you get the public's definition is by their comments.
On a man, people who know him may say his hair is long when it has grown a bit beyond what they are used to seeing on him or what they are used to seeing in the crowd he runs with. People who don't know him, though, will apply the societal definition, which kicks in somewhere between shoulder and shoulderblade length.
The definitions of "long hair" and of "a longhair" do not necessarily coincide. The latter is more bound to the societal definition than the former. Strangers will start referring to a man as a longhair when his hair is long enough to mess with his shoulders. This is at about the same length where he can comfortably ponytail it, so some apply the definition if they see a man with a ponytail.
"Long" being a relative term, and with many more women having hair of shoulder-area length, society tends to consider that a medium length and not consider a woman's hair to be "long" unless it is down to the middle of her back. As for the noun "longhair", general society seldom applies it to women, and that usage is not often seen except on longhaired women's hair boards.
Perhaps a good idea for the next survey here would be, "How long was your hair when a stranger first referred to you as a longhair or said you looked like a celebrity who is a longhair?" This might give everyone a sense for how the public defines the term. (My answer would be "about two inches longer than shoulder length" because that is when the comments started, and they haven't stopped since.)
Good to see your post, my friend!
Hiya Matt. Gotta drop in once in a while, but I'm now enjoying being part of the unwashed masses. Leaves more time for hiking, and for growing hair.
Bill