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I read this board every day (I'm not posting very often :-), just want tips to keep my hair healthy while growing out), and I always see young men that have problems with their parents that don't like their hair.
Is that very common? I don't know, cause for my parents it really doesn't matter how I look (only how I "am", I think).
My mother even asked me, if I want to have long hairs (that were the 5 years I got the buzz-cut all the time ;-) ). I want to know if it depends on parents, countrys (I can't think of friends of mine, that would get problems with their parents if they start growing their hair out; I'm from Austria(Europe not Australia ;-) )) or anything else.
sorry for my bad english =)
Beret
my mum gave me a pretty hard time when I said I wanted to grow my hair long, she'd never really give me a proper reason for it, but I expect it is that she has the idea that all men with long hair are druggies etc. My mum is 100% conformist and will do all she can to fit in, and so she wants me to fit in as well. For a long time she was telling me I would look like a girl but thats just a stupid argument, I listen to heavy metal and all the bands I listen to have long hair, not a single one of them has ever looked feminine, in fact they look far more manly than most men with short hair.
my dad as allways just agrees with whatever my mum says, although he had long hair when he was young (he was a prog-rock fan in the 70's)
But my mum has now accepted the fact that I'm growing my hair long, even tho she doesn't really like the idea of it, but thats fine just as long as she doesn't give me a hard time for the rest of my life and supports me in what *I* want to do
Bad English? If you had not mentioned where you were from I would never have even noticed!
Here we are in the 21st Century and the hair thing is still an issue?
Wow.It's crazy.
My family mom and dad are very liberal and don't care if I have short or long hair. Hell, my mom used to have put my dads long hair into a long braid in the back every morning before work.
My parents arent strict. Ive had it left up to me and no one seems to disapprove.
My mom hated my hair when it was short and my dad used to be a long hair himself, so theyre all for it. Maybe its b/c my whole family is eurpean (polish and austrian) but the only ppl who have problems with it are mostly my friends and aquintances. Other than my closest friends and fellow longhairs (or semi-longhairs like myself ~ its getting there ^_^) i constantly get called a hippie and get told to cut the "rug". Not only that but some ppl actually think its a mullet when its clearly 2 inches shorter in the back! Now thats stupid, i simply ignore such daftness, unlike those squares i choose to live beyond the dotted lines.
Not only I never listened to what my parents told me to do, but now I live in an appartment!
Well, I guess...some are...some aren't. Mine are the strict type (although I'm 35 now -- so they have NO choice in the matter). They held the same stereotypical views that many people do (druggie, hippie, etc.). Yes, at one point in my life I was into drugs and partying hardcore. It had nothing to do with my hair. I've known many short haired guys that were into 'coke', etc. -- even when I didn't do anything harder than 'pot'. Now, I don't do drugs and don't even drink often. You would (possibly) be surprised at how many of these "short-hairs" that are druggies and tend to fit the hippie sterotype. Hair has nothing to do with it. If a person is going to do a substance -- that person's hair has absolutely nothing to do with it. I wish more people knew that.
Possibly, it's more accepted where you are to grow your hair long. It still tends to be a problem for some people in smaller towns and rural areas here in the US (even in California -- where I'm at). However, most people here don't have a problem with long hair and generally won't say anything about it -- even the 'rednecks',believe it or not.
I guess; to answer your question -- it does depend on the parents. Mine were married in the mid 60's. Obviously, back then the long-hairs tended to fit the stereotypes. This isn't true today, as we all know. I was never able to grow my hair very long in high school. But now that I've shown myself to be an independent thinker my family accepts me no matter what hairstyle I have.
Anyway; keep on growing!!
Hi fellow Austrian!
First, you have to differ between the US and Europe.
US
-------
Short or no hair = Army guy .. The army is cool, the army is great, thus the guy is great
Long hair = hippie movement (a typical US thing, mostly forgotten in Europe) ... hippies are bad, hippies are drugheads... the guy is a cokehead
Europe
-------
Short or no hair = Neo-Nazi style = this guy is suspicious
Long hair = Cares bout his hair, looks distinguished, looks noble or baronial (remember the European history!!! only baronial people were allowed to have long hair)
However, we are in the 21st century. Most people (and parents) in Europe (but it should be so in the US too) will accept the hair style of their childs, whatever it is, 'cuz they know it's a fashion thing, and they did the same in the 60ties, 70ties.
(Rembemer: Long hairs in Europe are 70% long hairs by fashion, and 30% "born" long hairs)
just my two (Euro) cents
that where my thought too ;-), that it depends an parents AND location.
mfg
beret