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Several people have mentioned being stared at by other Longhairs...
It lasts longer than just a glance. Almost a sort of 'recognition.'
This happened to me just yesterday and it's not just my imagination.
Anybody have any similar experiences?
yep! i've noticed this too...its kind of a bonding thing i guess!
Most longhairs don't seem to notice me, though I've noticed others more since I've been growing my hair. In fact, the other day I saw this guy with knee-length hair and told him I thought it was really great. He looked at me like I was crazy.
Go figure.
The Rev
Well, I can comment from 2 perspectives:
1) Now that I've decided to regrow my hair, I've been noticing a lot more people with long hair.
2) When my hair was long before, I felt I was noticed by other people, but I think it's because they thought I was a girl!! You know, where you look over and then the guy turns away quickly with that "Holy shit, it's a guy" look! Haha! Hey, I just got a funny memory!----
I was leaving work one day and drove by my friend, Rick, and waived. He had this befuddled look on his face and gave what looked like a hand waive you'd give to a stranger. The next day he said to me, "Dude, I was standing outside yesterday and I was thinking to myself, 'Who's this hot chick waiving at me?' Then I realized it was YOU!" We couldn't stop laughing about it all day! lol
I have always noticed other longhairs even before I started growing out my own hair. I guess because I had always wanted longhair. I get a lot of stares from people, but more short-haired than long. It seems like most long-haired guys actually avoid looking at me. But I've encountered a few weird stare-downs between me and another longhair. I hardly ever see any other longhairs though, except at Wal-Mart for some reason. Everytime I go to Wal-Mart I'll notice at least a couple of longhairs.
ah yes, the walmart experience. I've noticed many longhairs there too, but also TONS of shaved/tatooed/pierced guys too. Also, many of what is locally known here as "french fries": the med length with frosted/tipped/orange pieces on top that stick up in little bunches. These are usually "skaters" tho... or is that known as something else now?
Walmart©: where diversity goes to shop™...
How long is the hair on top, few inches? and short back/sides? sounds like you are describing liberty spikes. Skaters are still skaters, but liberty spikes do not neccesarily denote a "skater," or even a punk.
slacker
I've been noticed by other long hairs, i'll usually try and go talk to them if they dont look like they have somewhere to go. buses are always good. It is true that moist longhairs are more friendly. especially if they are buskers too :)
Today i went shopping though, and it was so wacky, i saw about 20 longhaired guys in the space of 3 hours, one guy had amazin blonde hair down to his waist. the red hot chillis t-shirt gave away his inspiration to grow i think...
Still, cool to see lotsa long haired guys around even if i didnt get noticed today.
later
no
had several shorthairs comment... most recently at a japanese restaurant that me & my g/f were at- a young waiter- no older than 18- said he liked my hair & wished he could grow his out (work didn't allow). in general i feel that most longhairs would rather not discuss the subject or acknowledge other longhairs- homophobic issue in most cases i suspect. my new job employs several longhairs & there seems to be a different vibe there- but to me it doesn't make any difference... flattering to get the notice though
Hi J.S.,
If you don't mind disclosing, what job/market are you in? I ask because I think one of the biggest impediments to men growing long hair is their job. I hope one day it is not only illegal to discriminate against men with long hair in the workplace, but also more accepted in the workplace.
manufacturing
i am learning a diecut press in the grand tradition od iso9002. very blue collar. i interviewed wearing cargos and a polo with my tail hanging to lower back. my references and work history were considered and not the length of my hair... which wasn't even discussed. one employee has hair nearly as long as mine.
Like a secret code.
Maybe when one longhair sees another longhair there's recognition
because of the similarity.
But then the other person just looks and won't say anything
because they are still strangers, after all.
Not "stared at", but definitely "noticed"! It's a fair statement that a few longhairs really light up when they see me, most act no differently than usual, and a few are actually turned off. In all of these encounters not much is said - it's just a brief sharing of an altered "first impression".
Once in a while I'll get the "recognition response" and it will surprise me because it will come from a man who I think has short hair. Then I'll see he has his hair back in a ponytail! Because of this, I know this exchange is real.
As for those turned off, some longhairs have trouble shedding the negative impressions of longhairs that were foisted upon them as children, and even though they are now longhairs themselves, they still react negatively toward other longhairs. I suspect more of us go through this stage more than we care to admit. :-) Gay people, and people who become disabled, go through a similar phase regarding others like themselves, however, so this is probably a normal reaction to an identity shift. Coming to love your new identity at the instant gut-reaction level where genuine emotions are sent, takes time. Nothing hastens the passage of this time better than spending time among other longhairs! Of course, that's tough to do if you still send negative vibes toward them. :-)
I was in a communications shop this morning buying some telephone wiring stuff, and was helped by another longhaired guy about the same age as me.
As soon as I walked in the door, he didn't say anything to me, but as I turned and walked down an aisle, I was noticed immiditely, and he asked me If I needed any help finding anything. I told him what I was looking for, and he immiditely went and got all the parts for me. He asked me about the project I was doing, and just made talk. After getting back to the van, the other tech that was with me said that he's never gotten service like that before in there, most of the time they ignored him till he came to the counter with the parts and the cash.
I guess being a longhair himself, he may have been trying to counter-act the typical stigma of a longhair being a bad person, and getting poor customer service, so he was out to break the mold.
aCTUALLY I AM VERY surprised BY all these really GREAT STORIES!
They make great reading and I can really relate to a lot of this stuff!
Amazing!
I know, because when I see the long-hairs, I still give them the peace sign, like a hippy. This started from my school days back in the 1960's, when the school bus would go up Laurel Canyon to my home on the top of the hill. On the way up, we would pass the Laurel Canyon Country Store, where we would give the peace sign to a bunch of hippies there, just as if we were saluting the flag!