new thread
In addition to the mentality that says that "men should have short hair", there is also a mentality that says the same thing about beards. It's even worse for beards, actually--beards you not only have to have short, most of the time you have to have it completely removed (shaved): but I guess in this society, we need to remove all connections we have with nature--an absolute denial that we are simply (domesticated) animals. With really only two acceptions, all of the NATURAL physical distinctions between men and women are removed--now, in order to be considered attractive, women are told they have to shave their legs and pits, paint their faces, wear uncomfortable clothing and shoes, and, of course, act submissive. Men have to shave their beards, cut their hair, and play the role of machoism while turning women into objects by clinging to all the superficial cosmetological stylizations of modern media. Not to mention the side of media that says that only one body type is attractive (barbie-like pre-pubescent image for women and 17 year old who spends 9/10 of his life at the gym image for men).
It's no wonder why society has such a problem with long hair on men--look at the problems we have with everything else left natural.
- = K i z z u m e = -
Ours is certainly not the first society or culture to be afraid of nature. Fear is probably natural (no pun intended) for a puny little species with few protective defenses. Nature in all its magnitude reinforces our own sense of insignificance, which is definitely scary.
Even at our most rational, we're still ambivalent. Consider the extent to which even the most enlightened of us chooses to be completely natural. We're communicating on the Net, aren't we?
As for gender distinctions, to me it reflects our veneration of youth. After all, prepubsecent males and females are generally lithe and lean and hairless. I understand some biologists believe our attractions reflect a certain reproductive imperative -- that we're hard-wired as creatures to be attracted to those who are young and strong and physically perfect because we sense that they have the greatest chances of procreating successfully and thus carrying on our genes.
The problems society has with longhaired, bearded men are the same it has with the weather, the environment and sexuality, among other unsettling natural forces.