new thread
I don't see many braids around. A few on young girls, but on adults, very few. I have only ever seen one man braid apart from my own.
However today, I was buying a newspaper and there was a shop manager with a braid about as long as mine. I said how nice it looked and she was kind enough to say she thought mine looked good, too.
Is it not a measure of gender equality that we could compliment each other? Not something that would have happened in any other generation since the times of cave men and women, I would guess. Nice to share that moment.
very interesting, thanks for sharing, I guess you are right, it would have hardly happened in any other generation, at least for the last 150 or 200 years... I remember reading somewhere that in the Middle Ages it was common for men to wear long hair
Historically, braids were not all that uncommon on men in certain parts of the world, even not all that long ago. Chinese men, for example, when they first came to North America to work on the railroads in the late 1800s and early 1900s, often arrived with long braids (and were usually teased about it). I believe the Vikings of Norway, as well as of course the Native North American Indians, also wore their long hair in braids. I'm no expert in World History; but if you look back at old artwork, early photos, etc., including simple sketches, drawings, and classic historic paintings, I'd bet you'll find plenty of evidence that long braids on men as well as women have been practical as well as fashionable in many parts of the world -- just not as universally common as shorter hair styles on men.
Here's a pic of a braid that my partner did for me a year or 2 ago, right before I went out to attend a big C&W dance event -- that "outer space" shirt, by the way, even though not very "Western", was hand-made by a friend of mine.
- Ken
Although often my self-braiding attempts don't turn out so good, at least this one did.... WOW, I'd say it even turned out fairly neat and orderly-looking! (LOL)
Thanks for your original post on this fun topic, bte!!
-Ken
Both braids look great, well done, especially for the self-braid. The braid has everything - comfortable, practical and fairly easy to do, and I am also pleased with the shock factor!
Thanks for sharing. Any other braids out there?
Okay, I'll bite. I posted this picture a few months back, but given the way this board is structured you won't find it easily.
I like to plait/braid my hair as an alternative to a simple queue which on my hair always looks quite bouffant. Also, the plait resists blowing around and tangling in the wind better than the tail, and as a bonus when I take the plait out my hair it has a curliness that I like.
This was my first successful attempt at self-plaiting back in April; my hair's grown longer since then, although I did recently take a trim of five cm or so.
I find it's easier to get a neat plait if I put it in whilst my hair is damp. If my hair is dry when I want to plait it, I put in an extra dose of the leave-in moisturiser that I use.
I don't get the sense that many people give my hair - whether plaited or worn any other way - a second glance. I'm on the Gold Coast, in Australia, and it seems that men in long hair are common enough around here that people barely notice. That, plus OZ is an easygoing place in general...except where sport is concerned! (Right now we're in the middle of the State of Origin Rugby Football Tournament, and Queensland just lost an important game to New South Wales...oy!)
On the other hand, I was back in the USA (Boulder and Colorado Springs, and Charlottesville, Virginia) a few months ago, and I didn't have the sense that anybody cared there, either. I'm planning trip to Israel in October, so I'll be able to see if the Israelis react to it.
Keep growing and flowing, and enjoying the journey!
Don
That's a great plait, and a tribute to your skills! As you say, it's a style that avoids tangling, which is a great benefit.
Hope you enjoy the trip to Israel - you'll have to post about it i ue course.
Keep on enjoying the journey and I am doing, too.