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Local History: 70s long hair for men was 'in' style
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/story/news/history/2015/05/19/local-history-70s-long-hair-for-men-was-in-style/27599901/
No idea where Vineland might be, but plenty of us old farts were there, at least time-wise.
'Long hair' of the period was only shoulder length, but more common than shorter styles.
Where I lived, the ladies hairdressers mostly renamed themselves unisex, so there was never any real issue of having to use a ladies salon. That said, being the only man in there was not unusual.
I did get haircuts at traditional barbers as well, but it was obvious that they saw us as killing their business, and not always an advisable thing.
Some of the pictures in the slide show made me smile. While I don't miss many of these styles, I DO miss the sense of freedom for a man to not just wear his hair long, but to style it in whatever way might please him. It seems that men's long hair today is something a bit different; if we might feel inclined to put some style into it, we find ourselves discouraged even by those who are generally supportive of our wearing it long.
I remember how free I felt when I reached the age where I could choose where to go to get my hair taken care of, and I would go to a 'unisex salon' instead of the traditional barber shop that my parents imposed upon me until somewhere about the age when I started driving. Today, I don't get hung up on what the shop calls itself. Here in Israel, most hair salons are de facto unisex; one doesn't see traditional men-only barbershops, and any hairdresser (the profession is dominated by men here) is likely to be as happy giving a young man a number one buzz, as giving a woman with longer hair something more elaborate. In Australia where I lived until last year, they do have traditional barber shops but also most salons advertise 'ladies and gents hairdressing.' I personally go to a woman hairdresser who works out of her home for my monthly color refresh and an occasional end trim. Not because I eschew going to a shop, but because she was recommended to me.
Anyway, thanks for sharing the article! Enjoyed the walk down memory lane!
Don
Well, in Texas long hair for men was far from widely accepted in the '70s, though the "unisex" trend was happening. My mom often tried to convince me that long hair was "out of style", which meant nothing to me, anyway, since I didn't consider myself a fashion follower. I went long-ish until I moved away from home in '73 and immediately started growing it out for real. Even so, I really didn't wear it longer than a few inches below the shoulders in the '70s.
BTW, I didn't do salons or barbers in those days. I was too cheap and finicky so I crammed on how-to books and learned to cut my own hair. It took forever, and was kind of a pain, but if I was slow and careful it came out the way I wanted it.
