new thread
I just saw a commercial for another make-over show. I believe it was called Date Patrol. The subject is a biker-type guy. Guess what the main gist of the commercial was? Cutting his hair. Out of the whole 30-minutes worth of show to choose from, they chose the part about cutting his hair to make the commercial with. This guy had great-looking, well-maintained mid-back length wavy brunette hair. It wasn't scruffy or unkempt, it actually looked very good. Of course they cut it off.
Oh well just wanted to vent.
Will it ever change?
Imagine if these make over shows went the other way in regards to
hair...
"Next week we'll take Bernard, an average-looking buzz cut guy that's
hard to notice and turn him into a distinctive, one-of-a-kind long
haired man. Tune in for the next two years as this transformation
takes place."
Amen to that!
I love longhair - don't get me wrong - but in the show's defense, I highly doubt they would be cutting Jeffrey's hair without he himself wanting to do so.
I'm inferring he wants to change from inside, on his own will. And by saying it's sickening for him to want that would be highly hypocritical of all of us. Do we not grow our hair for change?
I like this show. It improves peoples' dating lives and self esteem for the better. Let's just stop scrutinizing it and labeling it "Another show where the longhaired man gets it chopped!!" because one guy wanted change in appearance.
Besides, we may even get lucky enough for him to keep it at least shoulder length. In the commecial it showed them cutting the pony awful low. :D
- Brian
I agree with you that if it's their own decision (really their own) then great.
But strangely enough, there are always family or friends or complete strangers (including the show people) who are always verbally pounding the longhair to make a change for the better by letting them hack it off. And the more agreeable they are to it the longer the people close to them have had to work on them before the show.
Like oversurf said, imagine the opposite, but hair doesn't work that way and it just demonstrates the quick and easy bang-for-your-ratings-buck that these shows are all about. How do we make a drastic change that is instant?
It's kind of like the trend of home re-decorating shows that are pretty cool but they will do quick and easy stuff like take a wood dresser and change it buy painting it the same color latex paint as the walls...as if that is a good way to refinish furniture (after all they do have a deadline of 2 days).
These makeover shows get me angry. I like my hair long,
I like the way I dress. If you or
your show don't like it there is a
window over there you can go jump out
of.
I really do not understand why the folks on this board get so riled up about make over shows cutting hair.
Until YOU are asked by your family, your friends and a television producer to participate to go on tv and let them cut your hair, it is none of your business. If the show upsets you, then do not watch it.
Many of you get upset because the world is prejudice toward long haired men, yet there is a big double standard. You are delighted to see short haired men grow their hair out by their own choice, yet a long haired man cannot change his look and cut his hair.
You do not know if these make-over guys are being brainwashed to get a haircut or not....and you will never know because it is TV. If they are being brainwashed and forced to cut their hair, it is their own fault.
Would you be brainwashed into a haircut?
Having beautiful hair resting on your shoulder is much nicer than having a big ol chip on your shoulder.
Relax, enjoy YOUR hair, and change the channel.
Be a bigger man than the majority of the television watching world and get over it. There are people getting their long hair cut every day.
And as far as Locks of Love:
Get over it. Who knows for sure what is going on with this company? They are not Nazi. They are not building bombs. I doubt there are CEO's getting rich off of the hair of the masses. They are a non profit charity organization which has good intentions and and are probably understaffed and overwhelmed by their popularity.
If someone is being brainwashed into cutting their hair for this charity, then they must, on some level, be ready to get a haircut anyway.
People feel good cutting their hair and sending it to this charity. To many, it is a cheap and easy and clever way to donate something. Even low income people can participate. Most people do not value hair like those who read this board do. What is wrong with that?
If the organization suddenly said, "we have more hair than we can use now, send us money instead", the dynamics of the charity would change and it would be just another children's charity. I bet the LOL would then be mostly ignored.
Let it go and don't let anyone talk you into cutting off your ponytail for charity.
Well, if you enjoy knowing that there are groups out there that are taking people's money under the guise of charity, that's fine with me. I'm sorry if my opposition to it upsets you. You would think that if this charity has been popular for several years, they would learn to staff enough people and manage their funds more effectively. The part that really irritates me is that they sell the majority of the donations to commercial wigmakers, who make a profit off of something that was donated to help underprivileged children. That's really wrong.
I'm not saying that this is an international incident, and it's true that they're not forcing anyone to cut their hair; I'm not arguing with you there. I just think it's just really shameful to be gaining from something that's supposed to be helping others.
~Jenn
Yeah, I'll get over it when you get everybody to stop telling me I should cut my hair and give it away (I think they call that helping someone else's self-esteem...by damaging your own?).
I'm afraid that your comments are all too familiar and have been regurgatated by all those who come on here and don't like to hear longhairs get away with unconditional support of long hair.
You see, the problem is that these shows and organizations support the mindset against long hair that many of us get to deal with on a daily basis and they will actually band together in this endevour. A good example is the Maury show which often has L.O.L. on the program and he can be heard telling people that they are selfish for having long hair and other such gems. I get many comments about my hair DIRECTLY from this national show and L.O.L. I think that sucks and it doesn't at all imitate any sort of effort on the part of longhairs to get people to conform to their ideals/goals, in fact you wrongly assume that all who are on the show are 100% on board and have come to this decision by themselves...the whole premise of these shows is that OTHER people want them to change their look and they haven't done it themselves yet (why? It's easy to get a haircut). And we do know a lot about what is going on with L.O.L. which is why we hold our positions about them...give us more credit than that, we're not the ones trying to make a profit through a charity. If it's about low income people, they can sell their hair and make some money to help pay bills so some charity doesn't have to help THEM! India is the biggest supplier of real human hair in the world. Poor people sell years of growth for next to nothing just to get a few extra bucks. Why should the poor in this country have to give it away just so an organization can sell it and keep the money for themselves...or just throw it in the trash?
You bet it's our business because the audience is wide spread and we feel the direct ramifications of it, it's a mindset that is very real.
This little board on this little piece of the internet with a few handfulls of people can say whatever they want to say in support of long hair. If you don't like it then you change the channel. Look at it this way, you said you didn't know why before, now you do, we are happy to explain because we are very informed on this and other such subjects that affect us. Now you are getting informed, that should be a good thing.
You really want to be threatened and angry, don't you? So be it.
You are never, ever going to win the battle you are fighting.
I come to this board because I enjoy my long hair, I like to learn about how to care for my hair better, I enjoy looking at pictures of long hair, and enjoy being a mostly quiet participant of this club.
I have got better things to do than rag on TV shows that do haircuts, get upset that others are getting their long hair cut, and worry about the politics of a charity who are raising their money from something that people would ordinarily throw away. (They may be crooked, but until 60 Minutes uncovers some insane corruption, or I get more first hand information, I do not care.)
When I get harrassed about my hair being long, I tell the person to mind their own business. It annoys me, but ten minutes later, I have moved pass that. No one will convince or guilt me to cut my hair.
The world is a complicated place.
I respect your opinion (religion), but do not share that much passion to get angry about someone else's hair.
For me, the glass (or bottle of shampoo) is half full...
Excuse me for butting in...
I think Hair Religion is stating an opinion, not trying to pick a fight. I'm not either. We're allowed to think what we want, just as you are. There's no sense in arguing about it because, frankly, there will always be two sides to every argument and they can't always be won. He's allowed to get angry at the way long-haired people are treated, even if you don't see the sense in it.
I, as well as most people on this board, could easily fight off jealous strangers who would want us to donate our hair. It's just annoying that we are made to feel guilty about enjoying our long hair. Complaining about probably won't change people's minds, but if it makes us feel better to get it off our chests, who cares?
I do respect your opinion, even if I don't agree with it. But I think this is a moot point, and it always will be.
~Jenn
I mean no disrespect to anyone or Hair Religion. It makes me crazy to see intolerance breeding intolerance. Even if it is over hair.
I'll just keep my opinions to myself on this board.
I'll stop beating this dead horse soon, but you don't need to keep your opinions to yourself. That was never the point about what I posted. I never expected everyone to agree with me, and that's fine. Everyone one this board has different opinions, and that's what makes it interesting...if we all had the same ideas, wouldn't that be dull?
I'm what you call slightly obsessive about hair, so if you know that about me, you'll understand the reason for that post. I wasn't being intolerant, at least not intentionally.
~Jenn
Where does intolerance come in on our part?
You simply refuse to believe that someone with long hair might want to cut it short....even if they indicate it.
Obviously, if someone (a total stranger) makes the choice to get a make-over, you want to believe that they were bullied into doing it.
If someone cuts off their ponytail and donates it to a charity, then that charity is crooked.
If a policeman in pursuit of an active, dangerous criminal stops you because you have long hair and somewhat fit the criminal's description (despite there being a mustache and a foot of hair length difference),
he is harrassing you because you feel he has something against long haired men?
You get defensive when you are challenged because someone else doesn't care as much about other people's hair as you do. You have an "us against them" chip on your shoulder.
Your arguments are passionate and intelligent and I admire that. I also admire your exceptional long hair. I am not surprised you are all worked up about my pointing these things out.
I think your intolerance come from not being able to look beyond your own opinion or taste.
I now, more than ever, see the value of a discussion board like this. It is for passionate people like you. I would like to think that letting people vent their frustrations in this forum is a godsend.
I am not here to harrass anyone. I challenge you specifically because I worry that you, in all your passion about hair, are sending the wrong message. I can tell you mean well and want the long haired world to be peaceful and harmonious. But your tone (when read without the benefit of one on one contact) can be interpreted as hateful toward short haired people just because they have an opinion about long haired people.
Sure, there are short haired people who have a grudge against long haired people.....and maybe a make-over show done on Maury Povitch is a perfect platform for his weird haircutting agenda. Maybe his viewers watch his show and think, "Yeah, that is right! Long hair is ugly and wrong." But what real, hard core harm has he and his show done?
The participant are not forced to be there (even if you don't believe that). Their hair will even grow back. I think the viewers of these shows ultimately don't take it too seriously and have a short attention span. More importantly, no one, including you, is forced to watch these silly shows.
We can argue these points as gentleman until the end of time. Neither of us are going to win.
My ultimate point is that I, and most of the world, have no real hair agenda. I love my hair. I like other people's hair. I love the versatilty of hair. Hair has a million possibilities of lengths and colors and textures, just like people do. Let people experience and enjoy ALL of the possibilities, even if you do not.
I do? That's news to me, I guess that you haven't been reading posts here all that long.
Not true. It just happens that most of the time this is exactly the case. We even give examples of how this occurs. But I can see past someone saying, "Well....I really am attached to my hair.........but ok, just not to short."
I don't remember ANYONE here saying that, much less myself. You had better watch your mischaracterizations and read posts with more care.
Maybe, maybe not but it still sucks just the same. The sense of "harrassment" comes more from the person who called it in because it was their lack of attention to obivous details and quick judgement that any man with longhair not only qualifies but actually is the perp., which is what the police told me the person said.
Do I? Or do YOU have a chip on your shoulder against longhairs who stick up for themselves and other longhairs when it comes to longhair issues that affect us on a daily basis?
Mmmm, your sentence makes a statement that mischaracterizes me and my posts up to this point. I defend myself and my posts when someone says I have said things that I didn't say and don't think. I am not taking issue with anyone's intrest or lack of in other people's hair. In fact, I don't really care all that much about other people's hair because that is up to them and I don't see them everyday. I do care if what someone is doing to a person's hair or how they look at long hair ends up affecting me and the growing of my hair...which is the whole point of this thread.
Could have fooled me, you said we were wasting our time and haven't addressed any of my points or questions in my replies. How can you tell that I am worked up from some "intelligent" typing? I am always amazed at how people imagine emotions on the internet where the medium allows for so little to be expressed.
Do explain intolerance and tell us how I am intolerant and towards what (asked in last post).
It's not just for passionate people (whether or not I am, you keep trying to tag me with emotion but I think it's how you are reading it in your head) but more for all sorts of information and intrests. I and others have presented a decent amount of information here which you don't seem to be much intrested in.
Again with the passion. Please do tell me what wrong message I am sending by supporting longhairs on this little island on the internet. I don't talk much about peace and harmony but others here do and sometimes a person will get on my case because I am challenging someone's strange statements and causing what they might see as a disturbance in the harmony.
As for a hateful tone towards people with short hair I'd have to say that you are cracked. I have no idea where you EVER came up with that . I think that your reading skills need much work as is usually the case with the few folks who do take issue with my support for longhairs on issues like this. Try reading my posts without first imagining me as being hateful, angry, etc. You will find that your perception probably colors your view of me more than you realize. I take time to compose my posts and don't just fire them off before reading them a couple of times (partially so people don't think these things about me). I am kind of curious now about your age. More often than not I find that has something to do with people reaching impulsive, incorrect conclusions about others on internet boards.
Maybe you missed those things that I and others have posted about that. Again your reading skills need some tuning. It's tough to be redundent on boards where posts are left to be read and re-read.
To some degree you are correct as anyone can simply refuse to go and I am sure that many do, but if your wife, parents, siblings and even children are all constantly badgering and belittling you for months on end to do this, you may find that you want this to stop and the easiest way to do this is to just give in (even grudgingly) and go along with what most of the people around you do and want you to also do (called social pressure, my brother even uses his religious beliefs this way), it's not just about the shows (which I don't usually watch nowdays but do happen across now and then) it's about the mindset that is still very much alive out there and is expressed to many of us. I have seen all these exact examples over the years. Maybe you live isolated from this stuff and maybe you just haven't been growing your hair long enough to have run into this much...yet. But it sounds like you are trying to deny that it exists or admit that it is any sort of problem at all. If your hair isn't a big deal to you then I guess that it wouldn't matter but I like my hair and want to keep it so it does matter to me.
Not sure why you keep coming up with battle scenarios and winning talk. I am presenting the facts of what is there and my experience of dealing with what is there and you are saying that I shouldn't be doing that and am angry and hateful for doing it. I don't think that being a gentleman has anything to do with posts and resulting discussions but construction sensible arguements and replies that deal with was was posted and providing facts whenever possible is vastly important on discussion boards (even though that tends to be often ignored).
Great but some of us do have an agenda when it comes to hair (to grow it long) so don't get on our case when we take an above average intrest in long hair because we have above average length hair. I have ALWAYS said on this board that you should do with your hair what only YOU want to do. I don't cheerlead guys with doubts because I know that longhair isn't for everyone (or even that many). In fact, I remember being flamed here because I told a guy that since he wanted to cut his hair short then he should do it an feel good about it. Kind of doesn't sound like your assessment of me, in fact, I don't even recognize myself by your description. You are telling me what you want me to be saying to justify your lack of intrest or knowledge of the things in the original post. Sorry, but what you say about me just isn't true and my years long record on this board says the same. I just went through this with another guy further down the board and he never backed up a single intentional mischaracterization that he made about me because he couldn't.
You might be imagining me shouting at the screen right now but don't because I'm not, remember your reading tone. And I also don't hold grudges against people on this board (because I'm not an angry person) as long as they realize and admit that the stuff they said about me can't be backed up. That doesn't sound like an angry, hateful guy now does it?
Soory, mate, I've been contributing to this board for about a year now and I have seen these discussions taking place. You have put your own spin on what's been said - what utter nonsense!
Why do we always have to be looked at as angry if we indentify the extreme but often rather wide-spread bias against men with long hair? You seem to be saying just shut-up and take it. I won't do that because if I was that easily manipulated then I would still have short hair. Not a bit stretch to figure out. And yes, I have already won the "battle" that I am "fighting". It's called individuality and every day that I make my own decisions, despite the barrage of others trying to get me to do otherwise, is a victory (albeit unspectacular). This isn't about, as you say "getting angry about someone else's hair" but about the reprecussions that these things have on mine and other's personal choices.
You say that you have better things to do than talk about certain hair topics and I suppose that is why, as you have said, that you don't choose to participate on the board (an observer rather than a participant). But it seems that you didn't have anything better to do when this thread was posted about those exact topics that you are saying are a waste of time to discuss...for you. How does that work?
Damn right the world is a complicated place but it doesn't help things if you don't take an intrest in those things that have some personal meaning to yourself. Ignoring those complications won't make them go away but being aware of them and maybe even doing something about it just might make it a little less complicated for yourself and even others. But maybe that's just a waste of time.
Funny thing is that when people say things about my hair I don't tell them to mind their own business (that sounds like an angry person's response) but rather challenge their conditioned thinking on the subject so they might learn to see things from a different perspective (much more helpful to the social problem rather than just ignoring it).
Kind of amused that you think that speaking up about issues that directly affect us on this topic specific board means that our personalities are only capable of seeing things with a negative slant. Personally I too always see the glass as half full.
You want first hand information about L.O.L.? Go to their website and get it, that is where I got a lot of it. The BBB report was provided by Jenn. You have first hand accounts from members of the board about the pressures exerted in the name of the "charity". If you want first hand information on the tv shows then just watch the programs yourself and look for the things that we have already mentioned. We have already seen the shows ourselves. Then get back to us.
Makeover shows annoy me for reasons that go beyond the hair issue. On the whole, they usually detract from the individuality of the person being made over, and I find that rather sad. Most of the 'victims' are women, and I seldom prefer the 'after' to the 'before', even though they don't generally give the girls buzz-cuts, LOL!
My agenda, which I freely admit to having, is for individuality and differences, and against conformity and sameness. Most people go through life with few ideas of their own, just copying everyone else. I am all for working out what you really prefer and having a mind of your own. If that leads you to decide you want short hair, or blue hair, or a mohican, then that's fine by me. What irks me about makeovers is that whatever the victims end up looking like, you can be sure of one thing - someone else decided it for them!
I saw a promo for an upcoming episode of "Queer Eye", the guy had nice shoulder length hair and they left it intact (I think they did cut off the split ends). This seems to be the only make-over show that doesn't center around cutting off peoples hair. But then again maybe the guy just refused to let thwm cut off his hair.