Why do people seem to think that long hair makes people look older?

[jane_marie]

Personally, I associate long hair with youth. I find the thought that people look older with longer hair bizare.

Why do you think that people associate longer hair with being old?

[lapushka]

I would rather think the opposite. Who thinks that? I have never heard of that.

[AmaryllisRed]

Oh my goodness yes.
All the little old ladies have short hair. All the teenagers have long hair.
And yet someone chops their hair off and everyone immediately says, "You look so much younger!"
I think I look older with short hair, your typical thirtysomething mom. Long hair helps me maintain the delusion that I am young and full of vim and vigor.

[CopperButterfly]

I have no idea. I'm with you, I associate long hair with youth. The vast majority of older ladies that I know have really short hair. But maybe it's the bun? There is an old stereotype of the granny with the white bun ( like in the Tweety bird cartoon).

[Cg]

I also have not heard this, but I'm guessing the youth of the poster combined with undefined "longer" and "older" may explain the apparent confusion.

[jane_marie]

Oh my goodness yes.
All the little old ladies have short hair. All the teenagers have long hair.
And yet someone chops their hair off and everyone immediately says, "You look so much younger!"
I think I look older with short hair, your typical thirtysomething mom. Long hair helps me maintain the delusion that I am young and full of vim and vigor.

I wonder if all of the little old ladies have short hair to make them look "younger"?

My mom has started telling me that I'm "too old" for long hair and that it makes me look "much older".

[nycelle]

Just like with everything else, there's no one size fits all. Some people look older, some younger.

[jane_marie]

I would rather think the opposite. Who thinks that? I have never heard of that.

I also have not heard this, but I'm guessing the youth of the poster combined with undefined "longer" and "older" may explain the apparent confusion.

Perhaps it's regional. Maybe some sort of Southern and Midwestern US thing? I've heard all my life that long hair makes women over 25 look older and that it's inappropriate.

[Obsidian]

I get it, I really do. There are a ton of make over videos that show longhairs getting a cut who end up looking younger but there aren't many showing makeovers that show the person looking older.It's going to depend on the person, some look better short, some long.

[iforgotmylogin]

As a dude, I've been told to grow up and cut my hair before. No can do