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Jeno86
September 12th, 2012, 04:30 PM
My hair is two inches from hip and ombre because I'm growing out old dye so the lower half is a bit...reddish. When I am at work, I wear my hair in a bun due to how hot I get. I was at work today, getting ready to go on break. I see a woman watching me that has at least hip length blond hair. I took my hairstick out, which I always do on break and the instant my hair is down, the woman gives me the dirtiest look and swings her hair a bit. The first thing to pop into my head was an alpha female trying to protect her territory haha. It was so odd! No one else around us had hair past mid-back. Has anyone had something like this happen to them before?

CurlyCurves
September 12th, 2012, 04:38 PM
Haha, how strange!

coneyisland
September 12th, 2012, 04:42 PM
She is making a statement generally known as a hair flip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gDC-VUUlv8

akilina
September 12th, 2012, 04:43 PM
Women are flipping weird. -__-
I hate when people are so competitive about something stupid like hair.
Hair is not stupid but the thought of acting like that over someone elses hair is soooo immature and childish!
There is that quote.."beautiful hair is the best revenge" she is clearly jealous!

Amygirl8
September 12th, 2012, 04:47 PM
She is making a statement generally known as a hair flip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gDC-VUUlv8

Omg that is hilarious lol.
I can understand though. She's probably just jealous that she's not the only longhair there, or just that your hair looks better than hers.

ratgirldjh
September 12th, 2012, 04:49 PM
My best friend has strawberry blonde hair down to her hip. She cuts it back to TB occasionally and she is the one with the HAIR... and she knows she is one of my hair idols.

So last year before I cut my almost waist length hair back to chin length :( She saw me with my hair down and her comment: wow you hair has gotten long! Then she proceeded to say: why is it all bent? Don't you ever comb it? Geez I had bun waves! I thought they were glorious! She has naturally wurly hair and this totally hurt my feelings! I also felt like we were in some bizarre hair competition and since she was supposed to be the one with THE hair that I wasn't allowed to have wonderful hair!!

Really weird feeling!

spidermom
September 12th, 2012, 05:01 PM
Don't read too much into a look. You can imagine, but you don't really know what's behind it.

Jeno86
September 12th, 2012, 05:02 PM
Don't read too much into a look. You can imagine, but you don't really know what's behind it.

This is very true. I just thought the whole thing was a bit odd/funny ^_^

HintOfMint
September 12th, 2012, 05:04 PM
I don't know, maybe she thought YOU were the one who was trying to show her up with your hair if you were looking at her as you took your hair down. This is just what I imagine.

Grown women just don't do the hair flip and glare unless provoked or they feel provoked. They just don't. They may be mistaken or completely in the wrong, but I rarely come across the territorial, jealous alpha female mean girl.

battles
September 12th, 2012, 05:09 PM
I had something kind of similar happen, but I can't entirely tell if it was hair related. :confused:

I was at the grocery store for a few things, and glanced up at a girl that was walking with who I assume was her boyfriend. She gave me a death glare, flipped her hair and then started cuddling up to her boyfriend and whispering in his ear and they walked out the door. I was a little confused. :p I didn't even look at the guy.

I was wearing jeans and a coat, but my hair was down. I mentioned it to my mother and she said, "Her boyfriend probably likes redheads."

Jeno86
September 12th, 2012, 05:11 PM
I don't know, maybe she thought YOU were the one who was trying to show her up with your hair if you were looking at her as you took your hair down. This is just what I imagine.

Grown women just don't do the hair flip and glare unless provoked or they feel provoked. They just don't. They may be mistaken or completely in the wrong, but I rarely come across the territorial, jealous alpha female mean girl.

It is a possibility. I actually wasn't looking at her when I took my hair down, I was talking with a co-worker and she was I'd say, over my co-worker's left shoulder a few feet away so I'm sure she was able to see my face. She turned to face us as she did the hair flip and then turned her back on us. I don't think I did any fancy show-off removal of my hairstick. I just pulled it out and went about things. But you're right, she could have taken it as me being rude/snooty.

I would love to say I haven't run into "alpha female" women before, but sadly its pretty common where I live. I work retail and over hear some nasty conversations with women trying to out-do each other.

spidermom
September 12th, 2012, 05:23 PM
Maybe she was angry because she doesn't know how to use a hairstick.
Who knows?

hermosamendoza
September 12th, 2012, 05:51 PM
She is making a statement generally known as a hair flip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gDC-VUUlv8

hahahhahaha perfect! i forgot about that commercial :cheese:

Vrindi
September 12th, 2012, 06:07 PM
It is so tempting to read into someone else's behavior — I catch myself doing it all the time. But spidermom is right, we really don't know what she was thinking, or if it had anything to do with you or your hair. Maybe she had a tweak in her neck that pained her and was trying to work it out. Maybe she was reacting jealously. The only thing you can control is your own reactions. It might have been odd, or nothing at all. Maybe if you see her again, compliment her hair? If she was feeling threatened or territorial, that would probably crush any nasty reactions.

Also, something I noticed mostly because of ballet and now because of climbing, women who have a particular thing that makes them stand out — whether it's beautiful hair, or a great body, or exceptional talent in something — are often instantly "hated" by other women, and can have a tendency to be on the defensive. They could be really lovely people who come off as snotty or cold because they're sick of being hated on. In 99% of cases, a genuine smile will destroy most female defensiveness. It lets them know that you're not willing to judge them before you know who they are, even if you only pass them on the street and never see them again.

I say this here because so many of us have received harsh or judgmental words because we choose to have long hair, and we might also be the ones who are a little tired of being hated on. It's helped me to remember the times when I felt that way or know I came across as snotty when I was really just distracted or sore and tired, and give others, and myself, the benefit of the doubt. Then I can't take it personally and it doesn't bother me.

So if it genuinely bothered you, or hurt you, please don't let it. You didn't do anything to deserve any nastiness, so if nastiness is what it was, then it can't stick. :)

P.S. Your avatar costume is amazing!

trolleypup
September 12th, 2012, 06:22 PM
My hair is two inches from hip and ombre because I'm growing out old dye so the lower half is a bit...reddish. When I am at work, I wear my hair in a bun due to how hot I get. I was at work today, getting ready to go on break. I see a woman watching me that has at least hip length blond hair. I took my hairstick out, which I always do on break and the instant my hair is down, the woman gives me the dirtiest look and swings her hair a bit. The first thing to pop into my head was an alpha female trying to protect her territory haha. It was so odd! No one else around us had hair past mid-back. Has anyone had something like this happen to them before?
Mmhmm, yup!

I've prompted some hairflips, and I've responded to competitive hair flipping. And then there is the extreme length hair fall "conversation". The first two are "You want to go there? I can go there!" wins. The second is kinda hilarious...and may not actually require any words be used...and ends up with happy words or high fives.

If you have long hairs around, at rest, sometimes you can prompt a simultaneous preening session just by messing with your own hair. Then everyone cracks up together.

pink.sara
September 13th, 2012, 04:45 AM
I prompted this on my first day at a new job a few years ago, my hair was classic at the time and after an introduction session at this new place of work we walked to the canteen/break area for lunch. I took my hair out of a bun and shook it out of it's sections and caught the filthiest look from a woman with waist hair across the room. She then got up and stormed out!

I was a bit taken aback and thought the same as you at the time but after about 6 months of working there ended up talking to this woman on a work night out and she confessed she had been disappointed to see someone with longer hair as she had been trying to grow hers past waist for "years". She was actually really nice to me after that and we talked hair a lot.

Sometimes people just don't realise the face they are making!

melusine963
September 13th, 2012, 05:00 AM
That definitely sounds like she thinks of you as competition. I'd take it as a compliment, although I'm sure she meant the opposite. :)

Tota
September 13th, 2012, 06:08 AM
Wow! I guess she thought you're showing off your hair so she wanted to make a statement :) Imagine you're someone else standing there and watching both of you - you would die from laughing.

I did have some similar encounters. My hair is not even WL but is considered LONG in my surroundings. I noticed I get dirty looks from women older or the same age as me - it's like they're comparing lenght and health and colour .. I don't know. I take it as a compliment actually because that tells me my hair is worth noticing :D I would never do a hairflip though, or maybe just in a joke.

DancingQueen
September 13th, 2012, 07:10 AM
I just love to watch when two alpha-females meet - it is the funniest thing ever. :D I never actually had anyone do a hairflip at me, but I have known a few people who seemed to hate me for no reason. (although I don't think I could be seen as a threat to them in any way, either looks or smarts.)

As someone said, she probably thought you were showing off, even if it was not meant that way. But yeah, I would probably take it as a compliment is some kind of wired way. :)

Madora
September 13th, 2012, 09:18 AM
Perhaps it was a combination of insecurity and jealousy seeing another long hair. Kinda sad.

Cowgirl16
September 13th, 2012, 09:50 AM
She is making a statement generally known as a hair flip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gDC-VUUlv8

That is funny! Thanks for sharing :D

noelgirl
September 13th, 2012, 09:58 AM
It is so tempting to read into someone else's behavior — I catch myself doing it all the time. But spidermom is right, we really don't know what she was thinking, or if it had anything to do with you or your hair. Maybe she had a tweak in her neck that pained her and was trying to work it out. Maybe she was reacting jealously. The only thing you can control is your own reactions. It might have been odd, or nothing at all. Maybe if you see her again, compliment her hair? If she was feeling threatened or territorial, that would probably crush any nasty reactions.

Also, something I noticed mostly because of ballet and now because of climbing, women who have a particular thing that makes them stand out — whether it's beautiful hair, or a great body, or exceptional talent in something — are often instantly "hated" by other women, and can have a tendency to be on the defensive. They could be really lovely people who come off as snotty or cold because they're sick of being hated on. In 99% of cases, a genuine smile will destroy most female defensiveness. It lets them know that you're not willing to judge them before you know who they are, even if you only pass them on the street and never see them again.

I say this here because so many of us have received harsh or judgmental words because we choose to have long hair, and we might also be the ones who are a little tired of being hated on. It's helped me to remember the times when I felt that way or know I came across as snotty when I was really just distracted or sore and tired, and give others, and myself, the benefit of the doubt. Then I can't take it personally and it doesn't bother me.

So if it genuinely bothered you, or hurt you, please don't let it. You didn't do anything to deserve any nastiness, so if nastiness is what it was, then it can't stick. :)

P.S. Your avatar costume is amazing!

It's funny you mention ballet, because especially during ballet, I get really self-deprecating when I've been complimented. Like last night, a girl complimented me on my beats during petite allegro, and I thanked her, but all I could think was, "Beats come from the thigh, and, well - I have a lot of thigh!" I'm not the typical dancer body type, so even in a familiar class I come in feeling like I have something to prove, and I think a lot of longhairs have a similar experience of being outside the norm, and feeling like if they're going to be different they have to be the best to justify it.

catamonica
September 13th, 2012, 10:17 AM
I think your coworker is jealous. Why else would she swing her hair & give you a dirty look. It's her problem. Just ignore her.

teal
September 13th, 2012, 10:30 AM
I'm thankful to have not had that experience. We (general we) waste energy and squander relationships by tearing each other down instead of building each other up, and that makes me sad. :(

Long hair is not out of the norm here.. I can usually find someone with hair longer than mine on any given day, if I'm looking for it.

Vrindi
September 13th, 2012, 10:41 AM
It's funny you mention ballet, because especially during ballet, I get really self-deprecating when I've been complimented. Like last night, a girl complimented me on my beats during petite allegro, and I thanked her, but all I could think was, "Beats come from the thigh, and, well - I have a lot of thigh!" I'm not the typical dancer body type, so even in a familiar class I come in feeling like I have something to prove, and I think a lot of longhairs have a similar experience of being outside the norm, and feeling like if they're going to be different they have to be the best to justify it.

Haha! I have a lot of thigh too and always had a hard time with beats! They're hard! I know how you feel. Not only did I not have the typical ballerina figure, but I didn't start ballet until I was 19, so I had a lot of catching up to do. But I actually found it to be a really healing thing as far as my body image. Even surrounded by all those mirrors and wearing all those leotards, even being overweight, I quickly realized that in order to dance well, I had to not care how I looked. Once that clicked, I could actually dance and my body started to transform. I will never have the "preferred" dancer body type of this century, but I figured that just meant I belonged in stand-out roles and not blending into the core. ;)

Amber_Maiden
September 16th, 2012, 04:51 PM
That is so weird. Why can't we women all just get along?

fairhairedthing
September 16th, 2012, 07:01 PM
Funny. :applause
Why... I mean, just... grow up, right? Apparently someone hasn't seen someone else with long hair in a while huh!

I've never done the "hair flip" but I see it a lot. :p

ladyshep
September 16th, 2012, 07:12 PM
Yeah, that's wierd. I have people do that to me, too.

When I used to work in the beauty salon a long time ago, I had this younger gal wanting to be in competition with me about growing out hair and who could get it the longest. (that's when I was starting to grow it long) I didn't want to be in competition. She was so competitive, but I never got into it. She was always flipping her hair around at me. It was wierd.