Body proportions and hair length: finding the right "look"

[CostaRita]

Okay, so this is something I've been wondering about for a while. In order to achieve the appearance of a particular hair length, do body proportions matter?

I am talking specifically about BSL, because that is my goal. Anyway, if I stand up straight, there are only about 4 inches between my bra strap and my underwear, but according to this picture, it may appear that the length is longer: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XLovmMC3H0o/UozdA2UKp-I/AAAAAAAAAxY/dQklDRGlc8Q/s1600/hair-length-chart.gif

Her waist is fairly long, whereas mine is short in comparison to the length of my legs (though I am short overall). Does having a short waist matter in terms of achieving what might be BSL? If my waist is shorter, would it "look" longer than BSL if I got there because my back is so short? I also have a short neck - would that matter too?

I'm hoping that someone can clear this up for me. I'm not great with understanding how proportions work.

Besides, not many people are proportioned like this figure. How is it accurate?

[Angels+Eyeliner]

If you are a short person, the same length of hair will look longer.

I'm going to use an example, but I don't have any pictures, so this may confuse you. Ask and I can try explain further if that is the case.

I have a cousin who is eleven years old and 4'10". I am a short woman at 5'3". My SIL is taller than me at 5'8" (I'm not sure if that makes her 'tall' or 'a bit taller than average'). Ignoring the fact that my cousin doesn't yet wear a bra, we would all have very different 'BSL' length because of our heights. Mine is (by LHC measuring standards) about 22".

Those 22" on my cousin would swamp her, because she's a diddy little girl. But on my SIL, my BSL length in inches would probably graze just below APL (she isn't around so I unfortunately can't grab her and measure). To complicate matters further, I have long legs and a short torse: SIL is the other way around. Despite the extra inches she has over me, our jeans are the same length. Therefore, I'm going to hit hip length before she does (assuming identical rate of growth) because there is less distance between my scalp and my head.

To think of it less literally: imagine a race. You and a friend living in two separate areas are going to see who can get to your local Post Office fastest, with the rule that you walk at the same speed. If your Post Office is two doors down the road, and hers is a ten minute walk, you're going to get there first.

Hair length descriptors like BSL aren't really good ways to compare. It's a personal milestone and it is entirely based on your body. If we were to measure in lengths I imagine that some of the LHCers who are on the same milestone would have a difference of several inches between their lengths, and probably a similar difference between their heights.

As for your exact question: you hair will only look longer than, say, BSL if it goes past your bra strap (or where it should lie). The same length (inches) would look different on my cousin, my SIL and I. If we all measured our BSL it would come up with different numbers.

A person looking at your hair and assessing the length will be able to see that you have a short torso, where your bra strap should lie and compare that to the length of your hair. You will have a shorter wait between BSL and Mid Back than a taller person (or someone with a longer torso) but if I were looking at you and SIL stood next to each other I would assess your BSL based on where the bra should be, not on an invisible line I drew across the pair of you.

[hennalonghair]

Absolutely. I'm taller than average and very long waisted. While waist is usually about 29-31 inches on most women on me its 35-36 inches. I need about 3 feet of hair to reach waist.
BSL is just a weird length to begin with because its based on a object of clothing which again is based on size. If you are bustier then your bra strap placement is going to much different than average.
This is why I always just use inches. I'm close to 30 inches now and I'm about MBL according to this diagram her MBL would be my BSL. My husband and I are the same height but his jeans are 2 inches longer. It's not that my legs are particularly short, its just the rest of me is so elongated.
Neck length makes a difference also. I have a really long neck.
What about some of these men. Gumball for instance is a tall guy with extremely long curly hair. Where would BSL be on him? BSL should be abolished. Lol!

[fiðrildi]

I was going to reply "I don't think so", but after thinking about it twice, yes, I think body proportions can definitely make your hair look longer or shorter.
I am very short (5'1), but I have a very long neck and torso, so my hair doesn't look properly long yet. If my torso was shorter, I could reach waist sooner, which would look proportionally "longer" in my body, even if I had the same length of hair.

I also prefer to measure my hair in inches, rather than BSL/MBL, etc. And I am in favour of changing the BSL abbreviation for another one, that's not exclusive for people wearing a bra :p

[Avis]

Hey, according to this chart, I'm more at MBL than BSL, woohoo! Haha, but yes, your body proportion has a lot to do with it. I've also seen some ladies reach a solid BSL in one bra, but still have a few inches to go in other bras, so the kind of bra you wear can change things too. I have a very short neck and my legs are a bit longer than my torso, so for me BSL is around 24.5-25" (I measured wrong with 27" before. That's where I am now, not where BSL is for me).

Also, I think very few people are proportioned like the women in the chart. Most people seem to be slightly longer either in the torso or legs.

[Beckstar]

I'm 5'1". 36" puts me at hip. I have a short waist but long legs. My husband is 5'8" and my legs are longer than his. Not sure what BSL would be on him...just couldn't convince him to try one on. :)

[CostaRita]

Question: because inches aren't good for comparing across bodies, wouldn't BSL be a fare indicator of relative length? Yes, all bras are different and people have different back lengths, but where a bra sits on a person with a long torso would sit in the same relative spot as a person with a short torso, right?

Idk, I'm probably wrong.

And yes, it is exclusive to those who wear bras :(

[StellaKatherine]

I think best way to determine which length is good on you is by taking photos. You will see how the length proportionally looks on you. Maybe try a wig ? Everyones bodies indeed are different. I am at TB length with almost 41 inches hair and not even close to classic :D Need at least 6 inches to grow , maybe more...

[Elizabeth E]

Yes, they do matter. I'm relatively short (5'4"), but I've got a long upper body in comparison to my legs. BSL was 20 inches on me (I've got a short neck though) while WL is 27 inches (where I'm now). I figured that Knee (which is my goal) is exactly 51 inches. So when you're shorter, only a little bit of length is needed for your hair to look 'long' with regards to body markers. I know that there are people to whom KL is 60 inches, for example. Interesting how we differ, eh?
Even so, 51 inches of hair on me should be at least classic length on another, much taller person.

[MusicalSpoons]

Well now, I know this is a resurrected thread but an interesting topic. The original question has already been addressed, but it got me thinking:
While we know only absolute measurements (inches or cm) can actually compare length of hair, I think the body makers give more of an indication of how the length is to handle. For instance, two people of very different heights could both have the same measurement of hair length but on one it's tailbone length and on the other it's classic length. Day-to-day handling of it might be very different, as one has to avoid sitting on it whereas the other doesn't yet. Or, the difference between APL and BSL - the one at BSL (or whatever length it starts rubbing against the backs of chairs) would probably have to wear it up more to protect it than the one at APL. (Hypothetically speaking there; I don't actually know, as I have no experience of either length as an adult. Hope it made some kind of sense, anyway.)

For me, inches only really tell me roughly how much more time I have until the next milestone, or in others' hair stats it's an primarily an indication of how far they want to grow (also true for body markers). But in terms of actually living with the hair, and the day-to-day experience, body markers just make more sense to me.

As for BSL, I think I generally assume that length to be perhaps a third of the way down the torso, with waist usually two-thirds(ish) of the way down. APL, hip and mid-back are usually fairly obvious to see in person, whereas waist is only obvious if the person is wearing fitted clothing.

Heh, that body marker chart (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XLovmMC3H0o/UozdA2UKp-I/AAAAAAAAAxY/dQklDRGlc8Q/s1600/hair-length-chart.gif) does make me lol. My bras aren't held on with bits of string :lol: so my BSL is a good couple of inches below that! Plus my elbows are below my waist, and I'd just assumed since first learning about the body markers that classic is below the buttocks? She doesn't even have to worry about the hair having too far to go for that :pinktongue:

[Dante]

This is really interesting! I’m tall (5’10”) and short waisted, so my height is in my lower torso and legs. I’m currently at 35”, which on me is hip length. Classic length looks to be 48-49” and FTL around 51”.

[Milady_DeWinter]

Hip for me is at 32,5", I'm not tall - more like a medium female human, 5',5" I'll hit classic at 42" or so :)

[lottiealice]

My friend and I have the same length hair (in inches), but on me at 4'10 it's somewhere between BSL and MBL while on her at 5'9 it's barely brushing her shoulders. Also, with BSL in mind... if I wear a sports bra with a thicker band I didn't reach BSL until recently but in my usual bras I've surpassed it by an inch or so.

[zashin66]

Jumping in...... This thread sounds interesting. I want to grow my hair to the floor but then plan to cut back to a proportionate look.

[blushy]

YES!! I would say proportions totally matter.....I'm only 5'7 but I'm really long, skinny, and "lanky" so my hair has NEVER looked long...I have a long neck and it took a while for my hair to even look APL haha! My friends who are short (or have shorter proportions) would have the same length hair as me but it would look MBL on them and only APL or BSL on me!! I'm so jealous!

[Glitch]

YES!! I would say proportions totally matter.....I'm only 5'7 but I'm really long, skinny, and "lanky" so my hair has NEVER looked long...I have a long neck and it took a while for my hair to even look APL haha! My friends who are short (or have shorter proportions) would have the same length hair as me but it would look MBL on them and only APL or BSL on me!! I'm so jealous!

Same here! And I also know girls with ~WL hair that would basically be ~APL on me, lol. It also sucks because once I get to a long length, my hair at the ends is a lot older than theirs is, so it has more damage, needs more care, etc. Why, nature... :violin:

[Lady Stardust]

Well now, I know this is a resurrected thread but an interesting topic. The original question has already been addressed, but it got me thinking:
While we know only absolute measurements (inches or cm) can actually compare length of hair, I think the body makers give more of an indication of how the length is to handle. For instance, two people of very different heights could both have the same measurement of hair length but on one it's tailbone length and on the other it's classic length. Day-to-day handling of it might be very different, as one has to avoid sitting on it whereas the other doesn't yet. Or, the difference between APL and BSL - the one at BSL (or whatever length it starts rubbing against the backs of chairs) would probably have to wear it up more to protect it than the one at APL. (Hypothetically speaking there; I don't actually know, as I have no experience of either length as an adult. Hope it made some kind of sense, anyway.)

For me, inches only really tell me roughly how much more time I have until the next milestone, or in others' hair stats it's an primarily an indication of how far they want to grow (also true for body markers). But in terms of actually living with the hair, and the day-to-day experience, body markers just make more sense to me.

As for BSL, I think I generally assume that length to be perhaps a third of the way down the torso, with waist usually two-thirds(ish) of the way down. APL, hip and mid-back are usually fairly obvious to see in person, whereas waist is only obvious if the person is wearing fitted clothing.

Heh, that body marker chart (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XLovmMC3H0o/UozdA2UKp-I/AAAAAAAAAxY/dQklDRGlc8Q/s1600/hair-length-chart.gif) does make me lol. My bras aren't held on with bits of string :lol: so my BSL is a good couple of inches below that! Plus my elbows are below my waist, and I'd just assumed since first learning about the body markers that classic is below the buttocks? She doesn't even have to worry about the hair having too far to go for that :pinktongue:

I agree, body markers make for great comparisons even if the number of inches is quite different. I’m currently more or less at shoulder length and my hair behaves accordingly - flipping up, long enough to start getting caught in clothes and bag straps, not quite long enough to put up properly. Some people with the same length hair in inches might be well on their way to APL, but that’s not really relevant to how my hair behaves.

[Milady_DeWinter]

I must add that when I reached waist for the first time itfelt nice to me, as it was covering my back but "not too much". I just had started doing exercise (running and strenght, esp running) and I became fit for the first time in my life... So I didn't wanted the hair to cover me entirely :lol: And, even with this, I reached BCL (with layers). Now I'm still fit, but damn it, I want my hair long; if it's going to cover me, it'll be very welcome too! I'm wearing it up a lot anyway :p

I also thought that longer hair made you look shorter, as magazines claims, but lately I've found that if you are short, you are going to look short anyway :shrug: So wear your hair as you prefer.

[Lumienkeli]

Hip for me is at 32,5", I'm not tall - more like a medium female human, 5',5" I'll hit classic at 42" or so :)

That's fun! I am 5'5" too, and waist is 33" on me. Hip is 35,5"
I have long torso, so to grow back to waist is a looong way to me.

When I first read that somebody is complainig about she will hit BSL prior to APL I didn't understand how can anybody feel that way. I mean that two milestone is so far from each other! On me APL is 23", BSL is 27,5" And man, from BSL to waist is a year without any trim! Dohh... Well, if I want to grow longer that would be fast as my legs are short. :)