Fear of Hair Phobia – Chaetophobia

[pili]

All the talk on threads I have read about people hating long hair made me look this up. I'm going to memorize this and use it on people who say "ewww" or make comments about long hair.


Chaetophobia is a rare phobia which causes an irrational, abnormal and persistent fear of hair. The word is derived from Greek khaite which means ‘loose flowing hair’ and phobos meaning aversion or fear.

If you tell me my hair is gross, I'll tell you you have a psychological disorder.

[Chant]

Who on earth would ever tell you that your hair is gross?? You have beautiful hair. I truly think a lot of nasty comments about long hair come from jealousy.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Who on earth would ever tell you that your hair is gross?? You have beautiful hair. I truly think a lot of nasty comments about long hair come from jealousy.

One of my sisters says this. :rolleyes:

[sarahthegemini]

Not liking long hair isn't the same as a phobia. So not liking long hair doesn't mean they have a disorder :-/

[Rebel Rebel]

The only time I don't like another persons "loose hair" is when I find it my food.

[pili]

Thank you, Chant. :flower:

However, you'd be surprised. I found this phobia interesting because there knee jerk response around here seems to be it is jealousy, when it may actually be a phobia. To me, even unhealthy, or poorly cared for/damaged hair isn't "gross", unless you can see the lice in it (but that's different). Hair is hair. I love long hair. I just never knew there are people who are scared of it.

[pili]

Not liking long hair isn't the same as a phobia. So not liking long hair doesn't mean they have a disorder :-/


No. Just like having long hair doesn't mean it's gross. But when rudeness rears it's ugly head...

[lapushka]

Not liking long hair isn't the same as a phobia. So not liking long hair doesn't mean they have a disorder :-/

Have to agree with that. Just randomly throwing "disorders" around if you get a random comment, seems a little much for my taste.

[Robot Ninja]

So I initially read the title as Cheetophobia and...um, yeah.


Who on earth would ever tell you that your hair is gross?? You have beautiful hair. I truly think a lot of nasty comments about long hair come from jealousy.

A lot of nasty comments about long hair come from "I don't want to have long hair and I don't think you should either. Long hair is weird. Stop being weird."

Is there a fancy Greek word for fear of people who don't conform to how you think they should look? Or do we just go with the old standby of "I'm not here to decorate your world?"

[pili]

Have to agree with that. Just randomly throwing "disorders" around if you get a random comment, seems a little much for my taste.

And randomly being called gross is a bit much for mine.

[moon_witch]

Not liking long hair isn't the same as a phobia. So not liking long hair doesn't mean they have a disorder :-/

But I think there's a difference between people just not liking long hair or thinking it's not for them and actually being grossed out? I understand that not everyone likes the same things but if I don't like someones shoes or style I'm not grossed out either if that makes sense.

[Aredhel]

But just because someone's a little repulsed by something, it doesn't mean they fear it irrationally. It does make the person an a**hole though, if they come up to you and bluntly tell you your hair is gross, but IMO that alone doesn't really indicate a phobia. I might be more convinced of that though if my hair accidentally brushed someone's arm, and they gagged or screamed and ran away or something. :p

Like I'm personally a little grossed out by body hair, but I'm not terrified of it; if I touched someone's (or my own) I won't have an anxiety attack, I'd just prefer not to have touched it.:shrug:

[lithostoic]

Not cool, my cousin has this. Let's not make light of mental disorders.

[Decoy24601]

Not cool, my cousin has this. Let's not make light of mental disorders.

Agreed. And also thinking something is gross or even repulsive is not the same as a phobia.

I think we can all agree that rude people suck though and hair isn't gross.

[pili]

Actually part of the definition of this disorder is people who think hair is gross or disgusting.

Phobias have a range. I have a needle phobia. I can go with my sister to watch her get a tattoo, but had to be strapped down to a gurney to get four stitches in my finger. I know others who can't be near hospitals, tattoo shops, or even see needles in films. If someone tells me my hair is gross because it is long, I don't see what the problem is in asking if they have chaetophobia to some degree. If they do, that explains it. If they don't, then they are just rude.

[Yarrow]

I don't think many of the "he/she should cut of that (disgusting)mop of hair" don't actually come from a phobia or jealousy necessarily. A lot of times it's just personal preference/being raised with the idea that in order to be a groomed human being that involves cutting your hair. They actually sometimes think they are well meaning and cutting the hair will result in the person being more up to date or stylish.
My grandfather really does not like long hair ( this may have to do with some of his life experiences idk) but he never comments in such a fashion on other people's hair. My uncle had a phase where he had longish hair and a lot of the grandchildren have longish (MLB and longer) hair and he never said anything to anyone . When I visit I just try to keep my hair in a bun, curtesy wise as to avoid leaving shed hair behind.

[Reyesuela]

I've met some people with a crippling terror of shed hairs and a hatred of long hair out of the thought that it could shed more.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

One of my nieces has this problem, fear of hair. She refuses to touch anyone's hair... I don't know how she copes with her own hair, I have never ventured to ask her such a personal question (but secretly I do wonder).

[lapushka]

I used to get almost a gagging reflex whenever I found shed hair. Turns out that after getting medication for what they now found out is Ménière's disease, it's totally gone. Gone! I think it's just so odd, but well...

And I have to agree with lithostoic, I don't like making light(at least)/fun of mental issues either.

[pili]

Asking if someone has a phobia is not "making fun of"

If someone freaked out at a spider and I asked if they had arachnophobia, I would not consider that intrusive. Whenever someone asks if I have a tattoo, I let them no there is no way on earth that is ever happening since I have trypanophobia.

And the fear of loose hairs is trichophobia or hypertrichophobia if it is sever.

[Reyesuela]

I'm with you pili. ;)

[sarahthegemini]

Long shed hairs are disgusting shudder: I very much dislike loose long hair, especially around food, because all I can think about are the hairs coming out. Ew. Pretty sure that's not a psychological disorder and it's certainly not jealousy.

[mizukitty]

The term phobia is thrown around so loosely these days it's kind of amusing.. But I've been diagnosed with.. many.. phobias (I have an anxiety disorder), and I've never responded to any of them by calling them "gross." Phobia kinda entails you seek to avoid whatever it is to the best of your abilities. My guess is that someone with a true fear of hair would try to distance themselves as much as possible (physically as well as mentally - meaning they wouldn't want to think about it long enough to form an opinion, does that make sense?)

Not defending people who say cruel things at all, by the way, but being a piece of #### with an opinion =/= mental disorder. It just means they're an ass who somehow thinks their unnecessary comment is the most important thing in the universe.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Long shed hairs are disgusting shudder: I very much dislike loose long hair, especially around food, because all I can think about are the hairs coming out. Ew. Pretty sure that's not a psychological disorder and it's certainly not jealousy.

I don't find them disgusting, just annoying at times. And in my opinion, long hair should be up and bunned, or at least covered, by people preparing food.

[lapushka]

Not defending people who say cruel things at all, by the way, but being a piece of #### with an opinion =/= mental disorder. It just means they're an ass who somehow thinks their unnecessary comment is the most important thing in the universe.

That's it, isn't it? Besides, we're laypeople, and no doctors and just throwing those terms around is going a bit overboard, IMMHO. I think mental disorders are bad enough to deal with without having someone, even if you make a "rude" comment to throw a diagnosis at you. I mean. What?! I'm pretty sure that's not OK.

[Aredhel]

That's it, isn't it? Besides, we're laypeople, and no doctors and just throwing those terms around is going a bit overboard, IMMHO. I think mental disorders are bad enough to deal with without having someone, even if you make a "rude" comment to throw a diagnosis at you. I mean. What?! I'm pretty sure that's not OK.

My thoughts exactly.

What if someone really does have a legitimate phobia and is sensitive about someone bringing it up? A lot of people with mental illnesses can be pretty embarrassed about them. I mean why even ask them if they have it, what good will that bit of knowledge do you? Just tell them to mind their own business, as you mind yours, and go your separate ways. Why create a mountain out of a molehill by retaliating?

Like yeah it's rude of them, no doubt, but personally I'd rather just take the high road and leave them to their miserable opinions; if someone insults my hair, I sure as hell wouldn't be starting a conversation with them, and I definitely wouldn't care to know if they have a phobia. But that's just me I guess. :shrug:

[dansyl]

My thoughts exactly.

What if someone really does have a legitimate phobia and is sensitive about someone bringing it up? A lot of people with mental illnesses can be pretty embarrassed about them. I mean why even ask them if they have it, what good will that bit of knowledge do you? Just tell them to mind their own business, as you mind yours, and go your separate ways. Why create a mountain out of a molehill by retaliating?

Like yeah it's rude of them, no doubt, but personally I'd rather just take the high road and leave them to their miserable opinions; if someone insults my hair, I sure as hell wouldn't be starting a conversation with them, and I definitely wouldn't care to know if they have a phobia. But that's just me I guess. :shrug:

^^ agreed. Sometimes social anxiety can also rear it's ugly head as hatefulness. For those of us who have and love others with mental illnesses, to me, the best thing would be to just walk away and shrug it off. We all say things we don't mean sometimes and bringing up an actual phobia or mental illness could be hurtful.

[pili]

As a victim of bullying (specifically about my hair), I totally disagree.

[Saldana]

My two cents.......I, too, have occasionally been the recipient of snarky/bullying/disapproving comments about my hair.

The most recent one was in a text session with my mother. Specifically about the grey in my hair (she knows better by now than to comment on the length).

I had sent her a picture, and the lighting it was taken in made my over all color look quite light (my natural base color is a med-dark reddish brown)

Mom: What is wrong with your hair? Did you dye it blonde??
Me: No, nothing is wrong with it - that is the light bouncing off of all the white!
*long pause*
Mom: Oh, you poor thing.
Me: Seriously? I love my white hair and think it's beautiful. I get compliments on it all the time.
*another long pause*
Mom: Oh.

About a week later, she wrote me an apology, and has not mentioned it since.

Personally, I don't care if someone is grossed out/triggered/phobic/simply a jerk. If they don't like my hair, they can look away or go somewhere else. So, I guess if someone reacted negatively to my hair, I wouldn't bother with asking if they're phobic. I'd probably respond something like this:

"Oh? I think my hair is beautiful and I like it very much."

End. Of. Conversation. Walk. Away.

This is presuming, of course, that they're not just complaining about something my hair is actually 'doing' to them - tangled in their stuff, a hair got onto their desk, or something like that. In which case, I apologize and take care of it.