Do men like long hair better?

[Fiferstone]

A counterpoint to Alun's well-put point: My hair is of a length that it's 99% up if I'm doing anything during which I don't want it to be in my way, so no extra points for it being hip-length. It's back in a neat bun (thanks Spidermom) so it's professional, polished and somewhat matronly-looking, which suits DH just fine. I'm his personal goddess with long flowing tresses and if the rest of the world wants to see me as a tight-bunned mean lady, that's fine with him. I'm something good that's mostly a secret. :).

[Juneii]

everyone is different. I have many guy friends who prefer short hair on girls. But then I have other guy friends who prefer long hair - including my boyfriend.
but what I think is, if they like you they will like your hair regardless of what you do to it.

[Ally<3]

I've yet to meet a man who prefers short hair. But that's not to say they don't exist.

[Prettychild]

My hubby nearly died when I chopped my hair off!!! When we met I had long hair. Then some dodgy hair dye burned my hair so badly I had to go for the GI Jane look. Did I already say my hubby nearly died when I chopped my hair off?

[Vermelha]

A lot do. But, of course, I've never met every single man on Earth either...but of all the men I've met, they've preferred longer hair, at least past the shoulders...

I'm sure my SO wouldn't have looked my way with short hair. I wouldn't blame him either. I look better with longer hair and it's anything to make him happy in my book. I've had my fun with short hair, but now it's time to actually be pretty and elegant for once in my life.

[Tom Steinberg]

I think most men do (I am certainly one of those who likes super long hair on women) although the defenition of long hair outside this community tends to be somewhere from shoulder to BSL.

[krt1013]

My bf actually prefers shorter hair (gasp!), which is why I caved and cut my hair into a bob last year. :( He's very into that edgy/androgynous look. A lot of his guy friends (and mine) are like that, but it seems to make sense based on the collective interests of the group in which I spend most of my time. We're an active bunch that tend to gravitate toward more extreme activities and careers.

I know this might seem weird, but it seems to me that the hair length a particular man likes on a woman reflects his own lifestyle. Very outdoorsy, active guys (I'm talking kayakers and mountain-climbers here) or science nerds tend to like short haired ladies, while the more language-y romantic types (and surprisingly enough, those in more traditional team sports) like longer hair.

This might be very biased, but it is the overall trend that I've noticed at my university. Has anyone noticed a similar trend?

...But all trends certainly have exceptions!

[krt1013]

I also think that I spend most of my time with "get up and go" guys. They don't have much patience for hairstyles, but I make them wait for me anyway! :D

[Lamb]

I know this might seem weird, but it seems to me that the hair length a particular man likes on a woman reflects his own lifestyle. Very outdoorsy, active guys (I'm talking kayakers and mountain-climbers here) or science nerds tend to like short haired ladies, while the more language-y romantic types (and surprisingly enough, those in more traditional team sports) like longer hair.
Not weird at all, I think this is a very good point. :agree: I seem to notice the same trend around myself.

[Buddaphlyy]

I think it depends on the man and the woman, but in general, I do think men prefer longer hair. And they prefer it down more than up.

[Teakafrog]

I've yet to meet a man who prefers short hair. But that's not to say they don't exist.

This. Every man I've ever had any type of conversation at all involving hair has always said they like it long--as in "my wife chopped off all her hair and I hate it!" (not that he would say that to her face)
And in the last few years since starting to grow my own hair long I have asked a lot of male friends their opinion of long hair in women (just out of curiosity), and they all, every single one, said they preferred it long, as in at least shoulder length but more like APL-BSL, though they obviously didn't know those terms.

[ccmuffingirl]

I think statements like "all" or "everyone" are generally misleading (unless you're talking about "everyone/all" the people you've spoken with about the subject). I'm sure there has to be a group of people out there that prefer women with shorter hair, just as there are groups of men that prefer women with very, very long hair. It's like a bell curve with those two groups falling at opposite extremes. I think, in general, most men prefer their women to have longer hair (like from shoulder length to waist length). This is just my observation and opinion. Oh yeah, and a guy friend of mine told me that he doesn't like dating women with "no hair". He likes for his women to have hair that at least touches their back, lol. But I acknowledge that he's not a reflection of all men.

[Auryn]

This. Every man I've ever had any type of conversation at all involving hair has always said they like it long--as in "my wife chopped off all her hair and I hate it!" (not that he would say that to her face)
And in the last few years since starting to grow my own hair long I have asked a lot of male friends their opinion of long hair in women (just out of curiosity), and they all, every single one, said they preferred it long, as in at least shoulder length but more like APL-BSL, though they obviously didn't know those terms.


My ex preferred short hair. I was the only girl he dated that had long hair.

[Teakafrog]

Yes, I did say it was only the ones I personally have spoken to.

[ccmuffingirl]

Yes, I did say it was only the ones I personally have spoken to.

Sorry if this isn't in response to my comment, but I just wanted to say that I was just speaking in general. I wasn't referring to your comment at all (but I realize why you might have thought so, since my comment is directly below yours). I was referring to the fact that the OP's preacher said that "all" men prefer long hair, and I didn't think he could rightfully say that unless he had spoken to every man about that subject. I can understand the confusion, though. I probably should have quoted who I was addressing before I responded :). You most definitely said it was only the men you personally spoke to.

[yellowchariot]

I personally like long hair on women because imo, it embodies the whole female physique aspect of a woman.

Nevertheless, there are short styles that I find to be cute and attractive as well.

*Disclaimer - I do not speak for all men* :D

*Clamier - I only speak for myself* :o

[DanielleRenae]

I actually sat next to a guy in Physics last year who told me I should cut my hair to APL (it was almost tail-bone at the time). The conversation went something like this:

Guy: You should cut your hair to here *indicates APL with his hands*

Me: Why?

Guy: Because that's what I'm in to.

Me: *blank stare*

Considering the fact that I only had him for that one class and we never talked...I found it to be kind of strange. But besides that, the guys in my life love long hair. I think it would really upset my dad if I ever cut it. He's also sort of protective of it; when we visit his family and they touch my hair (because they don't want to give me "ojo"-if you're Hispanic then you know what I'm talking about) he gets mad as if their hands are dirty. It's kind of strange and caring at the same time.

[mrs_b]

According to my personal experience it depends on a man. In my thirties I had a boyfriend who loved my short (1inch) hair and encouraged me to keep it that way.
my husband however likes long hair and he even said that he would divorce me if I would cut my hair really short. He is joking of course but I get his point:-P

[rhubarbarin]

I know a guy who prefers very short hair. He has a 'type' and his long-term GF and fiance both fit it; petite, slender, with very short hair (like an inch or two long).

From what I have heard from men, those who prefer very short hair are a teeny minority. However there are plenty of guys who don't much care about women's hair, and plenty would don't like the super-lengths.

[YourEggcellency]

I think statements like "all" or "everyone" are generally misleading (unless you're talking about "everyone/all" the people you've spoken with about the subject). I'm sure there has to be a group of people out there that prefer women with shorter hair, just as there are groups of men that prefer women with very, very long hair. It's like a bell curve with those two groups falling at opposite extremes. I think, in general, most men prefer their women to have longer hair (like from shoulder length to waist length). This is just my observation and opinion. Oh yeah, and a guy friend of mine told me that he doesn't like dating women with "no hair". He likes for his women to have hair that at least touches their back, lol. But I acknowledge that he's not a reflection of all men.


I definitely agree--I am in my early twenties & I have heard many men (or women attracted to women) who love short hair, medium length hair, & long hair--it really depends on the person. I think, too, that it depends on the woman--some women are more attractive with short hair, some more attractive with long! I think women answering the question "do you like men with long/short hair" would all have different answers, as well, so I think it's good to treat everyone as individuals with individual preferences. :)

(Although I am very glad my partner loves long hair on me, & he has mentioned before he likes long hair in general!!!)

[DesertRat]

I definitely prefer women with long hair. Always have. The key to a good relationship for me has been to seek out women who love their long hair and want to keep it that way. My wife has long blonde hair and she says it'll always stay that way because that's the way she wants it.

[Aer]

Every guy in my family (brothers/father) and husband have committed more than once on occasion that they prefer long hair on women. Although I don't think short hair would be a deal breaker or anything.

[Jordan S.]

I've yet to meat anyone who doesn't prefer it. That way he can have something to tug when your making out LMAO! :cheese:

[ccmuffingirl]

I definitely agree--I am in my early twenties & I have heard many men (or women attracted to women) who love short hair, medium length hair, & long hair--it really depends on the person. I think, too, that it depends on the woman--some women are more attractive with short hair, some more attractive with long! I think women answering the question "do you like men with long/short hair" would all have different answers, as well, so I think it's good to treat everyone as individuals with individual preferences. :)

(Although I am very glad my partner loves long hair on me, & he has mentioned before he likes long hair in general!!!)

I'm with you on that! I've encountered various types of men in my life, even the kinds that don't give a fig about how long a woman's hair is (like my bf). I used to have conversations with my bf about how long I wanted my hair to be, and he would just say, "ok". So I asked him what he thought would be a good length for me and he basically told me that he didn't know because he thinks my hair is fine as it is. He said I'd probably look good at whatever length I decide :). I even told him that I don't think I would look good with those short hairdo's that are becoming popular, and he said that I would. He doesn't care how long or short a person's hair is as long as it looks appealing to him. He's not really into hair that much.

P.S. Even though he doesn't realize it yet, I think my bf will like my long hair, when it gets there :grin:.

[melikai]

All of my boyfriends have preferred longer hair, however each one has a different definition of what long hair is. For some, as long as the hair is to the shoulder or longer, they're happy.

I have found that there are quite a few men who don't like very long hair, like past the butt lengths. Maybe that can be applied to the general population though?

[Sisko]

I have found that there are quite a few men who don't like very long hair, like past the butt lengths.

There is a very obvious reason behind this. :p Too much coverage for some? They don't want it covering up the goods.

In response to the question: It depends on the man, and it depends on the woman.

Pixies look adorable on women who are blessed with nice features (not to say long hair doesn't):
http://home.pacbell.net/wa4lrm/Trek/images/ezri3.jpg

I doubt many men would tell her to grow it out; most realise that different lengths are suited to different people and different personalities.

On the whole, though, I think the majority of men prefer hair that is in the BSL range because it appears to be the prevalent, youthful length, and so they associate it with fertility and attraction. Society still views long hair as feminine without attention the fact that it can also enhance masculinity. This is no doubt contributing to preferences somewhat.

[Pallas]

I know several guys who prefer short hair on women. Some like the spunk that comes with it. You know, like those funky puny haircuts (and I agree with them. I'm nit a guy but I do like girl :p)

Then regarding the men who told me they like long hair on woman, almost none of them prefer really long hair, like classic or whatever.

[zenobia]

Removed later

[Capybara]

It's been my experience that it really depends on the guy. Or the girl. Most people, though, don't seem to have a preference. I've met a few people who will only date people with a certain look (ie. short or long hair), but they are few and far between, and most seem to realize that it doesn't usually make or break a relationship.

My question, though, is: Do men prefer certain haircolours?

[Sammybunny711]

My husband says he prefers me with short, but he hasn't really seen it long, so I don't know what he would think of it long (I'm a pixie right now.)

[error]

You know lol my fiance actually used to dislike my long hair , but he was not rude about it , in fact it was kind of funny and understandable. I have never actually realized how long my hair was so i was never conscious of it , I am very clumsy too, and well I would let it get real tangled , and the loose hairs that would drop would be everywhere . At night he would get tangled in it , total disaster! But a month back he mentioned something to his friends , and they were like are ya sick long hair is amazing! Be proud she never cut all her hair off like most of the girls we know. It made me feel better and I noticed him thinking about it differently and telling me I should be more careful with it so i can maintain the length . So I guess the people who say they do not like it they just don't understand . :->

[Quixii]

I don't know about all men, but my (new) boyfriend loves my hair and compliments it a lot.

[RoseRedDead]

Oh geez, the eternal question...

A: Some men do, and some men don't.

I know more men who are in favour than those who are against it, personally.

[Jammy]

dbf wants me to keep it short, he's always preferred it to long

=(

[Stephichan]

I already posted in this topic, but I have new observations to add since cutting to a pixie style. In my last post I mentioned that my ex liked it long. My current bf doesn't care if I have it long or short.

Since I cut to pixie, I've had a lot more attention from guys. Strangers saying hi to me on the street, classmates talking to me more... that type of stuff. So as some have already said, there doesn't really seem to be any 'unanimous' like or dislike out there.

[Sylvanas]

Not all men, but most men do, I think

[naereid]

My BF likes pixie cuts and elvish hair best. Talk about extremes. :p

[hairg33k]

My boyfriend LOVES long hair. He will easily rule out if a girl (like in the movies or something) is attractive if she has short hair, he thinks it's not pretty at all. Although, he is very nice about it - he says that if i cut my hair short he wouldn't be crazy about it, but he's sure it would look good because it's me :). And it works out well since i'm growing my hair out.

[BotticelliCurls]

Most men like girls with long hair and
most women like men with short hair.

Opposites attract, you know :).

[Pear Martini]

Theres a reason why all women in the entertainment industry wear extensions: most men prefer long hair.

[humble_knight]

A preacher commented recently that all men like long hair better. Do you think that is true in your experience?

Before I got into healthcare, yes, I did like long hair better, but now that I see hair loss almost on a daily basis, I don't think about it so much. I never spoke about liking/disliking long/short hair in a partner. I saw it as a trick question, like the "Do you think my bum looks big in this," question :p

[beez1717]

If i didn't like long hair better I wouldn't be here. i don't know about the rest of the population but here people will tend to like long hair better.

[jera]

With the execption of a couple of bad haircuts in my life, I've always worn my hair long. I think the men I've known have been attracted to me because of it. ( One of them actually came out and said so, while others have always mentioned my long hair favorably.)

Also, I don't think religion has, or had, anything to do with it. :eyebrows: I don't know why a minister would make such a broad statement, except that it is mentioned in the New Testament that long hair is a glory to a woman.

While not subscribing to any particular religious creed, I agree with this. :D

[FrannyG]

I've never known a man who prefers a woman's hair short. They may like short hair on the woman they love, but even then, if she grows it they realize that they prefer it longer.

I'm sure that's just a generalization, but it's been my observation over 48 years.

[Lemur_Catta]

I once knew a man who loves women with short hair. Only one. In my experience, though, men like "medium" length, like APL or BSL...maybe waist. Most men I know don't really like VERY long hair, like tailbone or beyond. My boyfriend likes my current hair, but I don't think he would like it as much if I were to grow, for example, to knee. Maybe it's because they realize that, the longer it gets, more difficult it is to wear it down!

[vindo]

Before I got into healthcare, yes, I did like long hair better, but now that I see hair loss almost on a daily basis, I don't think about it so much. I never spoke about liking/disliking long/short hair in a partner. I saw it as a trick question, like the "Do you think my bum looks big in this," question :p

Thats wise and I agree...

[haharobots]

This thread is pretty interesting, adding my $0.02...

I've worn a pixie cut pretty much all my life, but now at flip-length. In my experience, men say that they like long hair better, but I got about 100&#37; more male (and female) attention when I had a pixie than now.

I think maybe it's the pixitude? When I had short hair I felt punky, unique, cute, fun... and acted as such. Now with my long hair (like most other girls) I feel boring, and blend-in-dy. And I probably act that way too. I feel better when its tied back in a pony.

I agree with the sentiment that there IS such a thing as "too long". I would never grown my own past BSL, if even that long.

[Xandrra]

I don't think I've known a guy yet that like short hair. One of my male friends can't keep his hands off long hair (obviously only if you don't mind and he knows you well, he's not a creep). My ex (then bf) got very happy when I told him I'm growing my hair out. I think its some kind of natural instinct for them.

[Cailie]

I think most (not all) men like feminine women.
Long hair is often (not always) part of what is perceived as feminine. But over length, I think healthy looking hair is what pleases the most.

Now, healthy luscious waist-long soft hair, on the head of a good looking confident-without-being-pretentious feminine woman ... now, I think that's very ofter a winner :p

[Allen]

Compelled to weigh in but obviously biased given the board we're on. Always have loved very long hair....the longer the better. There's nothing like a woman with very long hair who knows how to wear it up and when to let it down. Of course that's coming from a grown man who's avatar is a dog in banana suit playing maroccas.

[Cailie]

Of course that's coming from a grown man who's avatar is a dog in banana suit playing maroccas.

:lol: :lol:

[Arriens]

A preacher commented recently that all men like long hair better. Do you think that is true in your experience?
Not all, most males do like/love it however. And that includes me. :D


As long (and undamaged) hair is a sign of a good healthy body which attracts the better mate. ;)

[EdG]

I will plead the fifth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleading_the_Fifth) on this question. :lol:
Ed

[Les]

My personal preference is for longer hair on women, can be wonderfully distracting sometimes.... But I know a number of men who like shorter hair on women.

[deviantkitten]

My husband has always loved my long hair. I had long-ish hair when I met him- maybe mid back? I have been growing it longer for a while now, long before I joined LHC. He left for deployment in January, and should be home in September. He FINALLY figured out Skype, so now he sees me all the time, but always with my hair up. I have been keeping it up for over 3 months now. I can't wait until he gets home and see how much my hair has grown and how great it looks! Better than when he left thanks to keeping it up, and oiling.
He has nothing against short hair on women, but he just finds long hair sexy and feminine, especially on me (thank goodness LOL)
So, to answer to the question I should have answered 3 paragraphs ago, I don't know if ALL men like long hair better, but my old man does!!!

[Merlin]

I think the flaw in this question is that it involves a vast generalization in it's concept of what men prefer in 'women'. I'd not claim to speak for 'men' either, because frankly I can only speak for myself, but I'd say that I prefer what looks good. I know it's a bit of a heretical thing to say on LHC, but there are women out there who look better with short hair (ducking to avoid the airborne bricks). I used to work with a girl who did the 'grow and chop' cycle at regular intervals and while she did look nice with it curling round her shoulders she looked stunning with a pixie cut, and I can think of several people I know who look better wit their recent short(er) haircuts. I don't think that I like any hair length on women in general more than any other length to be honest, because while I notice hair on women I notice it because it looks good, not especially because it's long.

I think the whole question of what men prefer also rather beggers the question of what it means by 'prefer' and indeed if anybody has a right to prefer anything about somebody else's appearance: you're not there to decorate my world. The original statement that the OP heard sounds like a strange thing for a preacher to say and I'd be interested in the context in which it was said?

[runaway177]

I come from Arab descent so culturally speaking most men there prefer long hair on women. Long hair is prized hair! :cheese:

[christine1989]

In my personal experiance I get just as much attention with long hair as short. What men notice most is not hair anyway. In fact, the compliments I get from men are seldom on my hair ;) Any hair comments I get are from women.

[jane53]

Do men like long hair better than bacon?

Do men like long hair better than cheese? :cheese:

Do men like long hair better than doing their own laundry?



Sorry! I'll shut up! I don't decorate anyone's life!

[Arriens]

I come from Arab descent so culturally speaking most men there prefer long hair on women. Long hair is prized hair!
I thougd they all wear headscarfs as arab culture? :disgust:

[Emerson]

I think most men (NOT all) prefer long hair on women.....I agree with Merlin, there are some women out there who just suit short hair.

[SeaShell]

In my opinion they either prefer it or they don't really have a preference at all...I would say there are definitely fewer men that prefer short hair, although I do know some! Just my opinion though :)

[cm006j]

The last time I cut my hair it was because my fiancee at the time (I didn't end up marrying him) told me that he much prefers short hair. I had thick, black hair just past my waist that I loved, but he kept saying how he would like it short and I caved! I don't care anymore what men like. I love my hair long and I'll date someone who wants me to have my hair how I like it!

[Lamb]

Do men like long hair better than doing their own laundry?

Is there anything they don't like more than that? :eyebrows:
/jk

[ibleedlipstick]

I wish. Literally all of my male friends/men I have dated or flirted with are really into short hair. It is so weird, because I will get fed up with my hair and say "I'm going to shave it" and they kind of drool and say "that would be SO hot."

Whoever said that all men like long hair better was wrong.

I have gotten to the point where I would LIKE to meet someone with a long hair ******, because maybe then I would get some hair appreciation from someone other than women. (Not insulting, just saying, I love the compliments but sometimes I want a man to say you have lovely hair, without shoving his nose into it... long story.)

[RoseRed27]

So it's the elves vs. the pixies!:D

Here's my take on it. Most men (51% or more) say they prefer long hair. And when they say "long", they usually mean between shoulder and waist, on average, BSL. Safe long, not LHC long. But why do some women get more attention with short hair rather than with long? Let's use Halle Berry as a classic example. I recently saw a celebrity short hair/long hair poll, and more people preferred her with short hair. Why? Here's my theory:

When a woman has an exceptionally beautiful face, long hair can sometimes get in the way. With a short haircut, the face stands out much more, amplifying her beauty. Disclaimer: Long hair on an exceptional beauty can also make her look like a bombshell! There are some women whose face looks average with short hair, but when her face is properly framed by long hair she looks gorgeous. When the strands fall to the side, her cheek bones are properly highlighted, the color of the hair resting against her flesh might bring out the hidden undertones in her skin or the sparkle in her eyes. In a case like this, it isn't the hair as a pretty accessory adding "points" to her beauty, it's like a lens, properly bringing the already existing beauty into focus. It suits her better than short hair. I'm also saying the opposite can be true.

These are my opinions and aren't hard and fast rules, but I think it's a good generalization. When I cut my hair down to 1 inch, I never got so many compliments in my life! I was so self conscious, but people thought I was a model. Now that my hair is in an awkward middle phase, not as many compliments. I like the way I look with very short hair, or very long hair. (Did everyone like how I insinuated that I was exceptionally beautiful!? :p lol )

I know a few men who prefer short hair. I think they assume a woman with short hair is confident, and confidence is always beautiful. And one reason men might say they don't like short hair is that...well...short hair on some woman (Not any of us beauties!) can look..."mannish". Sorry, I feel so mean! And long hair can hide a multitude of sins. A long beautiful mane can make an average woman look more glamorous.

So what I'm saying is, most men prefer long hair because most women look better with long hair (I think we all will agree long hair is incredibly lovely), but the few women who can pull off very short hair are usually exquisite (and lucky).

And truthfully, a lot of men say they don't like hair that's "too long" either. I heard friends say anything beyond waist is too long. I think it's because very long hair can be seen as dowdy, frumpish or witch-like . (I apologize to all my Pagan long hair lovers :) ). That is until they see a beautifully cared for head of classic length tresses, then they don't want anything less! :D

So basically, I've said what everyone else is saying! Most men do, but it depends. :undecided

[Debra83]

When my DF found out I was growing my hair long, (we've been together a year July long weekend), he was very happy and since commented many times that he loves my hair, hair colour (after last henna too), and that he's noticed it getting longer, and longer. But, he doesn't have a ****** with it...just observations he's made over the year. Now, my legs - those he has a ****** for!!!! But, he's so cute about it!!!

[Angeletti]

I have never met any personally that have said they prefer short hair, but yet I don't go around asking them so I'm sure they are out there... my hubby prefers long so he's one of the long hair lovers

[TammySue]

In my experience, the men I've dated (or been married to) had a sort of "whatever makes you happy" attitude about it. :shrug: It would be nice to have a guy who really adored my hair, wanted to comb and brush it, and lovingly touch it all the time. :eyebrows:

[HintOfMint]

I wish. Literally all of my male friends/men I have dated or flirted with are really into short hair. It is so weird, because I will get fed up with my hair and say "I'm going to shave it" and they kind of drool and say "that would be SO hot."

I have found that a lot of men who prefer short hair tend to fall outside of the mainstream in some way or conform to certain subcultures. Slam poets, theater, punk... etc.

ibleedlipstick, from your own experience, do these circumstances apply?


When a woman has an exceptionally beautiful face, long hair can sometimes get in the way. With a short haircut, the face stands out much more, amplifying her beauty. Disclaimer: Long hair on an exceptional beauty can also make her look like a bombshell! There are some women whose face looks average with short hair, but when her face is properly framed by long hair she looks gorgeous. When the strands fall to the side, her cheek bones are properly highlighted, the color of the hair resting against her flesh might bring out the hidden undertones in her skin or the sparkle in her eyes. In a case like this, it isn't the hair as a pretty accessory adding "points" to her beauty, it's like a lens, properly bringing the already existing beauty into focus. It suits her better than short hair. I'm also saying the opposite can be true.

This is a pretty solid theory, I think. The women who look the best in short hair tend to have very sharp features and beautiful bone structure. However, one could also make the argument that short hair or a shaved head is a sort of handicap through which one can demonstrate her beauty, as in, she is so beautiful that she can do this and still be desirable. Ah well, in the case of Halle Berry, I think your theory applies. She looks borderline plain with long hair.

[ibleedlipstick]

I have found that a lot of men who prefer short hair tend to fall outside of the mainstream in some way or conform to certain subcultures. Slam poets, theater, punk... etc.

ibleedlipstick, from your own experience, do these circumstances apply?


This is a pretty solid theory, I think. The women who look the best in short hair tend to have very sharp features and beautiful bone structure. However, one could also make the argument that short hair or a shaved head is a sort of handicap through which one can demonstrate her beauty, as in, she is so beautiful that she can do this and still be desirable. Ah well, in the case of Halle Berry, I think your theory applies. She looks borderline plain with long hair.

I have some hipster friends, and a few nerdy friends. The nerdy friends think that I look like a younger Angelina Jolie, and every time they watch Hackers they call me up and tell me I should cut my hair short and I would look just like her from the movie. The hipster friends- I don't know. They just think I would look amazing with short hair. I don't really have a scene, I just look old for my age. It's weird. I'm like a middle aged soccer mom at 18. Too much office experience at too young of an age. :)

I'm kind of curvy (legitimate curvy, not overweight, just an hourglass frame) and I don't like my look with short hair. I had a shaved head for a while, and I was miserable. I don't have razor-sharp cheekbones yet, I probably will after I age a bit, so I think that with shorter hair I look about 10lbs heavier.

[Aurantia]

Originally Posted by HintOfMint http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?p=1119366#post1119366)
I have found that a lot of men who prefer short hair tend to fall outside of the mainstream in some way or conform to certain subcultures. Slam poets, theater, punk... etc.

ibleedlipstick, from your own experience, do these circumstances apply?
Of the many men I've dated, there were two that had a definite preference for short hair. I met the first when I had gorgeous waist length hair and he begged me to cut it into a pixie; this guy was the most American pie redneck conforming dude ever so the above didn't apply in his case. The second was a hipster -- not much else to say about that.

I got a ton of compliments from men when I had the first super short cut (American pie guy), but that was in California in my early 20s -- it's hard not to be lovely at that age. :)


My boyfriend now, however, met me when I was growing out the second pixie cut and he definitely has a preference for "long" hair. My short hair didn't stop him from thinking I was hot, but he's thrilled that it's now BSL. OTOH, when I mentioned that I was thinking about growing my hair out to waist length he got creeped out lol; but my guess is that once it reaches that level he'll end up loving it. :eyebrows:

At least, that's the reaction I'm hoping for! ;)

[Aurantia]

nionipomjopkmpo[,[pomp

[Merlin]

Long hair is prized hair! :cheese:

You see, that's what makes me uncomforable with the question about what 'men prefer': there's an element of objectification to it in which the woman begins to become something rather than someone.

There are a whole load of things I prefer: I prefer my books to still have the dust jackets; I prefer pictures to have nice frames; I prefer my trousers to have belt loops (incidently, referring to the 'english mail' thread that's a list with a colon and semi-colons). But these are things I own and somehow have a right to prefer and prize. I like Mrs Merlin's hair long because she has great hair and long hair suits her, but I don't prefer her to have long hair because she's not one of my possessions. I don't prize her hair because that has a whole raft of ideas about 'showing her off' with which I don't feel comfortable.

It seems to me too that once you get into preferring long hair on women, you start to forget that there is a woman under that hair.

Oh, and laundry? Mrs Merlin once stunned her friends with the line of "I married a man who likes ironing" - hey, maybe she prefers men with laundry skills...

[Debra83]

You see, that's what makes me uncomforable with the question about what 'men prefer': there's an element of objectification to it in which the woman begins to become something rather than someone.

There are a whole load of things I prefer: I prefer my books to still have the dust jackets; I prefer pictures to have nice frames; I prefer my trousers to have belt loops (incidently, referring to the 'english mail' thread that's a list with a colon and semi-colons). But these are things I own and somehow have a right to prefer and prize. I like Mrs Merlin's hair long because she has great hair and long hair suits her, but I don't prefer her to have long hair because she's not one of my possessions. I don't prize her hair because that has a whole raft of ideas about 'showing her off' with which I don't feel comfortable.

It seems to me too that once you get into preferring long hair on women, you start to forget that there is a woman under that hair.

Oh, and laundry? Mrs Merlin once stunned her friends with the line of "I married a man who likes ironing" - hey, maybe she prefers men with laundry skills...

Well said, Merlin.

[jane53]

You see, that's what makes me uncomforable with the question about what 'men prefer': there's an element of objectification to it in which the woman begins to become something rather than someone.

There are a whole load of things I prefer: I prefer my books to still have the dust jackets; I prefer pictures to have nice frames; I prefer my trousers to have belt loops (incidently, referring to the 'english mail' thread that's a list with a colon and semi-colons). But these are things I own and somehow have a right to prefer and prize. I like Mrs Merlin's hair long because she has great hair and long hair suits her, but I don't prefer her to have long hair because she's not one of my possessions. I don't prize her hair because that has a whole raft of ideas about 'showing her off' with which I don't feel comfortable.

It seems to me too that once you get into preferring long hair on women, you start to forget that there is a woman under that hair.

Oh, and laundry? Mrs Merlin once stunned her friends with the line of "I married a man who likes ironing" - hey, maybe she prefers men with laundry skills...

Mrs Merlin is a smart woman. And you're a smart man. What about bacon and cheese? :cheese:

[Aurantia]

You see, that's what makes me uncomforable with the question about what 'men prefer': there's an element of objectification to it in which the woman begins to become something rather than someone.

There are a whole load of things I prefer: I prefer my books to still have the dust jackets; I prefer pictures to have nice frames; I prefer my trousers to have belt loops (incidently, referring to the 'english mail' thread that's a list with a colon and semi-colons). But these are things I own and somehow have a right to prefer and prize. I like Mrs Merlin's hair long because she has great hair and long hair suits her, but I don't prefer her to have long hair because she's not one of my possessions. I don't prize her hair because that has a whole raft of ideas about 'showing her off' with which I don't feel comfortable.

It seems to me too that once you get into preferring long hair on women, you start to forget that there is a woman under that hair.

Oh, and laundry? Mrs Merlin once stunned her friends with the line of "I married a man who likes ironing" - hey, maybe she prefers men with laundry skills...

Thank you so much for this contribution, Merlin. :)

I like the Randy Travis take on things:

"They say time takes its toll on a body
Makes a young girl's brown hair turn gray
Honey, I don't care I ain't in love with your hair
And if it all fell out well I'd love you anyway"


When reading the OP's post, I had trouble more with the generalization of 'men prefer' than the word 'prefer' -- I suppose it depends on your interpretation of the connotation -- because I read it as "what do men like?". Blanket statements versus recognizing that individuals are going to be, well individuals, seems to be the harmful approach to me.

But everything you said is an important observation about this thread.


DBF is a laundry aficionado as well, btw. When we were first moving in together and I was readying to do laundry, he was horrified that I was going to take his along to do a load!

His mother, one of the most wonderful women in the world for a million reasons, raised him to do his own laundry from the age of ten on and wouldn't hear of him allowing someone else to take care of it for him. He cooks, cleans, shows respect and never criticizes. But I digress. :crush:

[Arriens]

Is there anything they don't like more than that? :eyebrows:
/jk
Ironing their shirts. :eyebrows:

[IcarusBride]

You know, I've NEVER met a man who liked [told ME he liked] shorter hair better. Most men who've told me their opinion on it either said they like long hair, they like long hair (with the definition of long being "longer than APL"), or they don't care. I've never had any man I know tell me he prefers short hair.

What I find ironic is that GIRLS I know who HAVE super short ("boy short" cuts that a shaver was used to create at least part of the style) hair ALL go on and on about how men LOVE their "spunky, hot, rebelious, unique, individualistic, powerful, confident, independent, s*xy hairstyle" . Usually using at LEAST 3 of those adjectives.


This, said, no I DONT believe that ALL men prefer long hair. I'm certain SOME do like short hair. I just... have absolutely no clue why ^^;;

[KittyLost]

My last boyfriend preferred long hair although he didn't mind mine when I cut it shorter. His best friend however prefers short hair, APL would be as long as he liked however he doesn't like hair as short as pixies.

[kristymarie87]

My man prefers short messy hair on me. But i want it long and im sure he will love that too when it finally gets there!

[cm006j]

[quote=HintOfMint;1119366]I have found that a lot of men who prefer short hair tend to fall outside of the mainstream in some way or conform to certain subcultures. Slam poets, theater, punk...


That hasn't been the case for me, but I only have the one example. He disliked anything "different."

[kristymarie87]

Yeah ma bf is a bit of a rocker lol...doesnt really fall into a catagory but listens to rock, metal, alt and things like that!

[*Helen*]

They prefer long hair.It's more feminine :)

[Lamb]

You see, that's what makes me uncomforable with the question about what 'men prefer': there's an element of objectification to it in which the woman begins to become something rather than someone.

There are a whole load of things I prefer: I prefer my books to still have the dust jackets; I prefer pictures to have nice frames; I prefer my trousers to have belt loops (incidently, referring to the 'english mail' thread that's a list with a colon and semi-colons). But these are things I own and somehow have a right to prefer and prize. I like Mrs Merlin's hair long because she has great hair and long hair suits her, but I don't prefer her to have long hair because she's not one of my possessions. I don't prize her hair because that has a whole raft of ideas about 'showing her off' with which I don't feel comfortable.

It seems to me too that once you get into preferring long hair on women, you start to forget that there is a woman under that hair.

Oh, and laundry? Mrs Merlin once stunned her friends with the line of "I married a man who likes ironing" - hey, maybe she prefers men with laundry skills...

Another vote for this post. Thanks for putting it so well, Merlin. :applause:

[stuntpeople]

Back in the day I was too scared to grow my own, I liked women with long hair so I could vicariously have long hair too. Now that I'm growing my own I could care less.

[florenonite]

They prefer long hair.It's more feminine :)

Feminine by what standards? Until comparatively recently, at least in the West, people of both sexes wore their hair long, and the Nazirites, who were either male or female, took vows not to cut their hair, amongst other things, for a designated period of time. The Merovingian kings of the Franks also wore their hair long, and were always male as under Salic law women cannot inherit the throne.

[Cailie]

Feminine by what standards?



I'd say contemporary north america, for one thing ... But I know it's not the only place where long healthy hair is perceived as an attractive feature for women.

As an example, the vast majority of the 99 top "most desirable women" of 2010, selected by "askmen.com" have long hair. Almost all have BSL or waist length hair and very few have shorter than APL hair. They don't have hair to the floor, but they don't have short hair either.



Also, almost all picture are taken with the hair down.

http://ca.askmen.com/specials/top_99_women/

I'm not surprised at all, is anyone ?




(of course, there are lots of exceptions too. But I tend to think men, usually, appreciate healthy long hair on women)

[GlassEyes]

I think that if you ask this question on a website filled with (mostly) women who have long hair, your answer is going to be beyond biased. :D

[princessp]

I don't think it is true that all men like long hair. I would say most men like long hair, but more importantly almost all straight men just plain like girls regardless of hair length/color/curl etc. :D

[*Helen*]

Feminine by what standards? Until comparatively recently, at least in the West, people of both sexes wore their hair long, and the Nazirites, who were either male or female, took vows not to cut their hair, amongst other things, for a designated period of time. The Merovingian kings of the Franks also wore their hair long, and were always male as under Salic law women cannot inherit the throne.
I agree with Calie.Woman with long hair appear gentel.Almost every female celebrity has long hair.Just remember any fairy tale-all the beautiful princesses had beautiful long hair.I don't say that every man prefers it,but most of them do.:)

[sibiryachka]

I just asked DBF what he thinks the guys he knows prefer. "I know a couple guys who really like it short, but most like a woman to have some length. It doesn't need to be super-long, but past the shoulder at least."
What do you know, for once I seem to have been right about the male psyche! ;) Because that's exactly what I would have thought. My brother-in-law is the only man who I know for sure prefers short hair - which works out nicely, because my sister always keeps hers above shoulder, always has.

[greyTraveler]

At least 1 guy (me) likes hair of many lengths, from very long to pixie. I've even seen women with crew cuts (well ... that's what it was called when I wore it) that looked very attractive.

I'm more envious of those with long hair, but that's a different thing. Do you suppose that's what the pastor meant?

[princessp]

I agree with Calie.Woman with long hair appear gentel.Almost every female celebrity has long hair.Just remember any fairy tale-all the beautiful princesses had beautiful long hair.I don't say that every man prefers it,but most of them do.:)

I really don't want to take this subject too seriously, but these are all constructed conventions that are perpetuated by one's culture. They are at the very core absolutely baseless and meaningless. In other words, we give them meaning (or choose not to). Many of us choose not to give them meaning and so to us the above "definitions" of feminine (or masculine defined by lack) are false.

Personally, I choose not to give them meaning because they are not inclusive of all cultures, genders, etc. and can actually be quite destructive to the growth of the individual (and ultimately the collective). That is not to say I don't love my long hair and pretty dresses, I do, but I'd still love myself and indulge my desires for dresses even if I were another gender. So for instance, if I identified as male, these things would not make me any less male because I had/liked them.

[ladylovecraft]

In my experience, men tend to prefer long hair. That being said, a good portion of my exes were longhairs as well.

I have noticed what someone mentioned earlier, that more "alternative" types of guys tend to prefer shorter hair. But this isn't necessarily the rule, because I know a guy who most would consider "alternative" and his girlfriend who had long, gorgeous, glorious hair recently cut hers into a shortish death hawk. He's still mourning the loss of her hair months later. :P

[MissMandyElizab]

I know themen in my life get all moody when i joke about cuttin it off an start taking about my hair being my glory!

[florenonite]

I really don't want to take this subject too seriously, but these are all constructed conventions that are perpetuated by one's culture. They are at the very core absolutely baseless and meaningless. In other words, we give them meaning (or choose not to). Many of us choose not to give them meaning and so to us the above "definitions" of feminine (or masculine defined by lack) are false.

Personally, I choose not to give them meaning because they are not inclusive of all cultures, genders, etc. and can actually be quite destructive to the growth of the individual (and ultimately the collective). That is not to say I don't love my long hair and pretty dresses, I do, but I'd still love myself and indulge my desires for dresses even if I were another gender. So for instance, if I identified as male, these things would not make me any less male because I had/liked them.

Thank you, you said this much better than I could have!

Your post also reminded me of something my cousin's wife mentioned. She had a lecturer when she was at uni who used to wear dresses, even though he was a man. Normally these were fairly plain, and in a country where men wear "skirts" (I know kilts aren't really skirts, but it's a subtle differentiation), didn't draw too much attention, but when she was back home at Christmas she ran into him wearing a flowery and very "feminine" dress. I think it's great that he wears what he wants, not what he's expected to.

[PiroskaCicu]

While there are some men who adore short hair, usually they love long hair even better!:)

My DBF loves my hair longer and is excited to see my hair as it grows even longer :)

[Aby23]

Most men I know complement me when I have long hair. I thought for a long time that my current BF was neutral, which was great when I was considering chopping it, but recently he's stated that he's starting to really like it long & wants me to keep it. For him though, it might be an attraction to 'extremes.' Mine is just barely waist length which isn't really extreme, although it is unusual. His last serious GF had crew cut when he met her which he also liked, so who knows!

[Cailie]

I really don't want to take this subject too seriously, but these are all constructed conventions that are perpetuated by one's culture. They are at the very core absolutely baseless and meaningless. In other words, we give them meaning (or choose not to). Many of us choose not to give them meaning and so to us the above "definitions" of feminine (or masculine defined by lack) are false.

Personally, I choose not to give them meaning because they are not inclusive of all cultures, genders, etc. and can actually be quite destructive to the growth of the individual (and ultimately the collective). That is not to say I don't love my long hair and pretty dresses, I do, but I'd still love myself and indulge my desires for dresses even if I were another gender. So for instance, if I identified as male, these things would not make me any less male because I had/liked them.

I agree with you, it's all a question of constructed conventions and interpretations of reality.

People as individuals, and as groups / subgroups, etc. give meaning to things, symbols, etc. (including hair) I find this rather interesting.

And I think it's interesting to see how long hair has been constructed into a (often) desirable feminine feature

[JenniferNoel]

Most men I've known have dated woman with below-the-shoulders hair. I think, from experience, that most men would find hair in the shoulder-to-waist range to be the most attractive.
With the amount of bobs, buzzes, and pixies in mainstream culture, I think guys are starting to get used to it. *shriek*
Really though, woman can look absolutely gorgeous with short hair, and even men who prefer long hair can have their exceptions.
Bottom line, I think more than half of men definitely prefer hair below the shoulders.

[Jordan S.]

I think most guys like brastrap length more than bobs and stuff but many that I know off cut it off at hip.

[Sunsailing]

Most men do prefer longer hair. Very few prefer short hair on a lady.

Of course, I've always preferred longer hair on women. But my wife had buzzed sides and back when we met. I was attracted to HER, not her hair.

But here is a good point....I'm sure I never would've noticed her with her short hair. It was only due to the situation that I got to know HER with the short cut.

After we were engaged and she found out that I loved long hair, she decided to grow it longer for our wedding. She never had the determination prior to go through the process of growing out her curls. Now she loves her longer curls (and so do I).

I may not be in the majority, but one of the first things I notice on a woman is her hair. (Second are her eyes :rolleyes:) My wife's beautiful eyes are what physically attracted me at first (and was the first thing I complimented her on....on our first date many years ago...)

[beachlover]

I think most men do prefer long hair, at least from my experience..

[TXbarbie]

I may be biased, but I think that men like long hair more. I think it's a sign of youth, health, etc. etc.

My boyfriend likes my long hair but doesn't want it to get "too long" - aka down to my butt or anything. As long as I continue to highlight and straighten it, he probably won't have to be worried :D

[Dreams_in_Pink]

I never heard a guy saying they like long hair, but when i go out with my extensions, all eyes are on myself. No matter how perfect my APL hair looks, it never gets half the attention.

[florenonite]

One thing I've noticed here is that a lot of people comment on observations of men's girlfriends, but consider this:

Hair is only a single part of the entirety of a person, and there are more important elements to the person, like personality and character, that influence a relationship. For instance, someone might conclude from my boyfriend that I'm attracted to larger men. In fact, generally-speaking, I go for skinny guys, and it's my boyfriend's wonderful personality that encouraged me to 'deviate' from what I tend to find attractive in my choice of partner.

Obviously, this isn't to say that none of the guys with long-haired partners find long hair more attractive, but it is something to bear in mind, especially as hair longer than shoulder-length or so is, at least in my experience, more common on young women.

[goldielocs]

My husband and grandfather do, but it's up to the man. Evenso, I have to admit that I've never heard a man say they like short hair.;)

[Ludde]

My husband not only likes but actually prefers short hair.

[rockkcor]

Longer the better - both on me and on my partner.
So ladies - I like long hair way much better!

[Holly9192]

I've had a friend say he likes girls with long hair because it shows their commitment level. He's kind of strange though...lol

[naereid]

I've had a friend say he likes girls with long hair because it shows their commitment level. He's kind of strange though...lol
:laugh: I've heard that kind of reasoning about men who have dogs, but you could indeed say that the relationship between LHCers and hair is kinda like the relationship between owners and pets. :p

[pennylane]

To tell you the truth i really don't know if all men like long hair .... what i can tell you is that if the man i love or adore or anything like that (he-he) likes long hair, well then .... long hair it is for me :D ------ ( long for me means BSL)

[didrash]

My father definitely prefers short hair on women, and I mean bob. My mother kept her hair bobbed for him, he likes me better with short hair, he likes short hair on his favorite actress, so its definite short hair for him :). But I admit he is the only one so definite about it. Most guys I know prefer long, and some don't care either way.

[Arriens]

Hair is only a single part of the entirety of a person, and there are more important elements to the person, like personality and character, that influence a relationship.
True but unlike character and personality, long hair will be noticed immediatly and the rest not this fast.

A flashy hotrod will be noticed a lot quicker then your default looking car with a souped up engine. ;)

[HintOfMint]

Forgive me if this has already been addressed, but I did not feel like making the great schlep through 37 pages of comments.

I think the real question is whether or not short hair is a deal breaker for a sizable portion of men, and even then that question comes down to "how short is too short." A bob does not have the potential androgynous look of a pixie cut. I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of straight men do not consider short hair (at various lengths above shoulder) to be a deal breaker.
Sure men may prefer long hair in the sense that they like it and find it attractive. However, men also like a 36-24-36 figure, but the vast majority aren't getting their boxer briefs in a bunch over not having these women. They aren't bitterly making love to their less than perfect wives and girlfriends. They fantasize about and deeply enjoy women who are not the ideal, every single day.
On another note, they seem to be perfectly enamored with us even when we wear bug-eyed sunglasses and shirts that make us look pregnant.
Bottom line: most men prefer long hair. So?

[bumblebums]

Forgive me if this has already been addressed, but I did not feel like making the great schlep through 37 pages of comments.

I think the real question is whether or not short hair is a deal breaker for a sizable portion of men, and even then that question comes down to "how short is too short." A bob does not have the potential androgynous look of a pixie cut. I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of straight men do not consider short hair (at various lengths above shoulder) to be a deal breaker.
Sure men may prefer long hair in the sense that they like it and find it attractive. However, men also like a 36-24-36 figure, but the vast majority aren't getting their boxer briefs in a bunch over not having these women. They aren't bitterly making love to their less than perfect wives and girlfriends. They fantasize about and deeply enjoy women who are not the ideal, every single day.
On another note, they seem to be perfectly enamored with us even when we wear bug-eyed sunglasses and shirts that make us look pregnant.
Bottom line: most men prefer long hair. So?

Excellent, I completely agree that this is really the way to look at this. And thanks for giving me a laugh with that line about sunglasses and shirts :)

[pepperedmoth]

Well, of course it depends on the man!

My husband, and all the men I dated before I met him, have loved my long hair. Of course, there's a lot of sample bias there- if they loathed long hair, they wouldn't have been as eager to be with me, would they?

I have many short-haired female friends who have no problem finding dates, mates, what have you.

[Evie]

You see, that's what makes me uncomforable with the question about what 'men prefer': there's an element of objectification to it in which the woman begins to become something rather than someone.

There are a whole load of things I prefer: I prefer my books to still have the dust jackets; I prefer pictures to have nice frames; I prefer my trousers to have belt loops (incidently, referring to the 'english mail' thread that's a list with a colon and semi-colons). But these are things I own and somehow have a right to prefer and prize. I like Mrs Merlin's hair long because she has great hair and long hair suits her, but I don't prefer her to have long hair because she's not one of my possessions. I don't prize her hair because that has a whole raft of ideas about 'showing her off' with which I don't feel comfortable.

It seems to me too that once you get into preferring long hair on women, you start to forget that there is a woman under that hair.

Oh, and laundry? Mrs Merlin once stunned her friends with the line of "I married a man who likes ironing" - hey, maybe she prefers men with laundry skills...

Ah, Merlin these are wise words!! I couldn't agree more with your thinking on this :)

It is interesting though, when I cut my hair short, and indeed dyed it dark from being quite blonde and wavy, I got a lot more compliments, from all sorts of people - men who were flirting, my friends (both male and female) etc etc. It never seemed to make a difference in how I was treated, or the level of attention I got?

[May]

From what I've seen and researched guys like shiny, healthy looking hair over long or short hair IMHO. I also think *most* guys (and people for that matter) prefer BSL hair over really short or really long.

[Holly9192]

:laugh: I've heard that kind of reasoning about men who have dogs, but you could indeed say that the relationship between LHCers and hair is kinda like the relationship between owners and pets. :p

Haha, Deffinately.:D

[Holly9192]

Forgive me if this has already been addressed, but I did not feel like making the great schlep through 37 pages of comments.

I think the real question is whether or not short hair is a deal breaker for a sizable portion of men, and even then that question comes down to "how short is too short." A bob does not have the potential androgynous look of a pixie cut. I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of straight men do not consider short hair (at various lengths above shoulder) to be a deal breaker.
Sure men may prefer long hair in the sense that they like it and find it attractive. However, men also like a 36-24-36 figure, but the vast majority aren't getting their boxer briefs in a bunch over not having these women. They aren't bitterly making love to their less than perfect wives and girlfriends. They fantasize about and deeply enjoy women who are not the ideal, every single day.
On another note, they seem to be perfectly enamored with us even when we wear bug-eyed sunglasses and shirts that make us look pregnant.
Bottom line: most men prefer long hair. So?

Its true...men just like women, practically no matter what lol. :shrug:

[McFearless]

In general most men like long hair much better than short. Of course along with everything else there are exceptions.

[mglmdvd]

I'm amazed that women even ask this question. I'd say about 99% of men love long hair on women and greatly prefer it

[PF Graham]

Okay, this is going to sound a bit strange, so brace yourselves . . .

I think our hair and our inner strength and self-confidence, to a large degree, are intertwined. So if long hair makes us feel more confident and attractive, we will certainly be more attractive. So maybe it isn't just how we appear on the surface but the inner glow that long-haired women exude that is the greatest appeal.



Being a man that is and has always been attracted to women with long hair, this seems to sum it up for me.

There is just something about a women with long hair that tells me she has patience, confidence and strength of conviction.

I've dated women with long, shot and everything in between and I can say, with conviction of spirit, long and health is more sexy and appealing to me then short hair.

Putting aside the sexual power long hair has over men for a second, if you consider the women who have taken the time to let it grow, appear to me to know that good things come to those who wait.

To be fair, I have a good friend that HATES women with long hair. We'll call him "Neal" (because that's his name). He prefers women that have some "poof" in it. No, really, that's what he says - "poof"

Knowing "Neal's" wife, I sorta' see what he's talking about - doesn't do much for me but I guess I know what "poof" means.....

[Jezzie]

So I just asked my fiance if he likes long hair better, his response ...
"yeah, mostly short hair doesn't suit women, some women short hair suits them better but 98% of the time long hair is better"

I followed this with ...
Me: "would you be concerned if I said I was going to get it all chopped off??"
Him : "depends on how short"
Me: "short short"
Him : "no shorter than shoulder length!"

Hehe there's one man's opinion

[Cupofmilk]

Iwould think that long hair is attractive - but by long I mean APL- waist - hip. I think once you get into the terrirtory of super-long hair - tailbone - floor - some men (I can name several) dont' find this an added bonus over say waist length and some even find superlong hair a turn-off. Likewose some men dont' like short hair on women. Having said that - when I was tb and wore my hair down - men would come up to me and ask if they could touch and smell my hair - these are men that know my husband. That's a bit weird and I can only assume they liked it.
So to answer I think the length that would appeal to the most men would be somewhere between APL and waist at a guess.

[Merlin]

I'm amazed that women even ask this question. I'd say about 99% of men love long hair on women and greatly prefer it

But if that's the case, why are there so many young women with short hair who have no problems pulling whatsover?

[Belisarius]

But if that's the case, why are there so many young women with short hair who have no problems pulling whatsover?
Because young men are horny?

[Arriens]

Because young men are horny?
:p As a rather young man (25) I can only say yes. But I prefer to say that people who haven't done a thing lately set lower standers and that includes going home with ladies way below there normal standards. Especially at the end of the evening with a drink or 2 too many in them.






Long hair is just another beaty asset, just like good looking chest, face, eyes and buttocks.;)

[Merlin]

But I prefer to say that people who haven't done a thing lately set lower standers and that includes going home with ladies way below there normal standards. Especially at the end of the evening with a drink or 2 too many in them.

Okaaaaay....

Well, my wife had short hair the day I met her, and indeed through all our early dates. Nice to hear that somehow I was "lowering my standards" on the day when I met the woman I've been with for the last quarter century :confused:

Oh, I was stone cold sober at the time too, so it can't just be that I was drunk and confused!

[freckles]

Generally the men I've met *seem* to prefer longer hair (longer being APL-BSL, not really superlong lengths) but it's hard to tell how much of that is innate and how much is because that's the current standard of beauty mostly promoted around us. I have at least one close male heterosexual friend who strongly prefers short hair, though, and I've met very few people (of any gender) whose 'preference' for one length or the other was that important in attraction.

[florenonite]

:p As a rather young man (25) I can only say yes. But I prefer to say that people who haven't done a thing lately set lower standers and that includes going home with ladies way below there normal standards. Especially at the end of the evening with a drink or 2 too many in them.

Long hair is just another beaty asset, just like good looking chest, face, eyes and buttocks.;)

Standards? I see you're not from an English-speaking country, so perhaps it is an unintentional error (though isn't English really common in the Netherlands in broadcasting and the like?), but I think the idea of men having beauty 'standards' is very derogatory to both men and women. It suggests that men are shallow and women are valuable only in terms of appearance. Sure, men (and women) might have certain physical traits they like to see in a partner, and long hair might be one of them. I don't know any who would consider them to be standards, though, as that implies that a prospective partner is somehow inferior if they don't have them, which isn't true.

[PF Graham]

Standards? I see you're not from an English-speaking country, so perhaps it is an unintentional error (though isn't English really common in the Netherlands in broadcasting and the like?), but I think the idea of men having beauty 'standards' is very derogatory to both men and women. It suggests that men are shallow and women are valuable only in terms of appearance. Sure, men (and women) might have certain physical traits they like to see in a partner, and long hair might be one of them. I don't know any who would consider them to be standards, though, as that implies that a prospective partner is somehow inferior if they don't have them, which isn't true.


Prefer
Desire
Admire
Favor
Fancy
Select
Pick
Admire
Yearn
Crave
Predilection
Lust
Hanker
Thirst
Pine


All above have a more sexual connotation but all come down to one thing - wanting to be with someone with long hair.

When I think of "standard" I think of hygiene or the SATs.

Human desire and it's mysterious and fickle nature is what makes being around everybody bearable.

Thank whatever god you pray to for our differences.

[Merlin]

..... - wanting to be with someone with long hair..

This comes back to what I was saying earlier, it's about the hair, not the person under it I'm afraid.

[Belisarius]

Standards? I see you're not from an English-speaking country, so perhaps it is an unintentional error (though isn't English really common in the Netherlands in broadcasting and the like?), but I think the idea of men having beauty 'standards' is very derogatory to both men and women. It suggests that men are shallow and women are valuable only in terms of appearance. Sure, men (and women) might have certain physical traits they like to see in a partner, and long hair might be one of them. I don't know any who would consider them to be standards, though, as that implies that a prospective partner is somehow inferior if they don't have them, which isn't true.
I don't think he means it as rigid standards as in officially defined ones. But as the "standards" that young men think they set for their prospective girlfriends. I.o.w. as fluid as can be.

[florenonite]

Prefer
Desire
Admire
Favor
Fancy
Select
Pick
Admire
Yearn
Crave
Predilection
Lust
Hanker
Thirst
Pine
All above have a more sexual connotation but all come down to one thing - wanting to be with someone with long hair.

When I think of "standard" I think of hygiene or the SATs.

Human desire and it's mysterious and fickle nature is what makes being around everybody bearable.

Thank whatever god you pray to for our differences.

OK, I'm confused. Your tone suggests you disagree with me, but you seem to agree that standards and all those other things are two different things (don't you just love internet communication? ;)).

I'm not going to deny that appearance plays a role in mate selection, because it does, it just isn't the only thing, and I don't think it's fixed. Sure, everyone wants to be with someone they find attractive, but how many people would turn down a beautiful, intelligent, witty woman (or man, for that matter) just because she doesn't have long hair? Yeah, long hair's nice, and maybe you (general you) find it really attractive, but everything in moderation, y'know?


I don't think he means it as rigid standards as in officially defined ones. But as the "standards" that young men think they set for their prospective girlfriends. I.o.w. as fluid as can be.

That's what I was addressing. I don't think 'standards' is the right term, at least not when talking about appearance, because by being a standard it implies that it must be met, and therefore I don't think setting standards based on appearance is the way forward for a happy relationship. Sure, you're going to consider appearance when considering prospective partners, but there's a difference between "she seems really great, but she's not got long hair" and "she's got lovely hair and is absolutely beautiful, but she's kind of irritating", KWIM? The former girl doesn't meet the "standard" of long hair, but the latter does; I don't know any guys who would pick the latter, though.

[PF Graham]

Standards? I see you're not from an English-speaking country, so perhaps it is an unintentional error (though isn't English really common in the Netherlands in broadcasting and the like?), but I think the idea of men having beauty 'standards' is very derogatory to both men and women. It suggests that men are shallow and women are valuable only in terms of appearance. Sure, men (and women) might have certain physical traits they like to see in a partner, and long hair might be one of them. I don't know any who would consider them to be standards, though, as that implies that a prospective partner is somehow inferior if they don't have them, which isn't true.


OK, I'm confused. Your tone suggests you disagree with me, but you seem to agree that standards and all those other things are two different things (don't you just love internet communication? ;)).

I'm not going to deny that appearance plays a role in mate selection, because it does, it just isn't the only thing, and I don't think it's fixed. Sure, everyone wants to be with someone they find attractive, but how many people would turn down a beautiful, intelligent, witty woman (or man, for that matter) just because she doesn't have long hair? Yeah, long hair's nice, and maybe you (general you) find it really attractive, but everything in moderation, y'know?



That's what I was addressing. I don't think 'standards' is the right term, at least not when talking about appearance, because by being a standard it implies that it must be met, and therefore I don't think setting standards based on appearance is the way forward for a happy relationship. Sure, you're going to consider appearance when considering prospective partners, but there's a difference between "she seems really great, but she's not got long hair" and "she's got lovely hair and is absolutely beautiful, but she's kind of irritating", KWIM? The former girl doesn't meet the "standard" of long hair, but the latter does; I don't know any guys who would pick the latter, though.

OK, I've had some to time to go out, get some Du Pars' heroin laced pancakes into my stomach and think about this. florenonite is of course correct and so is everybody else on this tread - beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

To me, the original intent of this tread was "Do men like long hair better?" and I think the consensus from the obviously skewed point of view of this site is "Yes indeed, in general, men are more attracted to women with long hair".


Not a stretch really.

All that being said, I've gone out with women that I was initialy very attracted to that had beautiful long hair and it didn't work out for all the normal reasons relationships sometimes end.

The long hair was the initial attractor but, it's always what's inside that builds a lasting relationship.

Now if you'll all excuse me, I have a craving for a Hallmark Movie of the Week - does anybody have extra tissues I could use....

[angelperception]

Agreed- I've been both- long and short. Though I get many compliments (yes, from men too) when my hair is short, I think in general, long wins.

[Olivia23]

Wow are people really arguing about long hair or short hair on here?

I know a few men I work with seem to prefer long hair and if I take mine down at work to fix my bun or whatever, I notice them staring, but thats only a few. The majority of the males at my work do not care either way.

[MiamiPineapple]

My boyfriend has always said he prefers long hair. I have had long and short and I think long is much sexier!

[xoerincolleen]

Well, my dad likes short hair. He's told both my mom and I that short hair just looks better. My mom has short hair, but mine is about 27" right now, and I'm not getting a cut anytime soon.
However, one of the first compliments that I get from guys is on my hair, which leads me to believe that most guys like longer hair. Once, I was sitting with a boy, and out of nowhere he just touched my hair and said "It's just so long..." hahaha. It's really not, but to a guy with hair that's like less than 2" long, I guess it is!
Maybe that's why men seem to like long hair better- most of them have short hair, so it's different than what they have and therefore very attractive to them! (Same concept as boobs! They're not that exciting, but guys don't have them, so they like them!)

[hina87]

My dad likes long hair on my mom, but she never had short hair in the first place. With me-I had waist length hair before I cut it short to below my neck length..my dad was pretty upset about it..(well, my mom was upset abt. it too but I don't know):rolleyes:

[CurlyCreature]

My SO prefers shorter styles, and so does my brother... From my experience younger/trendier/nerdy guys like cute/punky/pixie cuts and the like, and more traditional, older, maybe even religious men (definitely middle eastern men) can't get enough of long hair. I know a turkish man who was close to tears when I cut all mine off.

The of course those are those guys (like my dad) who dont care or notice... took him 2 weeks to mention when my mum went from black hair to blond!!!

[pennyroyal]

My DH actually prefers me with short hair. He doesn't not like me with longer hair but he prefers it when it's short. He is supportive of me growing it out tho & i think that now that i take care of it & am planning to do lots of fun & beautiful updos with it when it gets long enough he will love me having long hair.

[free_hug]

I got way too much opinion on what should I do with my hair. Yes, my pixie was not girlie enough for some, and _yes_ my flip is getting a bit too long for some.

(Also, awfulest dilemma. I want it long. Current favourite definitely prefers short. Okay, we all know the answer, but still, it is some sort of a dilemma.)

[FoxRain]

It's different from man to man (just like with women). There are guys that prefer bald (like the guy that made Star Trek).
But I think most guys like it long. Keep in mind that shoulder is long to most guys though:rolleyes:
I once heard a guy say that even girls that looked good with short hair (Halle Berry was mentioned), would always look better with long hair.

[Firefox7275]

I got way too much opinion on what should I do with my hair. Yes, my pixie was not girlie enough for some, and _yes_ my flip is getting a bit too long for some.

(Also, awfulest dilemma. I want it long. Current favourite definitely prefers short. Okay, we all know the answer, but still, it is some sort of a dilemma.)

Hair is for life, a man is just for Christmas. ;)

[free_hug]

Hair is for life, a man is just for Christmas. ;)

I told ya you knew the answer :D

[elbow chic]

Women spend too much of their lives obsessed with pleasing "men." Not just one man, and not even five favorites. But "Men" as a monolith, a class.

It would be shamefully stupid, if it weren't brainwashed into us from birth.

[jimmypopp]

Yes yes yes yes

[okiesarah]

All my boyfriends have liked the long hair. Once a guy told me that when a girl chops her hair off in a relationship it means she's settled or gotten comfortable or some such and if the guy isn't comfortable too it's scary. :rolleyes: He has huge commitment issues though.

[fluffypuffy]

Every guy I've ever known (boyfriends, buddies, and family) have all told me they prefer long hair.

[florenonite]

Women spend too much of their lives obsessed with pleasing "men." Not just one man, and not even five favorites. But "Men" as a monolith, a class.

It would be shamefully stupid, if it weren't brainwashed into us from birth.

This is so true.

[baaaad_kitty]

The guys I do know like long hair better, it's "more feminine" according to them. But there are also guys who see a girl with short hair and think hey, this chick's rockin' the hair.

[pepperminttea]

Psst... does it matter? It's on your head. ;)

[Siiri]

First of all, I don't think most men really care as much about our hair/clothes/size of feet as we imagine. I know men who prefer women with short hair, and some who like it longer. One said that long hair looks too formal, and short haired women look more lively. I have asked my fiance, he likes both short and long hair on me. It's not a specific body part that makes a person look good, it's the whole package.

[Venefica]

I do not think that any statement is true for all people, and there is certainly girls who look better with short hair and I am sure men will notice that to. However all men I have ever asked prefer long hair. Once I subbed for a man, and when I came for a session with jaw length hair after having had below shoulders he was not pleased about it even if he said he enjoyed the color on me. I think that most men I have met think long hair look feminine. In addition there are instincts in all of this, we have an instinct to find a healthy partner to bring forth strong offspring, long, shiny hair is a sign that the woman is healthy, who without knowing why many are attracted to that.

[Mesmerise]

I think men all have different tastes (well duh...) and while some love long hair, some prefer it short, or medium length (I guess what some other folks outside LHC would call long hehe).

I also think that it's the woman that counts more than the hair!! If a guy loves you, he's not gonna care what hair you've got (well he may care, but he won't dump you because you've done the big chop).

My husband doesn't seem to care at all. Although once he said he'd like me with a spiral perm :eek:!!! Soooo errm... that's never gonna happen anyway LOL. I've had long hair and short hair throughout our marriage, and he's never once said "oh I don't like your hair that short, you should grow it" (possibly because he knows I will anyway :D).

[Venefica]

I just noticed the section about beauty standards further down this thread and I just have to comment on it. My hubby prefer me with long hair, he think my long hair looks pretty. But if I shaved by head bald he would still love me as he sees my inner beauty. I am overweight and the only thing he care about with that is my health. He is not lowering his standards, first of all his standards is all about intelligence and morality, those are the standards he will not lower, an appearance he enjoys is a bonus for him, and besides he tells me that because he loves me in his eyes I am the most beautiful woman in the world, and would be no matter how I look. My husband to be is a good man, and good men enjoy a pretty woman, but it is what is inside of her soul which really set the standards for them.

[Izae]

I like MY hair long :)
As for other's, I always like it when someone else has long hair, I just feel an instant respect for anyone who has long, beautiful hair.
I used to not really care, but since joining the LHC, this is the way I've begun to see it.
That's not to say I don't like short hair though.

[Nae]

Depends on the man. :shrug:

[Paladin]

I definitely like long hair better. Super short hair (like Hally Berry style or how Nia Long had it in the move "Friday") is a big turnoff.

The vast majority of guys prefer it too from what I've seen over the years.

But a lot of women don't like long hair on Men, so I guess that makes us even! :cheese:

[Chetanlaiho]

From my experience most guys I've met prefer longer hair (though I think they'd draw the line at some of the awesome extreme lengths some people here have ;)) but I've had people tell me that long hair looks better on me so maybe it depends on the girl's features?

[Fingolphin]

I generally think it's a bad idea to say anyone "always" is this or that way, because, inevitably, there are "always" exceptions. :D

[Venefica]

But a lot of women don't like long hair on Men, so I guess that makes us even!

How could anyone not love long hair on men? The only time long hair do not look good on men is if their hair is thinning so they have nothing on top of their head then it looks strange. But as long as the man have a full head of hair, give me length hum...umm. Incidently my favorite Ken doll as a little girl was a Indian ken who had long black hair and a Mohawk, I thought he was the most handsome of them all. Now when I see long hair on a man I just have to sneak another peek at him.

[Wheatland]

My boyfriend prefers short hair.

I think most men prefer it long... But honestly I don't care what men prefer. I do what I prefer. I wouldn't want to be with a guy that stopped thinking I was beautiful or stopped loving/liking me if I decided to cut my hair short.

[nighthawk]

I will say that I get more compliments from men when I have long hair. That being said, I think ALL people prefer a hair style and length that "fits" the person. I love men with long hair but it doesn't look good on all men, just as long hair doesn't look good on all women.

[RedheadMistress]

- I know several men who prefer short, they think it looks better and some of them prefer it because long is much more of hassle, if the person sleeps with hair open, there's hair everywhere, in their face etc.

Idk what my partners prefer, think the one I live with prefers shorter, or atleast that i braid it when I sleep so he doesnt get it in his face :P

[Kristamommyx3]

I think most men find long healthy hair to be feminine and a sign of health and fertility, at least subconsiously. However, I 'm sure that any woman rocking an awesome short do with confidence and swagger turns just as many heads!

[louisemg82]

I know a few men who prefer shorter hair on women. My husband likes it longer but him and his entire family (men and women) all seem to have a limit where they would say 'too long'. In general though, I find it's women who tend to pressure other women to cut their hair - threatened by such a display of health and sexiness maybe?
I don't really care though. Anyone who doesn't like it long can kiss my swingers, I'll grow my hair as long as I want. :p

[Biedronka]

My male relatives thinks my long hair is pretty,and my boyfriend likes it a lot as well.I've also had comments from much older than me males (teachers/musicians) whom I knew that my hair is pretty and/or 'cool' when down (in a totally friendly,casual, non-hitting-on-you way)
Only once there were two freshman boys in my highschool who stared at it and threw snide comments about me being a ''goth'' -in a very rude tone,i must say-.Immature little things.
I assume men do like long hair,but i think a short style could be pretty enough to grasp one's attention.It all comes down to personal preferences.Well I like my hair long,and I'll keep it that way no matter what anyone thinks,be it man or woman.

[HuggyBear]

I think men in general prefer longer hair on females because maybe they associate it with being more feminine. I don't think most of the men in my family really care. My mom has short hair and all the women my brother has dated/married have had super short hair. Never heard them really talk about women's hair length. However, my SO does and always has preferred long hair on me. He is the one who convinced me to grow it long and stop with the hair dye. I'm glad he did because I love my hair now. :)

[leslissocool]

Do men like long hair better? I think so, if you look at a penthouse magazine or a playboy most girls have at least BSL length and wear extensions. That must be there for a reason I think.

My husband is in love with my hair, and in the past I have noticed that when I cut my hair off to ear's length I stopped getting men's attention dramatically (It was the only thing that changed).

Do women like short hair better on men? I don't think so. I like long hair, and most my friends do. If you see a lot of movies, longer hair actors are usually tanned or wearing leather jackets and are classified as the hot "bad" boy.

I think each have their own taste, some like it long and some like it short. In LHC we definitively like it LONG!

[McFearless]

I definitely like long hair better. Super short hair (like Hally Berry style or how Nia Long had it in the move "Friday") is a big turnoff.

Lol how can anything about Halle Berry's looks be a turn off

[McFearless]

I don't understand this whole "long hair is a sign of fertility and health". What? There are people with long hair who have numerous health issues and the inability to have children. There are short haired women in perfect health.

[Lianna]

But a lot of women don't like long hair on Men, so I guess that makes us even! :cheese:

Like keeping hair short is as much trouble as the process of growing. I think it's quite stressful to grow it/keep it long and damage free, you can't abuse it, do whatever you want with it, sometimes it's very hot and unconfortable (I already wear it up 90&#37; of the time)....so yeah, not "even".

[telegraph64]

My husband and his twin brother love long hair but are not strict with their preferences, such sweeties. And I do believe most men do like long hair, as it adds the vibration of youth and sensuality to femininity, and as hubby always says, it's princessy !! I love princess stories and secretly think I am one. ;);)

[Paranda Belle]

Most of the men I've met prefer longer hair. But most of them don't know that I have it as it's up most of the time.

[principessa1984]

It has been my experience that they do prefer long...definitely

[fluffybunny]

Seems pretty silly that anyone would make a statement about "all men". How in the world could anyone be so ignorant of human variation?

[oktobergoud]

I think most men prefer it long... But honestly I don't care what men prefer. I do what I prefer. I wouldn't want to be with a guy that stopped thinking I was beautiful or stopped loving/liking me if I decided to cut my hair short.

This exactly!! :)

Plus there are soooo many different kinds of hair: long, short, thick, thin, curly, straight, blonde, brown, red, pink, blue, rainbow colored.. well, I could go on! I think everybody has their own preferences and it's hard to say how men in general like hair on a woman. I think it differs from person to person.. Like I have my own preferences for hair on man, definitely. But in the end it's the whole charisma of the man itself that makes me like him (and his hair ;)) or not :) So in the end, it's more about the whole package, I think, that attracts men and women :)

[Paladin]

Lol how can anything about Halle Berry's looks be a turn off

I just don't find short short haircuts on women appealing... don't know what else to tell ya. It's a matter of personal taste, and my tastes tell me she looks way better with long hair.



Like keeping hair short is as much trouble as the process of growing. I think it's quite stressful to grow it/keep it long and damage free, you can't abuse it, do whatever you want with it, sometimes it's very hot and unconfortable (I already wear it up 90% of the time)....so yeah, not "even".


We're talking about preference in this thread, not effort in upkeep.

[Mesmerise]

I know guys who like long hair, and guys who like short hair, and guys who really don't express any preference one way or another.

Ultimately, I think if you find a person attractive, then it doesn't matter what their hair is like!

In general I prefer short hair on men BUT I've certainly been attracted to guys with long hair, because it's the man NOT his hair I'm attracted to!

[dulce]

my 65 year old hubbie does-and lucky for me, he prefers natural long gray hair instead of dyed on older women-

[Eden75]

Most men I know prefer longer hair on women. I have run the gauntlet from knee length to pixie and only had one prefer it in the pixie. All of them told me that I could wear the short short hair, but only one actually has told me that he prefers my hair short. (The knee length just got a lot of stares and people wanting to touch it.)

I personally think that preference to hair length depends on the culture you live in and lifestyle which you live. I have no preference on mens hair length, I just like men :) Short hair, long hair, in-between hair, no hair, I don't care. There are some guys that I prefer with the short short cuts (Henry Cavill, Season 1 of The Tudors) and some I prefer with long (Brad Pitt - Legends of the Fall era).

[copkiller]

I can almost assure you that not only men but most people notice long, healthy hair and therefore find it more appealing. I'm speaking from experience! I've always had short/shoulder length hair but recently I got myself hair extensions. I noticed the difference right away when it came to boys that is, with longer hair I got more attention and guys were more keen on approaching me. :)

[SirFS]

I can almost assure you that not only men but most people notice long, healthy hair and therefore find it more appealing.

I can confirm that.

[PianoPlaye]

I'm with littlemiss and others - my husband loves it long, and his is the only other opinion that counts. ;)

[racrane]

My boyfriend has a limit - past hip is too long to him, but he's excited to see what my hair will look like long as he met me with shoulder length. He told me as long as it was pretty and I was happy, he was happy, but I know he likes long hair.

[Cocoa_Crema]

My boyfriend seems to like long hair better, and I think most guys are attracted to it. Probably because when they were little all the princesses in T.V and games had long hair....so it is kind of trained into them. ;)

[Lianna]

We're talking about preference in this thread, not effort in upkeep.

Aren't you sensitive.

[liliala]

I guess it's mostly about femininity, not the hair. Long hair helps you look more feminine. But there are some women who can look way more feminine and attractive with shorter hair.
In my case, man seem to percieve me as a boy when I cut my hair short :D

[Freki]

In my personal experience, most of the men I've been friends with who actually had a hair preference... preferred short hair on women. And unfortunately, my husband prefers very short hair on women. But he loves me anyway. :)

[Raekwon]

i'm a man and i prefer women with longer hair

[lw8666]

My boyfriend enjoys long hair. When he sees pictures of me with my old waist length hair, he is speechless, then says, "wow, grow your hair like that!!" (yeahh, not possible.... for a long, long, long time)

[Paladin]

Aren't you sensitive.

Says the girl who misread my post and got all snobby in her original reply to me... lol.

[Bellatrix]

I think most men are conditioned to find long hair more attractive (beauty standards and all that), but there is always individual variation.

[Lianna]

Says the girl who misread my post and got all snobby in her original reply to me... lol.

I don't see how you think I'm snobby. I just pointed out that your "even" remark wasn't accurate. You just sound like: "I want long hair on my women and don't care how much effort it needs."

[Paladin]

I don't see how you think I'm snobby. I just pointed out that your "even" remark wasn't accurate. You just sound like: "I want long hair on my women and don't care how much effort it needs."

You said:

"Like keeping hair short is as much trouble as the process of growing."

Then you said:

"so yeah, not "even"."

All because I said:

"But a lot of women don't like long hair on Men, so I guess that makes us even!"


Sure sounds snobby to me. I was saying that most guys like long hair on girls and most girls like short hair on guys so it evens out, but you misunderstood and made it into something completely different from what it was.

"Like, fer sure, like what-EVER." That's how you sound. And that sounds snobby.

You make me laugh though! :cheese:

[faerielady]

:trainwreck:

[Paladin]

:trainwreck:


Yep pretty much... sorry about that guys. Now back to your regularly scheduled thread! :cool:

[owlathena]

I think this is what I had in mind in my earlier post:


"First, be wary of women with long hair. One of the most unexpected things I discovered was that men nearly always cheat with women who have longer hair than their wives."


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1288748/What-EVERY-woman-needs-know-men-cheat--man-spent-years-talking-hundreds-unfaithful-husbands.html


ETA: I meant to put this in the "do long haired men like women with long hair" thread. Thats where I mentioned the article earlier today. whoopsie. Its relevant though so I might as well leave it here and go post it over there too.

[jenhow]

I really support this comment. People I know who take care of their long hair respect themselves and things around them and this definitely makes them more attractive to everyone!

[Paladin]

"First, be wary of women with long hair. One of the most unexpected things I discovered was that men nearly always cheat with women who have longer hair than their wives."

That's wierd. I wonder if women mostly cheat with men with shorter hair than their husbands? :cool:

[Sunsailing]

I think most men are conditioned to find long hair more attractive (beauty standards and all that), but there is always individual variation.

I think this is part of the equation.

I also believe that most women are conditioned to find short hair more attractive on men.

[Sunsailing]

I once heard a guy say that even girls that looked good with short hair (Halle Berry was mentioned), would always look better with long hair.

That's a great way of putting it.

"Most" men would say that "most" women look better with longer, as compared to shorter, hair.

[cocolady]

I think this is part of the equation.

I also believe that most women are conditioned to find short hair more attractive on men.

I find short hair less attractive on men, depends on the guy though, but I would most likely be attracted to a guy with longer hair so it's the other way around for me.
About women I think men prefer long haired women... It's a symbol of femininity I think.

[ems]

I've always got most attention/apporaches from men when I've had my hair between earlenght and shoulder, or in a bob. I guess that just suits me best.

[elbow chic]

Don't know, don't care, what men want.

[ems]

Don't know, don't care, what men want.
Yep, it is a funny question. Would everyone just cut their hair off if we would reach consensus that the answer was no?

[triumphator!]

I think this thread is a little biased :D

[angelshair]

I actually kinda joined this forum partly because a male friend of mind keeps nagging and saying that I'm "not a real woman" for not being able to grow my hair long. He's just being an ass I know, but I guess it kinda got to me, and it kinda feels like a challenge. But the thing is, my hair is curly, which means that my APL hair looks much shorter than it is. Having found this forum, I really hope that I can find a new terminal length. Surely this couldn't be it? :)

But generally, I would say most of my guy friends (and I have a lot of 'em) say they prefer long hair, so does my boyfriend. I think the ones that prefer short hair, while a minority, are generally the ones that care more about style than the others. And when I studies evolutionary psychology, we read a lot about this stuff, and like the previous poster said: good hair = good health = good babies. :P

However, I do think men prefer healthy hair to long and damaged hair though. I know when I see a man with shiny, healthy hair, however long, it makes my heart skip a beat.

[beccababesx]

In my experience, men love long hair, but prefer 'normal' hair, aka shorter than hip length :rolleyes: I always think that we think they care about these things far more than they do haha!

[Mesmerise]

Well I feel attractive with longer hair (and by longer I mean... errm longer than BSL+ so, waist or more), and I think that's more important than what one particular man thinks.

Sure if more men find it attractive on me to have long hair, that's great! BUT I wouldn't cut my hair if some guy told me I looked better with shorter hair.

My husband never seems to have an opinion lol. The only things I know he kinda likes are red hair (which is good cause I like it too) and spiral perms (which I will get when hell freezes over... errm and if hell freezes over I probably still won't do it). But I certainly never coloured my hair red for him, I did it because I like it!! I have had long hair, short hair, blonde hair, and black hair (as well as red) since I've known him. I generally ignore his preferences in most things (LOL) because he'd prefer me un-pierced and un-tattooed too!!

However, I do remember a couple of instances of men who have commented (negatively) when I've had my hair cut short from long. Never any in the reverse! They weren't being mean, but I remember one guy saying, "you were absolutely GORGEOUS with long hair!" and I don't actually think anyone had ever, prior to that, called me absolutely gorgeous before (and probably not since, long hair or not lol)...and I felt a bit sad cause I'd errm cut my hair (for good reason though, as I'd fried the bejeezus out of it and it was breaking off). And another man also told me I looked more attractive with longer hair.

So, I guess what I'm saying is do what YOU like, not what "men" like! You'll never please everyone, so you may as well just please yourself!

[Lilli]

In my experience, men love long hair, but prefer 'normal' hair, aka shorter than hip length :rolleyes:

Definitely. I think men prefer between APL and BSL, and you have to wear it down. They don't understand how annoying that can be. When I was in college and had BSL hair, I almost never wore it down (LHC didn't exist yet, but I always had it braided or up and oiled), and whenever I would let it down, male friends would make comments like "Why don't you leave it down all the time?" Even now that my hair is not even APL, it's already annoying to leave it down. :-(

My husband has requested short hair on me, and I had a boy hair cut 5 years ago, and a bob for several years, which he loved, but now he is back to liking long. He does think that anything below BSL is "weird long" and he doesn't like smooth updos or braids - he only likes a messy peacock updo. :rolleyes:

[KayBee]

My father always said that he preferred short hair on women. I think when he met my mother she had a short (purple) bob. I had never known my mother to ever have short hair but I guess when she was a teenager back in the 60s she did crazy stuff with her hair. (I now have a picture of her with the purple hair). My mother usually had at least shoulder length hair from that time on except during the 70s when she thought she'd try a Toni Tennille haircut and a Donna Summer type perm, haha.

My DH doesn't mind either way, if I decided to cut my hair short he wouldn't say anything and if my hair ever grows down past my tailbone he won't say anything either.

I had short hair for a couple of years in my teens and grew it out and up until I met DH in my mid 20's I had shoulder length hair so I never really heard any boyfriends saying anything about my hair being too long or too short. It wasn't until 6 or 7 years ago did I really decide to grow my hair long like it was when I was a kid.

[EdG]

Wow, this thread is up to 47 pages and I have already replied twice in the past two years.

For the record, I do like long hair better. In fact, I have had long hair for so many years that I can't remember what it was like to have short hair. :lol:

Okay, LHC men may not be a representative sample of the population. :cheese:
Ed

[Sweet Beat]

I guess that's different from one man to another... People don't like the same things, and that's good :)

[kaned_ferret]

In my experience the answer is overall yes - in fact it was probably a deciding factor in me growing out my pixie/shaved cut after being a shortie for years! One night I wore my long wig clubbing and rather than being hit on by women all night I was hit on exclusively by men lol, even though it was a gay club. Then I asked my man if he thought he'd like long hair on me, and he answered yes, so the decision was made. Though I want to make it clear, I want it for me, this was just a factor in helping me make my mind up as I'm notoriously bad about aesthetic decisions for myself.

[anemix1005]

The guys I've met either don't care or like it. The guy I like right now LOVES my hair (He's a longhair too and he has straight, shiny brown hair :crush:) he keeps making comments about that and how women look better with longhair.

My girlfriends liked it more when it was short tough ...

[BLove]

I was a shorty and found that guys will tell you that they do not care when you have short hair and tell you the truth when you have long hair. I have never met a man how likes short hair. I have met men who will lie about it and say they like your hair like it is but they always want it long. My fiance complains about my long from time to time cloging the drain and the vacume but when I tease him and tell him "Fine I'll just cut it off" he freaks out and apoligies for complaining. My little way to get him to stop lol.

[maborosi]

I've never met a man that honesty preferred shothair better than longhair. But that doesn't mean that they won't like you because you don't have super-long hair. Otherwise, my parents would've divorced long ago, lol. (But seriously, if some guy only likes you because of your hair, probably not worth your time >>;)

I like having long hair, because it's sort of like an easy fix for us with no "assets" as some guys call them :rolleyes: It makes me feel much better about the way I look, personally...I did not really enjoy having short hair.

In all honesty though, some girls look absolutely adorable with short hair, and I think some of them don't even look that great with really long hair. That's just my opinion, though.

~maborosi~

[Hailes]

In my experience men prefer Long hair. My BF loves my long hair when I go to a hairdresser he is like "make sure you to go too short" bless him, its a good job I love my long hair also then I suppose! He has actually said he would hate it if I came back with any length shorter than my shoulders! Plus I think I would look like a boy with short hair!Lol I think its more feminine to have long hair. But I do admire some v short hairstyles I see celebs have and I rate a few girls I know that have had v loing hair then gone for the chop! But actually really suits them short... so each to there own I suppose. And there is a guy at work who has said he prefers girls with short hair e.g Franky out the Saturdays etc but most other men I know have said they prefer long hair on women.

My Long hair is my Life if it ever got cut short I would prob die!Lol as Maborosi said: "It makes me feel much better about the way I look, personally"

[tolly]

I think most men do, and in my opinion most women do too. I have always loved long hair pity I have never had it....longest I have had is between neck and shoulder length. I cut down to buzz length last year to get rid of chemically treated hair, now with 4-4.5 inches I am eager to see how long i can get it

[HintOfMint]

My girlfriends liked it more when it was short tough ...

This is almost always the case. I think it's because women have a different idea of what's attractive on a women than what men think. We're more into fashion which embraces the less obvious types of beauty or something interesting over straight-up hotness.

There's also a more unsettling idea that women are catty shrews who just want to weed out the competition for other men, but I doubt this is the case for most women.

[Pumpkin]

Right or wrong...from my own experience, I think most men like long hair on a woman. Since my hair has hit bra strap length, when I wear it down, I have noticed, I get attention from men...not so much when my hair was cut in a pixie.

[Amraann]

I am sure that I have posted this elsewhere on the forum...

My hubby LOVES my long hair. In times past when I have cut it he has always said that he liked it but I think it was him just being nice.
When a friend of mine once asked "are you ever going to cut your hair?" Before I could even answer my hubby yelled "NO!" LOLOL

[maborosi]

There's also a more unsettling idea that women are catty shrews who just want to weed out the competition for other men, but I doubt this is the case for most women.

A lot of them do seem to be this way, though. Usually if I hear a girl saying something about another girl needing to cut her hair, it's because they're usually pretty jealous of the other girl's hair. Some girls legitimately look better with short hair, though.

~maborosi~

[battles]

For an honest response, this would have to be asked on a completely unrelated forums comprised of mostly men.

With this being a forums of... -mainly- women (I do realize there are gentlemen here, also) with long hair, we are getting what women have been told that men like. I'd be interested in hearing directly from men what they tend to be interested in.

I tried to find the right way to word this, I'm pretty terrible at that sort of thing.. I apologize in advance if this managed to come across as rude or anything of the sort.

[hs_atreides]

I think they prefer it longish and pretty. Even if one wears variations of short hair well, the men folk seem to prefer it longer. I say "longish" because I think many men consider below shoulder to be long.
Personal experience with many different lengths:
Braline, VERY popular with DH and menfolk
Various bobs, somewhat popular
SHoulder grazing with intense bangs, VERY popular
Various pixie cuts, surprisingly popular
ANd the funny one...
bowl cut, much like early Karen O from Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs VERY popular with the lady folk.
I think it has to do with confidence ultimately, and the right makeup to go with it, lol.

[PrincessBob]

Definitely depends on the guy. My partner really does prefer the longer hair.

[growingpains]

I've already commented on this thread, but I just wanted to add again, that despite my bf's love o long hair and horror every time I mention cutting, my father keeps asking me when I am getting my hair cut.

Today I showed him my bun waves and he said, "when are you going to cut it?" and I said, "I'm not I'm growing it to hip", and he said, "don't embarrass me". He was joking and laughing as he said it, as really he doesn't care to control me and is proud of me no matter what, but he sure does think shorter hair is better! No longer than BSL in his mind!

[SoulOfTheSea]

My boyfriend loves my long hair! He says I look like a sexy gypsy :D (the long skirts help with that too xD)

[October]

I know everyone has different preferences. In my own experience, they seem to prefer longer hair *on me*. When I cut my hair short, I would get no stares or looks (and when I did cut my hair from APL to right below my ears in 10th grade, everyone in my classes felt the need to tell me how much better it was before). I seem to get the most looks at APL... BSL seems like I start losing all the glances again. I haven't been past BSL since I was a child.

I know *I* prefer long hair.

[MaryRose]

my husband prefers long hair. When I was single, I had both pixie short and BSL, I received more attention with the longer hair. Longer hair meaning APL+.

[clairenewcastle]

In my experience, men definately prefer long hair.

[CareBear]

Dh likes me with the long hair. Although we met when I had veeerrry short hair, and he loved me then! :)

[Regan]

My experience has been about half/half. Some men like long hair, some men prefer shorter hair. Honestly, I don't think a forum for long hair (full of women, nonetheless) is really the right place to ask. We obviously have a bias.

[kidari]

Definitely men in general prefer longer hair. When I kept cutting my hair shorter my husband liked it but begged me not to do a pixie. Now that I'm growing it out he confessed that he prefers I never cut it above the shoulders ever again. It makes me a little peeved, because I want to do whatever I want with my hair but he's in luck since I really do want to grow it to waist and maintain it there forever.

[AlannaMaria]

I've already commented on this thread, but I just wanted to add again, that despite my bf's love o long hair and horror every time I mention cutting, my father keeps asking me when I am getting my hair cut.


Today I showed him my bun waves and he said, "when are you going to cut it?" and I said, "I'm not I'm growing it to hip", and he said, "don't embarrass me". He was joking and laughing as he said it, as really he doesn't care to control me and is proud of me no matter what, but he sure does think shorter hair is better! No longer than BSL in his mind!

Odd--my dad is the exact opposite. He wasn't necessarily a fan of me cutting it when I was 12, so I never hear any complaints about my hair from him now that it's getting closer to the length it was before I cut it that first time.

As for guys other than dear ol' dad, I've definitely gotten more attention with longer hair. The DBF has never stated a preference, though I've tried many times to coerce one out of him. However, he seems to compliment my long hair much more now than when we met about 2 years ago, and was overjoyed when I told him my goal length of waist.

[Isala]

My guy has a slight preference for chin to shoulder length hair. He has a friend that has quite a thing for long hair though. This guy gets nauseous seeing a woman's hair being cut. lol :)

[Kat]

I keep hearing they do, but neither of the two guys I've been in serious relationships with seem to give a crap. Figures. If I had short hair, I'd probably end up with guys who liked long hair. *eye roll*

[Monkey962]

Man here (well, young man :D).

I definitely prefer long hair, otherwise I wouldn't have grown it myself. However, everyone is different, and just as some men might prefer short hair, some women might look good with short hair, too.

[turtlelover]

I don't honestly think my husband cares that much. He never comments on my hair or plays w/ it. However, most men I have dated LOVED my long hair, and didn't want me to cut it, ever. It figures that I LOVE to have my hair played with, but my husband NEVER does that. *sniff*

[BeautifulBlonde]

My fiance is the same way Turtle. He loves me brushing out his hair though. He's got a head with thick, semi-curly hair just past his shoulders. He would play with my hair when we first started going out, but now it's eh... but I do honestly think he would cry if I got it cut.

[GoatLady]

My man is the only one I care to please, and I don't think he really has a preference, one way or the other. I've had my hair very short, and very long, since we've been together. Currently we are both growing our hair long.

[Tehillim408]

My Honey definitely prefers my hair long, but then again, he's never seen me with short hair.

[MiamiPineapple]

My BF told me I better not cut my hair again soooo....

[jaine]

My man told me that my pixie cut made him wonder if I was a butch lesbian when we first met. Apparently, that didn't stop him from hitting on me. Silly men... ;)