An ode to long hair

[RubyRose]

I would like to say I greatly admire the ladies on this board. Many people spend so much time and effort trying to change their hair to look different and make a statement, when the best way to acheive this is just to love your hair and let it grow.

For example, which is more eye catching,

this?
http://tinypic.com/m/5x8u95/4

or this?
http://tinypic.com/m/5x8ufa/4

Which stirs more inspiration,

this?
http://tinypic.com/m/5x8uis/4

or this?
http://tinypic.com/m/5x8un6/4


I do not mean to call hairstyles like the shorter ones above ugly, it is your own choice and you have a right to your hair. I am just saying that if you want to be different, you don't have to think that hard about it. The same thing applys to excessive ear piercing and tattoos. Long, shiny hair is all you need to stand out. and I applaude the women who know that.

[Amara]

Hi RubyRose -
I'd like to object on behalf of all the people who dye their hair, cut it short, have tattoos, what you call "excessive" piercings, or whatever. Many of them are doing what they want to do to make themselves feel good, just like many of us here, growing our hair long. Please don't post pictures of people and ask us to compare. We each may like one thing or another, and there's no need to disparage others' choices.

[little_acorn]

I have multiple piercings, a tattoo and I have dyed my hair and yes its long and hopefully getting longer. I'd like to say that I did not do any of the above to 'make a statement' or particularly to 'look different'. I also personally don't care if I do or do not stand out. My piercings and tattoos were done because I wanted them done to mark particular points in my life. I may choose to have more later on, who knows.

I also love undied hair, short funky hair, no piercings, loads of piercings and loads of tattoos on lots of different people. Many people have these things not necessarily to stand out, though some do (and thats fine too) but to mark important things in their lives. Its a bit harsh to judge soley on appearances, so please don't. Thanks :flower:

[spidermom]

I personally like my hair long and natural, but all the pictures you referenced would turn my head for a better look. Hooray for variety!

[apynip]

I will say i did like the longer haired pictures but i also liked teh shorter ones.
Why?
Because i used to style my hair like that. i felt pretty dang awesome about my self too if i was having a good hair day. I've wanted peircings and i have friends who have facial piercings and they are beautiful too. and now i'm choosing to grow out my hair. my choice.

but really both stand out and you cant compair one extreame to another without standing in each of their shoes for a few paces..
its like compairing white and black. while everything truely hangs in a fine beautiful balance together. like ying and yang.

[sherigayle]

If everyone had long hair, then it wouldn't be as eye catching and unique. I love many different styles and colors, natural or dyed. Should we all wear plain un-dyed clothes? How boring we would be if we all looked the same.

[Merewen]

If it were to match my personality and hair type, I would totally have gone for the blond/black emo cut. The girl who has it here pulls it off nicely.

ETA: "not match my personality" meaning that it would be fun and awesome for about 3 days, but it just wouldn't really fit me. Oh well.

[Lamb]

:rolleyes: I don't think I'm alone in saying this: why is it so cool to look "different"? Or to try to be "different" all the time? If all of us wanted to stand out, that would make for a boring and psychotic world.
And I am annoyed with threads slamming short hair.The length of one's hair is a personal choice, and not everyone has short hair in order to catch other people's eye or to provoke thoughts. Heaven forbid that I should do either. :rolleyes:

[jesamyn]

I have multiple piercings, a tattoo and I have dyed my hair and yes its long and hopefully getting longer. I'd like to say that I did not do any of the above to 'make a statement' or particularly to 'look different'. I also personally don't care if I do or do not stand out. My piercings and tattoos were done because I wanted them done to mark particular points in my life. I may choose to have more later on, who knows.

I also love undied hair, short funky hair, no piercings, loads of piercings and loads of tattoos on lots of different people. Many people have these things not necessarily to stand out, though some do (and thats fine too) but to mark important things in their lives. Its a bit harsh to judge soley on appearances, so please don't. Thanks :flower:

This. Absolutely this. I totally agree and could not say it any better.

[maegquare]

I personally like my hair long and natural, but all the pictures you referenced would turn my head for a better look. Hooray for variety!
My thoughts exactly. Long and natural suits my personality and life but I admire pretty hair on anybody who takes good care of their hair: long, short, any style or color.

[spidermom]

:rolleyes: I don't think I'm alone in saying this: why is it so cool to look "different"? Or to try to be "different" all the time? If all of us wanted to stand out, that would make for a boring and psychotic world.
And I am annoyed with threads slamming short hair.The length of one's hair is a personal choice, and not everyone has short hair in order to catch other people's eye or to provoke thoughts. Heaven forbid that I should do either. :rolleyes:

You say "boring and psychotic world" like it's a bad thing.

[SHELIAANN1969]

You say "boring and psychotic world" like it's a bad thing.


*snicker* :rollin:

[SHELIAANN1969]

Beauty is only skin deep, and it is truly in the eye of the beholder. Thank heavens love is also blind or I would be a lonely woman.

[little_acorn]

Beauty is only skin deep, and it is truly in the eye of the beholder. Thank heavens love is also blind or I would be a lonely woman.

Surely not with beautiful shiney locks like yours? :flowers:

[Gumball]

Shout out to the guys that were left out, too! Some of us rock the locks, too.

Really though being different boils down to being you, whatever form that takes. Everyone is different and being themselves expresses that well enough. Whatever they do to try and accentuate their being different, hair or otherwise, is up to them, and will always have a "thumbs up" audience somewhere or other. :D Everyone is awesome. Plain and simple.

[masterofmidgets]

Heh - part of my long hair is dyed bright purple, and I spent an hour on the phone with my mom yesterday planning out my next tattoo. It's not like it's an either/or category.

As far as I care, while I have my personal preferences, if it makes you feel pretty/happy/exciting/interesting/WHATEVER then that's your business. I can't judge people for having short hair, or dyed hair, or neon-striped two-foot mohawks and then turn around and whine about how they hassle me about my hair. That just seems a bit silly.

[RancheroTheBee]

Long hair can be beautiful in its own right, not in opposition to short hair. I have seen some very beautiful short hair. Hair that is cared for is beautiful, no matter what the length.

And I do take offense to the tattoo and piercings comment. You must realize that many of our members have both, including myself. Plus, growing your hair to extreme lengths is also a sign of being different, and an active sign at that.

[Aer]

I too applaud the people here with their long pretty locks, but I'm also applauding those with all sorts of streaks of color in them too, and the ones with tattoos and piercings. I have a tattoo, and plan to get more eventually. I liked all those pictures.

However, I don't think that Ruby Rose was trying to offend anyone, and I don't think she's personally insulting certain members on here. I think her real intention was to compliment and give praise to what she thought was the majority here. I can't speak for her, but I really think it just came off as judgmental, even though it was meant to be kind. I can see why people took offense, but I know it can be hard to be a newbie here, in fact I haven't been here that long myself. There have been a number of times I've said something, and it came out all wrong. She even tried to state that she wasn't trying to offend anyone, these weren't her exact words, but that was basically her point.

I think there is a huge amount of beautiful variety among the members here, and I'm glad of it.

[Melisande]

I'm glad that the boards are no place for shorthair bashing. I know why I don't sport a certain hairstyle but that doesn't mean that everybody else has to follow suit and boycot fashionable short layered or dyed hairstyles. Live and let live. If I demand respect from others, I have to give respect in return.

I just think how the girls on the short hair pictures would have felt if we had torn them to pieces like this Walmart-witch hunt we got angry about some days ago. In my opinion, bitiching about anonymous Internet users is just as bad as bitiching about my neighbor. And why should I care whether others have piercings or tattoos?

I like to see a world where everybody can do with her or his hair at will, from shaved head to terminal length, without outward pressure, censure or judgment.

I'm sure the OP didn't mean it but it came out judgmental...

[ravenreed]

One of my friends has short hair dark hair dyed turquoise and purple in the front... I LOVE it!!! I keep telling her she reminds me of one of my tropical fish. It almost makes me want to cut mine short enough to be able to bleach the heck out of it. And she looks at my hair and wants to grow hers long. Go figure!

[Heidi_234]

And what about us who live among MANY longhairs? Do we try to be like 'everybody else'? I find it's far more rare to find people past their teenage years with colorful funky hair, and sadly I'm no different. :?

[Maddy25]

I dont judge people based on what they do to their hair. I personally have had a ton of "hip" haircuts and colours and I also have a bunch of tattoos and it isnt to make myself stand out or be the center of attention. I just like the idea of personalizing my body and being able to make it reflect my personality. I like the idea of people being able to look at me and without saying a word they already know a bit about who I am.

[Sheltie_Momma]

Beauty is as beauty does.

[Spike]

Mmmmm . . . ok. First and foremost, no one else is here to decorate my world. Down to there hair, shaved head, facial piercings and tattoos, no makeup whatsoever--it's all the owner's choice.

That said, I note that the OP is hoping to grow 3 inches by prom . . . which is a major hint about age. (Unless there are senior centers that hold proms???) I choose to believe that she was working to offer praise to what she belived was our main focus--long hair--but did not have life or forum experience sufficient to see the nuanced line (i.e., long hair for me, and you do what you want with yours).

I'm here because I like MY hair long, and am looking for ways to make the possession of long hair more pleasant. I'm collecting various updos (who KNEW that updos were just braids and buns with a handful of partings? Not me.) and looking forward to having the length to rock 'em.

[RubyRose]

Spike, and everyone else,

I am so sorry if I offended. I did say that I was not considering short hair ugly. I did NOT mean it sound like I was judging what other people do.
I just wanted to make a point about how beautiful (and rare in my own little small prom-revolved world : P )and timeless long hair is. You can express yourself in any way you like, but what I was trying to point out that you can do it in the most natural ways.
I meant to bring smiles, but I have failed to do so. I deeply regret everything I said that offended.

[Carolyn]

Spike, and everyone else,

I am so sorry if I offended. I did say that I was not considering short hair ugly. I did NOT mean it sound like I was judging what other people do.
I just wanted to make a point about how beautiful (and rare in my own little small prom-revolved world : P )and timeless long hair is. You can express yourself in any way you like, but what I was trying to point out that you can do it in the most natural ways.
I meant to bring smiles, but I have failed to do so. I deeply regret everything I said that offended.Don't worry to much about it RubyRose. I think just about everyone here has started a thread or made a post that offended someone :grouphug: I see what you were trying to say.

[RubyRose]

Thank you, Carolyn. That is very sweet. : )

[SHELIAANN1969]

RubyRose, I personally didn't think you were being rude or judgmental, but look at this this way, you aren't a TRUE member untill you have made someone mad! ;)

Welcome to the Jungle! :D

[RubyRose]

I'm honored.

[Arniky]

just do as you feel comfortable, variety is good

[RancheroTheBee]

One of my friends has short hair dark hair dyed turquoise and purple in the front... I LOVE it!!! I keep telling her she reminds me of one of my tropical fish. It almost makes me want to cut mine short enough to be able to bleach the heck out of it. And she looks at my hair and wants to grow hers long. Go figure!

I wanna see that! It sounds super cute and whimsical. Turquoise is really hard to maintain, too.

[Aditi]

I completely agree with what sherigayle said.

[JamieLeigh]

....the men on here are pretty damn awesome too, and lots of them are VERY :thud:-worthy! ;)

It all comes down to personal preference. Some people just plain and simple don't LIKE long hair. At all. It has nothing to do with jealousy or sheep-like devotion to fashion....they just don't like it. My step-father is one of those people, and he bugs my mom to death if she lets it get past her nape. Not because he wants her to look fashionable, or because it's getting longer than HIS hair....he just prefers it short.

I also have a friend who is like that...but she knows I prefer mine long, so we leave each other be. :)

PERSONALLY - My eye is more attracted to the longer styles, and so I would be more inspired and caught by the flowing tresses, rather than the colored short spikes, but that is not to say there is anything wrong with short spikes. :flower: