Does Long Hair = Younger Attitude?

[Islandgrrl]

I got to thinking about this in the middle of the night for no good reason when I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep.

There's something youthful that's associated with long hair. How many times has it been suggested to you that you get a "grownup" haircut? Have you ever gotten an "...at your age" comment about the length of your hair?

Taking that a step further, do you seem somehow younger in your attitude than others your age?

I look around at the parents of my children's friends and I'm seeing distinctly middle aged people. People who look and have attitudes much older than I feel. And a bunch of them are actually younger than me. Then I notice that the people my age that I know (or even older) that are longhairs seem to have a different attitude, a younger attitude (not a more immature one, just a younger one).

So what do you think....do we long hairs have a younger attitude than conventional short hairs? Or is it just the imagination of a slightly sleep deprived middle aged yoga teaching hippie chick?

[Blueglass]

Intuitively I think so, to but, scientifically you'd have to define young attitude, in order to really study this.

[Pegasus Marsters]

I really think you're thinking about this too hard... I honestly think that hair has to do with aesthetic preferences and not alot else.

[Wind Dragon]

Short answer, no. I was one of the oldest young people I've ever known the first time I had long hair, and I finally found my poor, cliche-ridden inner child during my pixie years. :face:

[jojo]

for me yes because im happier with long hair and this is reflected by attitude.

when i got my hair cut short, i was miserable and felt less confident, so therefore withdrew more into myself.

so for me, yes!

[Euphony]

A lot of likes and dislikes are part of the personality. Part of personality could also be wearing loud clothing, unusual clothing (I'm wearing my weird chocolate and aqua top...I'll try to get a pic today), wearing your hair or make up a certain way. I like to wear clothing that is a bit out of the ordinary, it's not revealing in any way - that makes me highly uncomfortable. I wear my hair in a way that also directly correlates to my personality, my hair is longer than the norm, I take care of it with as natural products as I can, and I color it with henna. I'm an unusual person, my clothing, my hair, my shoes, my lack of make up all scream that I am unusual and I like it that way!

I also think that perhaps being and liking to be unusual are aspects of a youthful personality. I'm with you, I see people my age and wonder how they got so old so fast - they aren't old! But they act older than I do/am.

Do you remember the picture I showed you at the meet of when I weighed 330? You mentioned I looked so much older in that picture. That picture was taken about 7 years ago, I got to thinking about it on the way home and realized I didn't just look older in that picture, I was older.

[Katze]

yes, long hair makes me feel younger. When my hair was between chin and shoulder, I had a bad accident and broke my jaw and afterwards gained a bunch of weight. Because I have a round face anyway, my waves coming out just at that length made me look like I had the classic soccer mom/first lady blonde flip hairdo thing. It made me feel dumpy and unattractive.

The longer my hair gets the wavier it gets and the more wild/witchy I feel. While I'm not super young anymore, it helps me remember the young, wild part of me, and my promise to myself to never become boring, uncurious, limited, or narrowminded. :)

[Blueglass]

I would tend to define a young attitude as- an attitude were a person is primary concerned with new possiblities. An example would be someone who wants to learn new things,and have new experiences. Young attitude people ask themselves why am I here, and how can I make my life mean something beyond survival.

An old attitude is - an attitude defined by an interest in survival. Such as do I have enough insurance? Do I have enough money? Can I keep my job? Will I get enough social security?

We all need a mix of these two, but, it would be possible to design a question to determine where someone falls on this scale.

[Tangles]

Well, I think there's a slight correlation just in that people with long, natural hair are more likely to be carefree--uptight people usually feel the need to restrain their hair into some kind of coif, though shorter hairdos can also be very "young," so it's not a strong correlation.

For some reason, I always associated long hair in elderly women as a sign of strength and mature beauty. There's a "good older" and a "bad older." I think Katze put it beautifully, long hair can be a reminder of a wild, spontaneous part of you that will never fade away.

[Anje]

I think that we need to define what a younger attitude is, but I would instinctively say that for many people (depending on the culture they grew up and live in), yes, long hair correlates to a more youthful outlook. That's particularly the case for people who grow their hair significantly longer than is "normal" for the culture -- long hair is a bit of rebellion and a desire to conform to one's personal standards rather than those of society. Is that a youthful outlook on life? I don't know -- I know a lot of conformist teenagers and a lot of empty-nesters who have finally decided that they're going to do their own thing.

[Tap Dancer]

I've always been described as being young at heart by others. I love toys, cartoons, and other "kid" things. My hair has nothing to do with it. I agree with Pegs; hair length is about aesthetics.

[Eireann]

[quote=Katze;103228] my waves coming out just at that length made me look like I had the classic soccer mom/first lady blonde flip hairdo thing. It made me feel dumpy and unattractive.

Ha! I live in Washington, DC, and I call that the "Washington Lady" look. When I first moved here, I hadthat cut against my will. I just wanted a trim and shape up the layers, and I ended up looking like every other woman in DC. When I had that cut, everytime my DH looked at me, his face fell! Bless his heart, he couldn't help it, but it didn't do much for my confidence! I think that was when I decided to grow it out long!

[VikingJarl]

I think having long hair certainly helps with a young attitude. Funny, have just been updating photos on my page - which shows a 23 year gap. The photos don't look much different, so maybe that says something?

[Curlsgirl]

Yes, for me it does, absolutely.

[harpgal]

Oh yes, long hair does help to create a youthful heart and appearance. The very diversity of it provides endless entertainment and enchantment. It also provides enjoyment and perfects patience.

It is the sameness and mundaneness of life that seems to produce a feeling of lethargy and boredom, thus translating to being old. I've known many people who are much younger than I am and to hear them talk you would think they were 20 years older. Looking just like the next person who is your age, brings about a dullness, no matter what age that is. Being different and looking different ignites a spark and cultivates a life full of surprises and happiness.

Oh and BTW, even fairy princesses think about whether or not there is enough jam in the jar (or shall we say enough hair toys). ;)

[RavennaNight]

I always felt younger than my age. But I remember when I cut my hair off in 05, not only did I feel older, but some including my husband :P said I looked older and more serious. Also looking back, the short hair advice had come from some older short hair ladies at the workplace. Still to this day they cringe when I proclaim to them proudly: "Oh I'm growing it down to my butt this time!"

[RavennaNight]

Oh yes, long hair does help to create a youthful heart and appearance. The very diversity of it provides endless entertainment and enchantment. It also provides enjoyment and perfects patience.

It is the sameness and mundaneness of life that seems to produce a feeling of lethargy and boredom, thus translating to being old. I've known many people who are much younger than I am and to hear them talk you would think they were 20 years older. Looking just like the next person who is your age, brings about a dullness, no matter what age that is. Being different and looking different ignites a spark and cultivates a life full of surprises and happiness.

Oh and BTW, even fairy princesses think about whether or not there is enough jam in the jar (or shall we say enough hair toys). ;)

Very well put. Just wanted to say, your hair is absolutely stunning, Harpgal!

[freznow]

I have to agree with Pegs, that it really doesn't matter. It's your attitude. While their may be some correlation, IMO it's not significant. Long hairs can wear severe looking buns, that's definitely not 'young' looking in the eyes of our culture. I believe certain styles on certain people can create certain impressions but unless this certain person really does have that attitude then you won't have that impression of them, so in essence making that assumption would be putting them into a stereotype and I do my best not to judge people like that.

Have I been confusing enough yet? I guess I just think that the person makes the hair, the hair doesn't make the person.

[paper]

Yes, I think so. Now that I think about it, everyone I know with long hair looks and acts younger.

I let myself get pressured into thinking I had to cut my hair after a certain age. Now, that I'm letting it grow again, I do feel younger and it's fun.

[Sarahmoon]

No absolutely not. I usually act my age, or a bit younger or older depending on my mood and the situation, people I'm with.
No-one told me I should get a grown up haircut yet (well I'm still quite young). I've only gotten the "get a more trendy haircut!"-comments so far.

[neenerbabe]

Take a gander at the before and after pix in the photo album (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=875) on my profile, and you'll get proof that 'frumpy mom hairdos' can certainly age you like tobacco and gin, swear to God.

[GlennaGirl]

I used to think that I must look much younger than my age because people were always saying they couldn't believe how young I looked. But then I realized that if they were pointing it out in the first place, they must realize I'm old. After all, would you tell a 20-year-old, "Wow! You look so young"? Leave it to me to see the bright side of things. :p

I think most of us feel younger than we are, because we were expecting to "act old" the way our parents did at our ages, or at least *as we saw them*. You or I might complain just as much about cleaning the gutters and those darned Republicans as any other middle-aged person but we don't realize that this might overshadow how we "feel" inside, as appears to others, anyway. And for those in the 40-something and 50-something age groups, for the most part I don't think we feel as "old" as we thought we would by now. Maybe it's partly psychology, and maybe it's partly that we just really are encouraged in this generation (and certainly the ones below us!!!) to be ourselves, have some fun, etc. Which is AWESOME! Yay.

So I personally just don't worry about it. I'm 40 and I probably look 40 and I probably act 40 and it's all good. :D Doesn't matter much to me! Shorter hair on older people might also be regional, BTW. I realized after moving to the southwest that nowhere near as many 40- or 50-somethings cut their hair here as where I lived previously (in the northeast). I see a lot of BSL and longer women here (and men, for that matter) who are at least my age. So that's probably why I haven't gotten the "you should cut your hair" comments out here. The only person I've ever gotten those from is my sister, who has short hair. :) (It looks great on her...cruddy on me.)

[GlennaGirl]

(snip) you'll get proof that 'frumpy mom hairdos' can certainly age you like tobacco and gin, swear to God.

Oh cr*p, please don't tell me this means I also have to cut out tobacco and gin!

ETA: I should add that one thing I do see on this community in particular is uniqueness. I swear, every person I've met on here has some sort of fascinating interest, some unique style of education, some wonderful dreams, and/or dreamy qualities. So I wonder if there's some tie-in there! The whole wildness and freedom thing that's been mentioned here.

[Islandgrrl]

So maybe it's just women (and men, can't forget you wonderful longhair guys!) of a certain age with long hair who seem, in general, to have a more youthful attitude/approach to life than their shorter haired peers.

I can't help but have noticed that both Pegs and Freznow are under 20 - still quite young. Please don't take that as disparaging or in any way dismissive of your opinions or viewpoints. It's just an observation. You're both thoughtful and eloquent and have interesting things to say!

I wonder if, for those around my age (I'll be 48 in a week) having long hair allows us to in some small way keep our more youthful attitude close at hand?

[harpgal]

I wonder if, for those around my age (I'll be 48 in a week) having long hair allows us to in some small way keep our more youthful attitude close at hand?
Most certainly! I would never admit otherwise! :D (I am a bit beyond your age, lol!)

[Islandgrrl]

Most certainly! I would never admit otherwise! :D (I am a bit beyond your age, lol!)

And your hair is utterly enviable, I must say!!!

[GlennaGirl]

Most certainly! I would never admit otherwise! :D (I am a bit beyond your age, lol!)

Well harpgal, you're cheating now because you really do have a youthful appearance. :D I've seen you (you posted a pic in a sun hat maybe a year ago). Holy cow. I wish I had looked like you 10 years ago.

Ah well. We work with what we have! (Like hair... :D )

[GlennaGirl]

Take a gander at the before and after pix in the photo album (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=875) on my profile, and you'll get proof that 'frumpy mom hairdos' can certainly age you like tobacco and gin, swear to God.

Thread hijack: Oh, my goodness...aren't you beautiful...and that hair! That's the hair I'm trying to get!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your straight hair pic, I mean...I've resigned myself to non-waviness.

[harpgal]

And your hair is utterly enviable, I must say!!!
Perhaps my hubby and I need to move to your island so we can stay as young as you are! I think your hair is to be envied!

Well harpgal, you're cheating now because you really do have a youthful appearance. :D I've seen you (you posted a pic in a sun hat maybe a year ago). Holy cow. I wish I had looked like you 10 years ago.
Well I think you look great, my friend. I am always amazed at how long your hair is getting. Well done!

[Islandgrrl]

Take a gander at the before and after pix in the photo album (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=875) on my profile, and you'll get proof that 'frumpy mom hairdos' can certainly age you like tobacco and gin, swear to God.

Wow your henna is amazing. What a great color!

[TheSpottedCow]

I wouldn't say it's necessarily the long hair, but given the way society works older women are expected to cut their hair and dress a a certain way, and the unspoken rules about proper haircuts and style in general are pretty strict. Hair shorter than shoulder, layers, highlights, blah blah.

People who are older and who have long hair tend not to care about societies rules about hair and therefore might tend not to follow the "rules" about how you're supposed to behave and are more free spirited.

That said, not everyone with short hair is a conformist. But that's how I would explain people with long hair acting more youthful/different.

[Xanthippe]

I used to think that I must look much younger than my age because people were always saying they couldn't believe how young I looked. But then I realized that if they were pointing it out in the first place, they must realize I'm old. After all, would you tell a 20-year-old, "Wow! You look so young"? Leave it to me to see the bright side of things. :p

That is a very good point! But then again, there could be other ways they know your age too.

It's much more frustrating when people assume you are younger. I had someone think I wasn't 18 yet (so I would have needed parental consent to sign a lease :rolleyes: ) I can't really compare to how I would be treated with shorter hair, but I don't think it makes me look that much younger.

Most of the people I know act goofy or serious in different situations, so I can't say if there's a correlation with having longer hair and being young at heart. I will say that the people I know who have unusual hair cuts and styles are some of the friendliest people I know. Maybe something about acceptance? But that doesn't mean that I don't know nice people with soccer mom haircuts.

[Rain]

Hmm. For me, no. I may look young outside but I'm old and crusty to the core. Perhaps this is why people don't suggest I chop my hair off. Grrr. :twisted:

[ycelong]

Take a gander at the before and after pix in the photo album (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=875) on my profile, and you'll get proof that 'frumpy mom hairdos' can certainly age you like tobacco and gin, swear to God.
OMG!!
I can't believe how much younger you look in those newer pictures - That is amazing!!
But it makes me curious - how old are you?
I know I am nosey - sorry. You can choose to not answer and I apologize if I offended with the question.
Your hair is beautiful!

[Pegasus Marsters]

Oh yes, long hair does help to create a youthful heart and appearance. The very diversity of it provides endless entertainment and enchantment. It also provides enjoyment and perfects patience.

It is the sameness and mundaneness of life that seems to produce a feeling of lethargy and boredom, thus translating to being old. I've known many people who are much younger than I am and to hear them talk you would think they were 20 years older. Looking just like the next person who is your age, brings about a dullness, no matter what age that is. Being different and looking different ignites a spark and cultivates a life full of surprises and happiness.


(Emphasis mine)

How about the diversity of short hair? Long hair cannot easily be bleached or dyed, where as long hair can. I'd say you stand out more with a bright magenta coloured head of hair that only hits your shoulders, than with a brown one that hits your waist.

I'm just sayin :shrug:

[Islandgrrl]

(Emphasis mine)

How about the diversity of short hair? Long hair cannot easily be bleached or dyed, where as long hair can. I'd say you stand out more with a bright magenta coloured head of hair that only hits your shoulders, than with a brown one that hits your waist.

I'm just sayin :shrug:

I mostly agree with this. I think that the short magenta head would stand out glaringly (pun intended) simply because of the outrageousness and un-naturality of the colour. Not to say that's bad - I have a co-worker with magenta & purple chin length hair and it looks just incredible on her (she's 39, by the way). I can't really imagine her with any other colour hair. And I can't really imagine her with long hair, either.

A brown haired person with waist length hair stands out as well, perhaps not as much or as flamboyantly (spelling??? eesh!) as the magenta haired person. But take it a step further. A person with knee length hair is just a jaw-dropping stand out - it's unusual, and stands out for entirely different reasons than a magenta head would.

[Lixie]

I guess I just think that the person makes the hair, the hair doesn't make the person.

Well said, I agree. :)

[harpgal]

I'd say you stand out more with a bright magenta coloured head of hair that only hits your shoulders, than with a brown one that hits your waist.
Hmmmm, now that's a thought....thigh length blond hair with a bright magenta streak. Yup, definitely something to consider! :eyebrows:

[Rain]

I'd say you stand out more with a bright magenta coloured head of hair that only hits your shoulders, than with a brown one that hits your waist.

Not where I live. Brightly colored hair among kids at my daughter's high school is so common, it's boring. Natural hair of any color stands out more. I'm not saying either is better. I'm just saying.

[Pegasus Marsters]

Not where I live. Brightly colored hair among kids at my daughter's high school is so common, it's boring. Natural hair of any color stands out more. I'm not saying either is better. I'm just saying.

Guess it depends where you live... people with outrageous hair seem far and few between where I live :shrug:

[Valorie]

Well, all I know is when my hair is real short (I know it's still short but I mean, short like pixie'ish ) I get what's known as "the voice" from people. I am talked to in a kid like tone. Which is weird cause I'm in my 30's. I've been asked by innocent children (so I'm not offended) if I am a boy or a girl. That one is funny.

I also get this phrase, especially from my sister, "Oh Val. You look like a 12 year old boy again!"
REally!!
Personally, I am "young" regardless of my hair but for some reason people mistake me for very young with it very short.

I've also gotten a few weird "dark crystal" comparisons. It's so not a compliment!:alien:

[Elenna]

Oh yes, long hair does help to create a youthful heart and appearance. The very diversity of it provides endless entertainment and enchantment. It also provides enjoyment and perfects patience.

It is the sameness and mundaneness of life that seems to produce a feeling of lethargy and boredom, thus translating to being old. I've known many people who are much younger than I am and to hear them talk you would think they were 20 years older. Looking just like the next person who is your age, brings about a dullness, no matter what age that is. Being different and looking different ignites a spark and cultivates a life full of surprises and happiness.

Oh and BTW, even fairy princesses think about whether or not there is enough jam in the jar (or shall we say enough hair toys). ;)

Your hair as an enchantment... that's very poetic, and different and young at heart.

[Nynaeve]

I got to thinking about this in the middle of the night for no good reason when I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep.

There's something youthful that's associated with long hair. How many times has it been suggested to you that you get a "grownup" haircut? Have you ever gotten an "...at your age" comment about the length of your hair?

Taking that a step further, do you seem somehow younger in your attitude than others your age?

I look around at the parents of my children's friends and I'm seeing distinctly middle aged people. People who look and have attitudes much older than I feel. And a bunch of them are actually younger than me. Then I notice that the people my age that I know (or even older) that are longhairs seem to have a different attitude, a younger attitude (not a more immature one, just a younger one).

So what do you think....do we long hairs have a younger attitude than conventional short hairs? Or is it just the imagination of a slightly sleep deprived middle aged yoga teaching hippie chick?

My grandmother insists that my mother needs to cut her hair because "she's old."
There's definitely some sort of stigma around long hair and older women in the south. It makes no sense though, since older women used to have long hair here NOT that long ago, and there are a lot of older Pentecostal women with incredibly long hair here and they never get "the rap" for it. :p
The funny thing is, my grandmother also says that my mother's hair makes her look younger... I just don't get people sometimes. :shrug:

[SarieQ]

I think it has to do with being true to ourselves. Those with shorter hair are more "conformed" to how society tells them they should have it. In the same way, they act older because society says they should act older and more "grown up". Women with long hair these days go against the norm and that's got a defiant attitude about it, as someone younger would tend to have. Then there's also the belief that having long hair is youthful and vibrant and all, that's why many people believe that only young women should have long hair. It could be a self conscious positive self image thing when we look in the mirror and we don't see our moms or granmothers, but a long haired beautiful woman. I don't believe it's the hair that makes us feel younger IMO, but that people who feel young at heart gravitate toward that more youthful stigma. As for me, I'll always feel like a big kid. Who says I have to grow up!

[AJoifulNoise]

I have been told I have the "wonder of a child," despite all that I've been through in my life. I still love to sit on the floor, color, collect toys, and ask questions. But, I don't think it's because or at all related to my hair length. I'd be this way if I was shaved bald (:TMI:)!

I just love life and the world around me. And, right now, that means loving and having fun with my hair. :D

[n3m3sis42]

I don't think that long(ish) hair necessarily gives me a younger attitude. If anything, I associate a younger attitude with the times that I had hair between shoulder length and APL. At those lengths, I could more easily get away with doing horrible mean things to my hair, so I could strip it and dye it crazy colors.

I do get an increasing amount of pleasure out of my hair as it gets longer this time around, but I don't know that I necessarily associate it with youth (or lack thereof, for that matter). I'm at a phase in my life where I am kind of a stick in the mud. I've found I sort of shift in and out of those phases and I think that's just where I am in life right now. :)

[savi]

Long hair = Younger attitude. Oh dear.. I'm doomed. :panda: (I had to use the panda.)
I've never really understood it but for some reason I'm often mistaken to be 5 or more years older than what I am. Currently 20,but I actually quite like that confusion over my age,older people treat me like an equal.. :p I'm told it's because I'm so demure and calm. Even my close friends say that even though I act like a little kid around them. Freely experimenting and running around. "There she goes again.."

My mother on the other hand, pixie curly hair, is usually thought to be a decade younger than she is. Like Tap Dancer she is young by heart. And no I'm not telling her age, but she'll fit here.

So I'm thinking long hair can help with the appearance of youth and since you'll have to be fiddling with it (like children and younger folks do) can make you feel younger. And usually when people feel younger they'll start acting more like it. Or it shows in their body language. That's what I've noticed.

[ilovelonghair]

People do have different body language when they get older, and also move different, sometimes have even different facial expressions. I have no idea why that happens, but I noticed that people who don't change this come over as much younger. Long hair also makes people appear younger. I don't say short hair necesairily ages, because for some people it just looks good and it doesn't age them, but in general long hair makes people look younger.

As for myself, when I was 20 I cut off my hair at chin lenght and it did make me look a bit older, but that was no problem because before I cut it I looked like 15 LOL.
Now people think I'm 10 years younger then I am but I don't think it's because of my hair, it's just that I stayed the same, I did not age in attitude. Sometimes it gets really funny, because I never think of my age and have younger friends of whom not everybody knows my age. 2 years ago when I was still married one friend was shocked when I told her I had been married for 3 years, she said: "what??? you married at the age of 18?" That was quite funny. But it is less funny when a boy of 19 chases you... However I take it as a compliment.

[prosperina]

Long hair = Younger attitude. Oh dear.. I'm doomed. (I had to use the panda.)
I've never really understood it but for some reason I'm often mistaken to be 5 or more years older than what I am. Currently 20,but I actually quite like that confusion over my age,older people treat me like an equal.. I'm told it's because I'm so demure and calm. Even my close friends say that even though I act like a little kid around them. Freely experimenting and running around. "There she goes again.."

You're right; age and hair are very complicated, and you can't always tell. Older people tend to treat me like an equal because I'm so calm and level-headed (despite the fact that I too act immature and silly at home--although they don't see this. :p) whereas younger people (I'm 27) look at me and think I'm their age--18 or 19. It's funny. I don't know that any of that has anything to do with long hair, but when I had carefully coiffed short straight ironed hair many people thought I looked more sophisticated. :rollseyes: Personally, I thought I looked like a follower, and I wasn't wearing the type of clothes I wanted to wear, so it was just dreadful. Many seem to have this idea of what certain people of certain ages need to look like. When you don't look like that they don't always know what to do with you, so sometimes they just assume you're younger. :shrug:

[truepeacenik]

So what do you think....do we long hairs have a younger attitude than conventional short hairs? Or is it just the imagination of a slightly sleep deprived middle aged yoga teaching hippie chick?

Izzie, here's a thought for you to play with:
the youthful/ spirited factor can be related to WHY we grow.
If you grow because your culture sys you have to, then you probably are not going to either feel or be perceived as a free spirit.
If you grow for grins and giggles, or to say neenerneener to the overculture, or to be the sexy grandma, why yes, that is a "young" attitude.

neenerbabe: best. user.ID.ever.

[Nynaeve]

Izzie, here's a thought for you to play with:
the youthful/ spirited factor can be related to WHY we grow.
If you grow because your culture sys you have to, then you probably are not going to either feel or be perceived as a free spirit.
If you grow for grins and giggles, or to say neenerneener to the overculture, or to be the sexy grandma, why yes, that is a "young" attitude.


I completely agree with this, especially with the "you're getting old, you have to cut it all off to seem authoritative or old" attitude. There's nothing wrong with having long hair at any age. I've lately been upset because my sister keeps chopping my niece's hair off, then complaining when she can't get it into a proper bun for her dance recitals. :rolleyes:
It is unfortunate that people believe you have to lose your happy factor, or your youthful attitude just because you aren't 25 anymore. It seems so pointless, how can you enjoy life if you don't have some child-like qualities? I'd rather have some child-like qualities and long hair when I'm old than to have short hair, seem prim and proper, and seem like I have a stick somewhere....

[neenerbabe]

I just wanted to tell everyone who had such sweet things to say about my photos thank you! You all made my day. I'd quote you individually but don't know how, as I've never had a reason to try to do multiple quotes before!! So if anyone can point me in the right direction as to how to do that it would be awesome, lol. But thanks again.
Oh, and for those who wanted to know, I'm 31. I think I'll always be 9 years old at heart, though! :D

[spidermom]

I'm younger than my age group in so many ways -- not just hair. I play with the dogs in the yard, go on long walks with them, skip when I'm happy. I don't automatically assume "I'm too old" to do anything. Perhaps middle-aged people who have a youthful attitude are more likely to choose long hair.

[ilovelonghair]

You can grow and be wise and stay youthful. Lots of people think that is not possible, but it is. You don't have to look prim or have short hair to be wise :)

[Speedbump]

For me, no. I am more authentically myself with long hair, and that makes me feel more dynamic, but not younger. Other people tend to THINK I'm younger -- last year I was told by someone they thought I was 25! -- but I think that has more to do with their personal mental stereotypes than me as a person. JMHO.

[teela1978]

I would tend to side with the "it's just aesthetics" argument... but to be honest, when I have short hair I generally feel more grown up (you'd think I'd already be grown up at 29 but I'm not). I'm not sure if its a societal thing or just a me thing, but based on that I suppose I do feel younger with long hair... or at least less grown up.

[sputnik]

I didn't read all the replies, so sorry if I am re-iterating what someone else said. I agree with the statement that hair length is about aethestics more than anything, but I also think having less conventional aethetics (whether long hair, a platinum pixie, or anything considered a bit out of the ordinary for ones age) can often be a reflection that the person is not completely settled down to some predecribed routine. Which will make them seem younger. However I have met people whoes outward appearance does not at all represent how they are as a person, so who knows.

[Tap Dancer]

My grandmother insists that my mother needs to cut her hair because "she's old."

For years my mom kept her hair shoulder length and my grandma would actually offer to pay for my mom to have it cut. My mom didn't care for the length; she just didn't know anyone she would trust to cut it. It wasn't until I found a great hairdresser that my mom finally went and cut hers. She looks great with short hair and she seems younger. So maybe short hair makes my mom feel young and sassy. It works at any age and length. :)

After I cut my hair off last summer, I realized I'm opposite. I need HAIR! LOL

[Wind Dragon]

So maybe short hair makes my mom feel young and sassy. It works at any age and length. :)

Exactly. Looking younger that you are has everything to do with how you feel, far less with whatever's happening on the outside. I was 30 when I went pixie, and I think it was a few years later that they started carding locally for cigarette purchases. I stopped at a gas station for smokes, and the gal behind the counter asked me for my ID. I puzzled over the request for a second, then decided to ask. "Why?" She answered (in just as slow and confused a tone as mine,) "Because, you have to be at least eighteen to buy these?" I chuckled over that for hours.

A few years after that, I mentioned to a co-worker that I had been to my 20-year high school reunion. Mind you, I am a couple of years younger than most of those classmates, and the fellow I addressed was a big kid himself (30-ish years old and in a funk because his wife didn't want him to dress up to go out with their daughter for Halloween that year.) Still, his response was -- interesting. He skidded to a stop (always in hyperdrive, that one,) looked closer at me and proclaimed "No way, you're not that old; I've seen how you act!"

I have a picture of me that was taken before the cut, and in the middle of a marriage that was strangling itself to death. That picture could have easily been used as an example of how "long hair just hangs there and makes your face look old!" Now with long hair again, there are still days I look like a kid (though with more laugh lines now and slightly sagging jowls, those days are getting fewer and farther between. ;) ) There's at least a 15-year span between the old lady in that pic and the kid I still sometimes look like now. I really don't think either look has anything to do with hair. :face: