My biggest peeve: mandatory hair cuts for women over 40

[Ruvie]

Seriously, why does everyone think long hair is something you are only allowed to have up until a certain age? Makeover shows, magazines...all of them want to hack off older womens gorgeous locks over some stupid "rule". Sorry media, i will have hair down to my bum or longer until i die :D

[zen_oven]

I was just talking to my hubby about this the other night. He doesn't get it either. His sister just cut her hair off super-short because she thinks she's "too old" for long hair. She's my age (33).

I'm with you. . . long hair until I'm dead! LOL.

[restourceful]

I can't wait to be a little old white haired lady with at least hip length hair!:cheese:

[May]

I don't know if anyone watches that show "What Not to Wear" but I hardly ever find the haircuts very flattering...Why do they always have the same shoulder length (or shorter), layered 'do'?:(:confused: lol. It's terrible. I mean what's wrong with long layers at the very least? Geez:rant:

[triumphator!]

I agree with this thread. Very rarely do you see a woman over 40 (even 30, sometimes) with hair that isn't cropped close to the head or above the shoulders.

I think this is very sad! When did it become bad to have long hair! If anything, you'd think that longer hair represents the longevity that comes with age!

[DARKMARTIAN]

One thing I could never get past when I used to go to church with my folks was looking at all the more short haired "mature" ladies in the congregation from the back and seeing a field of dandelions.....

[ravenreed]

If it makes you all feel any better, most of my friends +40 (and myself) have either longer than standard hair or actively growing their hair out. My mom's is short only because she has painfully thin hair. If she felt it looked better long, she would grow it out as well.

I have yet to be told that I am too old for long hair, but even if I was told that, I wouldn't listen.

[MissManda]

I always thought that little old ladies with long hair were awesome. I don't want to have short hair ever again. I really hate the "no long hair over 30-40" rule and there's no way I will submit to it. My MIL has hip-length hair and she's now over 50. I know I will be very sad if she ever cuts her hair short.

I once had a hairstylist tell me that it was okay for me to have long hair, but by the time I reached middle-age, I HAD to cut it off because my hair would look "stringy."

[rusika1]

People should be allowed to wear their hair in the style or cut that makes them happiest.

Remember though, that physical limitations like arthritis may mean that you will be unable to care for long hair. And many older women have hair that has thinned so much that short hair is the only option they're comfortable with. (Because it can be fluffed up enough to hide their scalp.)

All that said, a pox on forced conformity!:D

[Carolyn]

Um, rules were made to be broken. We learned that well in the 60s ;)

[tanya222]

I was just talking to my hubby about this the other night. He doesn't get it either. His sister just cut her hair off super-short because she thinks she's "too old" for long hair. She's my age (33).

I'm with you. . . long hair until I'm dead! LOL.


:eek:


Same age I am! Not to toot my own horn but I daresay I think I look younger with longer hair! I mean, I was still getting carded at the liquor store at 32;)

[Meagan]

I don't know if anyone watches that show "What Not to Wear" but I hardly ever find the haircuts very flattering...Why do they always have the same shoulder length (or shorter), layered 'do'?:(:confused: lol. It's terrible. I mean what's wrong with long layers at the very least? Geez:rant:

The hair stylist on that show sucks, not only does he LOVE to chop off long hair, his haircuts are crap, at least not good enough to be on a show. :mad:

[Tovah]

I'll be 62 in September and since my hair has gotten longer, people are commenting on how young I look. My hair at this point is about 2 inches above APL and I get huge compliments whenever I wear it down (rarely). My goal length keeps getting longer as I let it grow. I think those old lay haircuts just make you look like an old lady.

[MissManda]

:eek:


Same age I am! Not to toot my own horn but I daresay I think I look younger with longer hair! I mean, I was still getting carded at the liquor store at 32;)

I agree with this. I have observed that the most matronly-looking women (not that there's anything wrong with that, of course) have shorter hair.

[atlantaz3]

Umm I cut at 40 - yes I caved and also my hair so was bleach damaged it was a good thing. At 50 I'm doing what I want! It's hard working in corporate blow dry land to not cave in again, they all chop and color the gray. I keep telling myself how much more maintenance that short hair cut will be. Let them keep the hair dressers in business.

[RavennaNight]

It is sad what a recurring issue this is, we have had so many threads regarding the age-appropriateness of long hair and the pressure to cut:wink:.

[ravenreed]

Some people have a seriously hard time going against society's standards, so that is probably why they feel the need to post. Good on them if they have trouble doing it but try to do it anyway.

[spidermom]

If I ever get too decrepit to take care of my hair by myself, and I don't have a volunteer around, I will definitely get it cut short whether anybody likes it or not. So there!

[Darkhorse1]

Tiz why I started growing my hair longer...for my 40th birthday, it was at my tailbone :D I'm such a rebel ;)

[going gray]

I'll be 62 in September and since my hair has gotten longer, people are commenting on how young I look. My hair at this point is about 2 inches above APL and I get huge compliments whenever I wear it down (rarely). My goal length keeps getting longer as I let it grow. I think those old lay haircuts just make you look like an old lady.

You are so right Tovah, I'm 63, sick & tired of all those old fashion rules. With SO much trial & error, finally realized I too look younger with long hair.

[going gray]

Umm I cut at 40 - yes I caved and also my hair so was bleach damaged it was a good thing. At 50 I'm doing what I want! It's hard working in corporate blow dry land to not cave in again, they all chop and color the gray. I keep telling myself how much more maintenance that short hair cut will be. Let them keep the hair dressers in business.

You're so right, I frankly feel it's ALL about the mulit-billion dollor hair salon industry, just imagine the loss of revenue etc. if women woke up & stopped feeling they must wear the lastes hairt trend.

[jeanniet]

Fortunately, I'm now old enough that I no longer give a rat's hind end about what I'm supposed to be doing or what other people think. I'm also rather contrary, so if it's dictated that I should do something one way, I want to go in the other direction. :D

There are a few older ladies at church with long hair. There's also an older lady with shorter hair, but it's bright pink. Gotta love her!

[ilovelonghair]

And many older women have hair that has thinned so much that short hair is the only option they're comfortable with. (Because it can be fluffed up enough to hide their scalp.)

If that would happen to me, I'd buy an expensive wig

[Amraann]

I had a friend who had lovely BSL blond hair and she was just about to turn 40 and chopped it off.
When I asked her why she said that she was to old to have long hair.
SAD.

[ArienEllariel]

I too think that the whole "chop your hair off when you hit 40" rule is stupid. No offense, but I don't see short hair making people look any younger. If anything it makes you look older. Plus, do you realize how horrible it is to see an old couple walking together and not being able to tell who was the man and who was the woman from the back? I say grow your hair ladies!

[Angeletti]

I'm always curious as to who starts these opinions in society, if women over a certain age want to wear their hair long then let them, I would never cut my hair just because others follow some absurd opinion. I'll probably have long hair until I'm a little old lady and if someone tells me to cut my hair then I'll just whack them with my cane : )

[Torrin Paige]

All through her 30's and 40's my mom sported what I can only say is the Dolly Parton Wig look...lots of layers, a perm and a veritable ton of hairspray. That's the kind of hair all of her peers had. After many years of cajoling and outright begging she finally stopped with the perms and cutting and just let it grow. She's now at waist length and looks fabulous at 51...and regularly gets hit on by "boys" half her age. Granted, she's addicted to highlights and her flat iron, but at least she's stopped teasing it. I'll take my victories where I can get them. :) I plan on always having my hair at least waist length. I simply know too many things to do with it to even think of cutting it any shorter. Not to mention I have so much money tied up in hairtoys that my hubby would kill me. LOL.

[ArienEllariel]

I'm always curious as to who starts these opinions in society, if women over a certain age want to wear their hair long then let them, I would never cut my hair just because others follow some absurd opinion. I'll probably have long hair until I'm a little old lady and if someone tells me to cut my hair then I'll just whack them with my cane : )

:spitting:I cannot get a picture of a sweet little old lady whacking someone over the head with her hot pink cane out of my head! :laugh:

[May]

Remember though, that physical limitations like arthritis may mean that you will be unable to care for long hair. And many older women have hair that has thinned so much that short hair is the only option they're comfortable with. (Because it can be fluffed up enough to hide their scalp.)

So true rusika1

[gypsychild]

My mom cut her hair way short at around forty. She ended up being really pissed because in her driver's license photo she bears a striking resemblance to her own mother...at 60. Her hair is a bit over BSL now lol.

[renarok]

I am against people encouraging short hair in more mature women, but I can definitely see myself getting tired of taking care of my length. I have physical issues that sometimes make caring for my hair a literal pain. I can see myself possibly saying goodbye to the length, but I have always said I am way more than my hair. I am not defined by my hair no matter what length it is.

[Juneii]

possibly from a bad diet, genetics, or horrible hair treatments, women's hair thins dramatically as they grow older (my mom is a good example) and so they cut it short to cover the bald spots. Long hair pulls the strands down and may make the thinner spots more obvious.

[HintOfMint]

Um, rules were made to be broken. We learned that well in the 60s ;)

Wonderful statement! Hear hear!

[Arctic_Mama]

People should be allowed to wear their hair in the style or cut that makes them happiest.

Remember though, that physical limitations like arthritis may mean that you will be unable to care for long hair. And many older women have hair that has thinned so much that short hair is the only option they're comfortable with. (Because it can be fluffed up enough to hide their scalp.)

All that said, a pox on forced conformity!:D

These are very good points. An older friend of mine was admiring my buns and hairstick use at church and I was recommending styles to her. She admitted she cut her hair a good six inches shorter and used heat tools on it to give it some volume because it had thinned so much she was very self conscious. She stopped doing braids because the diameter was so thin it embarrassed her.

I think that is surprisingly common.

[emma907]

I think a lot of it also has to do with the way long hair can 'drag' a face down - though not everyone, if you have a long face, long hair can emphasise it, and some people when they get past a certain age just look a bit tired when there hair is long so short hair looks better and fashion has caught on to that fact.
BUT that said, it's not something that should be applied to everyone, many people look great with long hair at any age (just looking at some of the people on this forum proves that)

Fashion has a lot to answer for I think. :)

[Gnomentum]

I used to, until very recently, think I would have to cut my hair when I got older. But a couple of weeks ago my DH told me he'd had a dream about us both being elderly and sitting holding hands. He told me my hair was totally grey, really long and I looked wonderful. (Interrogation failed to reveal how long.. honestly, MEN!)

That flipped my mental switch and now I don't intend to go short ever again!

Also, it's kind of nice to think of us still being together when we're old. I don't doubt we will be - it's just nice to think about :)

[drquartz1970]

One thing I could never get past when I used to go to church with my folks was looking at all the more short haired "mature" ladies in the congregation from the back and seeing a field of dandelions.....

or a field of poodles. LOL!

[naereid]

Of course, it could be that they cut it because it's thinned out or they can't take care of it any more.

But I do think it could also be connected to the society's outdated view of woman and sexuality. Looking at the past, unwed young women used to wear their hair out. After marriage, they would cover it up. Looking at muslim societies, long hair is so potent that women are forced to wear veils lest they get sexually assaulted.
So basically, long hair used to symbolize sex and fertility. After menopause begins to set in, well there's no point in having long hair anymore, is there!
Trouble is, despite everything, the western society still has a lot of issues with aging. Older women still aren't supposed to be sexy. Unless they're all botoxed and siliconed up. Then it's okay. :rolleyes:

In fairy tales, older women with loose long hair can only be witches. Evil, crazy and banned from society.

[Gnomentum]

In fairy tales, older women with loose long hair can only be witches. Evil, crazy and banned from society.

Perfect! I'll start cultivating my cackle now :D

[FrannyG]

I'm almost 49, and I can remember that as early as the age of 33, people started telling me that "I was no kid" and I should get my hair cut in a more mature fashion. Even at that, my hair was barely below the shoulders at the time.

I've given in to a couple of short cuts over the years, and I've always felt older with short hair.

While my hair is not long right now by LHC standards, it is long amongst women my own age, and a couple of years ago, when it was almost at waist length, it was longer than 99% of all females I encountered, even high school girls.

I had to do a big chop and then maintain due to a colour disaster a couple of years ago, but I plan on letting it grow now, as long as it will look nice when worn down.

I don't plan on ever having short hair again in my life. Ever.

[Jessica Trapp]

I'm 40. Not planning to cut.

:flower: jes

[Jessica Trapp]

I don't know if anyone watches that show "What Not to Wear" but I hardly ever find the haircuts very flattering...Why do they always have the same shoulder length (or shorter), layered 'do'?:(:confused: lol. It's terrible. I mean what's wrong with long layers at the very least? Geez:rant:

It has been a long time since I watched the show. I think they like to cut long to short for shock value. It's certainly not always very flattering.

I live with a sort of mild anxiety that the people from some makeover will show up on my doorstep to do an, er, :luke: intervention because I tend to just wear whatever I want--mostly look like a flower clild--and not really give a flip. I recently found a pair of leopard print Birkenstocks. (Naturally) I think they match everything. :D

:flower: jes

[Dragon]

It makes no sence why they want to cut if off. It's nice to see old ladies with long hair. And I'm gona be one of them one day:)

[Unofficial_Rose]

In the UK makeover show, Gok's Fashion Fix (and I like Gok, on the whole), they not only give the women short hair, but they won't let anyone be blonde anymore, even if it's their natural colour. There was one woman with beautiful strawberry/golden blonde hair past her shoulders. They chopped it into a short layered bob with dark, reddish brown highlights. Criminal.

I generally prefer the 'before' hair on these shows.

[Fethenwen]

I can't wait to be a little old white haired lady with at least hip length hair!:cheese:
Me either! :cheese:
-----


Though... I think there is SOME truth to it. In some cases long hair does seem to drag someones face "down".

Here's an example:
http://static.oprah.com/images/health/beauty/beauty_chop_102_350x263.jpg

^ Of course, in the after picture the model is wearing more makeup and she is smiling AND the lightning make her look younger. But I think besides all that, the shorter hair do makes her look a bit younger and more trendy.

But I still prefer the before look on her :) She looks like a wise woman, and her hair is beautiful long. I think aiming to look younger isn't always the best option, what's wrong with looking a bit old anyway? That only shows that you have life experience :flower:

mod ETA: please note On Posting Pictures - Hotlinking with IMG Tags and Copyright Issues (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=35939)

[Henrietta]

Toss your hair and laugh at media. They want to make money so they need to tell people they need makeover, when the truth is that media need makeover.

My aunt was 80 years old and she had knee length hair. She always wore it in a crown braid, but people could see that it was long as the crown was huge:)

[Igraine]

@Fethenwen: Even if that was the case (not that much difference left after subtracting smile, make-up and light...), couldn't the effect be the same with some chin length layers/really long bangs?

[Purdy Bear]

Sitting here thinking about long and short hair in history, as far as I can recall the short hair thing came in, in the 1920s with the shorter skirt thing, so it may go hand in hand with womens lib, vote etc.

Around here, most of the older (over 60s) women all sport the same hair cut, and pink rinse.

Iv never been one for trends or fashion, and Im adament that when I get all my hair back Im growing it as long as it will allow (hopefully to tail bone length).

[Jessica Trapp]

I dunno... I am not sure those photos are a fair comparison. Make-up, lighting, "shaping," and the fan blowing her hair plus the lift at the crown make (IMO) more of a difference than the actual length.

JMO of course.

jes

[linda g]

I'm so messed up, I *started* growing my hair in my 40's! :D

[Nae]

Okay, Renegrey chiming in and saying "Wow, she actually looks MORE grey after her makeover! That is amazing, usually they dye the heck outta anyone who has even a smidgen of grey coming through."

I do like the second picture better but I think it is more the photography than the subject, you know what I mean? The smiling, the hair blowing in the wind, the nice lighting. I want a picture done of me like that!!!

[rags]

People should be allowed to wear their hair in the style or cut that makes them happiest.

Remember though, that physical limitations like arthritis may mean that you will be unable to care for long hair. And many older women have hair that has thinned so much that short hair is the only option they're comfortable with. (Because it can be fluffed up enough to hide their scalp.)

All that said, a pox on forced conformity!:D

I'm not THAT old, but my hair has thinned dramatically due to medications and illness. In some places you can see my scalp. So I chopped it from tailbone a few years ago and blow dried and fluffed for all I was worth. Now I'm growing it back out because - physical limitations make it harder to have SHORT hair (and have it look good!). And also because with long hair, I can put it in a bun, comb my hair to hide the thin spots, and it will stay like that all day. So I find the longer hair to be better for hiding the thinness as long as I wear it up. It's a heck of a lot easier when I'm having a bad day to just toss it in a cinnabun than to blow dry it and curl it.

I also just plain missed my long hair. I do think though, that the longer hair is better for covering up thinness (at least on me) than the short.

[DiablitaNoir]

Oh, don't even get me started on how it bugs me when people say that middle-aged and older women can't wear long hair - absolutely ridiculous. And telling women not to have long hair in their 30s is even more ridiculous. I'm 31 and no one has told me to get a haircut yet but even so I refuse. I had short hair (pixies and bobs) for most of my teens and 20s...I thought it looked cute but now I look back on that and wonder what the hell I was thinking. Short hair can look cute on the right person but not on me. I definitely like myself better with long hair and intend to keep it that way on into old age. Society can shove it.

[Jezerellica]

I used to, until very recently, think I would have to cut my hair when I got older. But a couple of weeks ago my DH told me he'd had a dream about us both being elderly and sitting holding hands. He told me my hair was totally grey, really long and I looked wonderful. (Interrogation failed to reveal how long.. honestly, MEN!)

That flipped my mental switch and now I don't intend to go short ever again!

Also, it's kind of nice to think of us still being together when we're old. I don't doubt we will be - it's just nice to think about :)

Oh, this is so sweet. You could not pay me to cut my hair if I were you after hearing this!! So beautiful!

[Jezerellica]

If that would happen to me, I'd buy an expensive wig

Oh yeah! Me too! And it will. It is in my family to seriously thin on top.

[Lamb]

"Mandatory"? When did it become mandatory? It is not. If some women decide they'd look more mature/put together/professional with shorter hair, that is their own choice. Women (and men!!) wear their hair the way they do for a variety of reasons. Thinning hair, personal preference, changes in taste, changes in lifestyle, etc. etc. There is nothing wrong with that.

If a woman really wants to have long hair at 40, she will. Trust me on that one. It's not like the fashion police are roaming the streets for middle aged women with long hair and submitting them to a f0rc3d h#1rcvt.

(FWIW, I don't believe in the fashion police any more than I believe in the hair fairy. Oh wait. :hmm:)

[MissFrenchTwist]

Amen... I plan to be the "old lady with the waist-length hair"...

[Second Growth]

Seriously, why does everyone think long hair is something you are only allowed to have up until a certain age? Makeover shows, magazines...all of them want to hack off older womens gorgeous locks over some stupid "rule". Sorry media, i will have hair down to my bum or longer until i die :D
Too old? I started regrowning my hair at 59! I cut off my really beautiful long hair when I was 29 because I thought it was too "old" looking. Stupid me. I've always missed it and Now I'm going to have it again.

[lapushka]

I don't know...

Longer hair is harder to dye, and the more the grays start coming in, the more I have the urge to dye my hair and cut it short just to get rid of the grays. I guess there aren't many salons that just love to dye and treat long hair. One of my aunts has thick past BSL hair and she gets it highlighted every 3 months or so. She had to really search around for a good hair stylist who would tackle her hair without complaining every time or overcharging. Some salons even charge €5 euro extra for anything they do if you have hair past your shoulders! Come on!

There must be even more reasons as to why older women cut their hair short(er). Salons don't make it any easier when gray hair starts to surface, that's for sure. Thick AND long hair makes them writhe in agony. :roll:

[Tovah]

I started letting the silvers grow out but there weren't enough to make a statement-just looked mousey. It is easy to deal with dying them though-just use a semi-demi permanent dye and only do the roots. I use an ashy light brown which when it washes out leaves a lovely honey color tint to silver My stylist only does the roots and doesn't even comb the color through. My hair looks very natural now with amber "highlights" where it is really silver underneath.

Before, I was using harsh dyes and had to keep it in a bob for it to look half-way healthy. I also had to heat style it and it took forever to get ready in the morning. Now I just shower, comb, , twist it up and leave for work....even in the winter.

[emmebean]

I'm not THAT old, but my hair has thinned dramatically due to medications and illness. In some places you can see my scalp. So I chopped it from tailbone a few years ago and blow dried and fluffed for all I was worth. Now I'm growing it back out because - physical limitations make it harder to have SHORT hair (and have it look good!). And also because with long hair, I can put it in a bun, comb my hair to hide the thin spots, and it will stay like that all day. So I find the longer hair to be better for hiding the thinness as long as I wear it up. It's a heck of a lot easier when I'm having a bad day to just toss it in a cinnabun than to blow dry it and curl it.

I also just plain missed my long hair. I do think though, that the longer hair is better for covering up thinness (at least on me) than the short.



Rags,

after chemo, my hair has thinned so much on top, I get so sad to see my scalp on top in the mirror, I cannot fluff it up on top to cover it, it looks worse. I found after growing now, that I can bun it and comb and hide the thin spots also.
I'm with you.
Jen

[AuntyClaus]

I think a lot of it also has to do with the way long hair can 'drag' a face down - though not everyone, if you have a long face, long hair can emphasise it


True. My cousin had long hair in her 50s, which didn't exactly flatter her. She currently has a bob, which makes her look like our grandmother, so it's 6 of one, half-dozen of the other.

I'm trying to find updos that poof out a bit at the sides. Doesn't help that my hair is thinnish around my face, but thick at the back. :laugh:

[florenonite]

I too think that the whole "chop your hair off when you hit 40" rule is stupid. No offense, but I don't see short hair making people look any younger. If anything it makes you look older. Plus, do you realize how horrible it is to see an old couple walking together and not being able to tell who was the man and who was the woman from the back? I say grow your hair ladies!

I recently got my hair cut to chin length (I know, the horror! :lol:), and one of the perks is that I now look older than my sixteen-year-old sister's friends ;) I do think in general long hair looks younger, as a combination of societal preconceptions (like middle-aged women should cut their hair) and the way it frames the face :shrug:


I dunno... I am not sure those photos are a fair comparison. Make-up, lighting, "shaping," and the fan blowing her hair plus the lift at the crown make (IMO) more of a difference than the actual length.

JMO of course.

jes

You forgot Photoshop ;) They definitely airbrushed that second picture to smooth out the skin.

[Fiferstone]

I liked the "before" picture better myself.

Oh the irony. What makes me laugh is the way such dictates as "long hair drags a face down" are presented as eternal absolutes, when 100 years ago (yes, we're talking 1910ish) and Irene Castle first bobbed her hair, public reaction was that she was violating some sort of immutable natural law that helped to define what a woman was. Women had LONG hair, men had SHORT hair (conveniently forgetting that for centuries until about the first decade of the 19th century, men ALSO had LONG hair ;)), so a woman who cut her hair off was denying her essential womanhood. Girls wore their long hair in half-ups or loose, women who were married and raising children styled it in updos to keep it neat, and men went to the barber a couple times a week to get shaved if they did not have the dexterity to handle a straight razor themselves (which was my great-grandfather's routine).

Bottom line: throughout human history we humans have worn our hair in every possible permutation of a style, long or short, and we have always attached some societal/cultural meaning to hair styles.

My point: The eternal verities are not so eternal as those who spout them would like to believe, and we should all follow our own hearts (our own bliss) and do what pleases us in this regard. :)

[alwayssmiling]

I don't know if anyone watches that show "What Not to Wear" but I hardly ever find the haircuts very flattering...Why do they always have the same shoulder length (or shorter), layered 'do'?:(:confused: lol. It's terrible. I mean what's wrong with long layers at the very least? Geez:rant:

Totally agree!. They cut the hair into a really short feathered do every time. They loose their personalities and look like they have been through a middle age factory. I think long hair any women over 40 is incredibly beautiful and youthful, and some older women do pixie cuts very well - no rules for me.

[2peasinapod]

I'm trying to find updos that poof out a bit at the sides. Doesn't help that my hair is thinnish around my face, but thick at the back. :laugh:

Have you tried the Gibson Tuck?

[fair isle]

With the makeover shows they cut everyone's hair... young, middle-aged, and older. They want a dramatic difference between before and after, and what is more dramatic than chopping long hair. I always feel so sorry for those people because you know they are being heavily pressured to go along with the whole thing.

I do remember one what not to wear where a young woman completely refused to allow them to color her hair or cut it short, it was awesome :)

Also women over 40 with long hair, absolutely beautiful! The "rules" can go take a long walk off a short pier :p

[lapushka]

I do remember one what not to wear where a young woman completely refused to allow them to color her hair or cut it short, it was awesome :)

Also women over 40 with long hair, absolutely beautiful! The "rules" can go take a long walk off a short pier :p

I wonder... Why are the rules on hair different for all those other women when Trinny & Susannah themselves (both over 40) have longish, quite youthful hair.

[Coffeebug]

I wonder... Why are the rules on hair different for all those other women when Trinny & Susannah themselves (both over 40) have longish, quite youthful hair.

That right there, is a very good point!!

I was out at a pub and this lady was asking me about my hair and went on to say it looked terrible when women get out of their 20s and still have long hair, so I pointed out I was 30 and had no plans to ever cut it shorter than waist LOL! My hair, my rules!

[Tabitha]

I have so much money tied up in hairtoys that my hubby would kill me. LOL.

I hear you! :oops:


I started letting the silvers grow out but there weren't enough to make a statement-just looked mousey. It is easy to deal with dying them though-just use a semi-demi permanent dye and only do the roots. I use an ashy light brown which when it washes out leaves a lovely honey color tint to silver My stylist only does the roots and doesn't even comb the color through. My hair looks very natural now with amber "highlights" where it is really silver underneath.

Before, I was using harsh dyes and had to keep it in a bob for it to look half-way healthy. I also had to heat style it and it took forever to get ready in the morning. Now I just shower, comb, , twist it up and leave for work....even in the winter.

Great tip - I deal with mine currently by having salon lowlights but this does take a bit of time every few months.

Whilst I don't believe any hairstyle is "mandatory" I do think it's a good idea to reassess how we look every few years. What suits you at age 20 is unlikely to suit you at age 40.

Ironically what prompted me to grow my hair was seeing a photograph taken at a formal dinner of myself with a pixie. I realised that what had looked cute at 20 was now too harsh for my older features.

I'm 48 and have no wish to look "younger" - I just want something that flatters my features and looks feminine and stylish. I think an elegant updo is timeless.

[bumblebums]

Does anyone know where that desexed blue-haired permed dandelion look comes from? I've been wondering for a while, and I am pretty sure it's a Western Europe/US thing, though it is now spreading. But how and when did it start?

My own grandma and great-grandma had long hair that was pinned up. I would only see it not pinned up when they took it down in a braid for the night. That's what I think of as canonical old lady hair--white hair in a modest bun. That's what I plan to have, even if my hair thins significantly (which it probably will, judging by what happened to my older female relatives).

[PiroskaCicu]

I'm going to be that little old lady with loooong hair too :) Can't wait :D Especially it will look awesome with a long braid...

[Tovah]

Me either! :cheese:
-----


Though... I think there is SOME truth to it. In some cases long hair does seem to drag someones face "down".

Here's an example:
http://static.oprah.com/images/health/beauty/beauty_chop_102_350x263.jpg

^ Of course, in the after picture the model is wearing more makeup and she is smiling AND the lightning make her look younger. But I think besides all that, the shorter hair do makes her look a bit younger and more trendy.

But I still prefer the before look on her :) She looks like a wise woman, and her hair is beautiful long. I think aiming to look younger isn't always the best option, what's wrong with looking a bit old anyway? That only shows that you have life experience :flower:

mod ETA: please note On Posting Pictures - Hotlinking with IMG Tags and Copyright Issues (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=35939)

They could have gotten the same effect with putting her hair up. I didn't realize that cutting your hair could get rid of wrinkles....... look closely.

[Fethenwen]

@Fethenwen: Even if that was the case (not that much difference left after subtracting smile, make-up and light...), couldn't the effect be the same with some chin length layers/really long bangs?
Hmm, yes that might give the same effect, not as poofy and floaty though.




You forgot Photoshop ;) They definitely airbrushed that second picture to smooth out the skin.
Ah, yes of course :p That too.



They could have gotten the same effect with putting her hair up. I didn't realize that cutting your hair could get rid of wrinkles....... look closely.
It doesn't really have anything to do with wrinkles, it has more to do with improving the overall look by emphasizing certain features which might give a brighter look = looking younger.

[Tiina]

Does anyone know where that desexed blue-haired permed dandelion look comes from? I've been wondering for a while, and I am pretty sure it's a Western Europe/US thing, though it is now spreading. But how and when did it start?

My own grandma and great-grandma had long hair that was pinned up. I would only see it not pinned up when they took it down in a braid for the night. That's what I think of as canonical old lady hair--white hair in a modest bun. That's what I plan to have, even if my hair thins significantly (which it probably will, judging by what happened to my older female relatives).

I don't know about the blue hair but my grandma perms her hair into a dandelion because she dyes it a very light brown and the perm keeps her gray roots from showing. The colour actually looks quite natural this way even if the perm doesn't. I think permed hair can also hide thinning.

And in my opinion, it is wrong to dictate to anyone what they should look like. Their own life, their own body and their own choice. :)

[Kristin]

My mom is 52 and her hair is about the same length as mine (between BSL and waist). She will never cut her hair short, though I have been pestering her to get a pretty serious trim but only because she does not take good care of her hair. Other than the last couple of damaged inches, my mom has really nice hair and I definitely think it keeps her looking younger than similar-aged friends and colleagues. Her and I will both be long-haired old ladies, lol.:D

[BritishBraider]

My ancient dance teacher (90 something) has all this wonderful red hair which is very carefully in barrel rolls on top of her head..... she has an army of helpers behind her though.....

Also my Nana cheerfully has BSL platinum blonde hair and she's mid-80s. Great idols, both of them :)

[Merewen]

I've been noticing that the "rules" for older women's hair don't hold that well where I am now. Yes, you can see plenty of older women with short dyed hair, but I've seen plenty with longer and/or gray hair. I rather love it. It makes me sad that it might be a "requirement" elsewhere.

[Roseate]

I think this 'rule' is changing somewhat, I see more and more "older" ladies with at least slightly longer hair.

My theory is that it has something to do with what was in style during your youth. Both my grandmothers had short curly hair when they were old, but they had short curly hair when they were young women in the 50's, too! Long hair was not at all in style during their heyday, and it's not something that ever appealed to them.

My mom is in her 60's now, and though she had some shorter cuts over the years, her hair is about BSL now, "long" for her age group where she lives. But it's a similar style to the long hair she had in the 1970's, so it feels natural and pretty to her instead of 'witchy old lady' like my grandmother would have felt with long hair. (And I agree with my mom, her hair looks great!)

[Ashera]

55 year old with almost waist-length hair reporting in. My sister is 60 and she has APL hair.

Rules? - we don't need no stinkin' rules. :p

Ashera

[Aliped]

In my family, the womens hair tends to change type with age. My mothers hair has gone from 1 a/b to 3a. She has it very short though. I'm looking forward to this!!

[Bluegrass Babe]

I'll confess I used to think women over 40 shouldn't have long hair. But when I asked myself why I felt this way - it had nothing to do with hair at all. All the women that evoked that response (mostly "professional" types on t.v.) seemed like they were desperately trying to fit in or compete with much younger coworkers. It wasn't that the hair was long, it was that they seemed to be trying to be "sexy" and had style to their hair that much younger women would wear, like they were using the hair as a prop. To me, this only aged them more in comparison.

[Fluffy Squirrel]

Elderly women and long hair always remind me of a woman at my former neighbourhood (where I grew up).
She was very small, very thin and had many wrinkles.
She always wore her hair up in a bun covered under a hair net.
I had no idea how long it was until one night (I was still a child and sometimes went there)
she was preparing for bed and removed the net and opened the bun...
...it was so stunnig!
Her hair was white, thin and had fairytails and the shortest parts were at least classic.
With any move her hair flowed with her and than she braided it for night...
She really looked like the personification of wisdom to me and I guess I will never forget that sight.

I don't think it's a matter of age but a matter of how healthy your hair is.
Long hair on young women might look ugly if it is unhealthy
and short hair might look boring / strange (if it doesn't fit the character) on older women's heads
and vice versa.

I enjoy looking at elderly people with long hair but I can perfectly understand people who cut their hair for convenience's sake.

[pennylane]

One thing I could never get past when I used to go to church with my folks was looking at all the more short haired "mature" ladies in the congregation from the back and seeing a field of dandelions.....


The Poodle Parade :( I know ... isn't it sad?


I think and I know that women look much more sexy and attractive with long healthy well kept hair after 40.


look at this, this woman was born in 1958 .....(Michelle Pfeiffer) did she cut to a poodle hairstyle? no she did not. why? because now people look much much younger than in the past. thats why!

Just accept it.... That's how it is now in 2010. :)


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g290/mikisu/MichellePfeiffer-GLA-000250.jpg

[eschmi1]

No cutting for me. I also agree that almost every makeover show (What Not to Wear) chops the hair super short rather than working with what the woman wants.

[ilovelonghair]

In fairy tales, older women with loose long hair can only be witches. Evil, crazy and banned from society.

Or cute fairy-godmothers :)

[Lisette]

I am 41 and growing out a pixie. I prefer to be an old lady with a beautiful updo rather than a standard perm. I mean 100/150 years ago every woman had long hair her whole life!

Lisette

[DARKMARTIAN]

One thing I could never get past when I used to go to church with my folks was looking at all the more short haired "mature" ladies in the congregation from the back and seeing a field of dandelions.....

Im sorry but I just ran across this and I knew I had to post it after making the above comment.....:p

http://www.scradmin.org/albums/album03/Bad_Hair_Day_by_Cherie_Buller.jpg

[invisiblebabe]

I think that "rule" is silly. There are plenty of ladies over 40 who can wear longer hair. Look at Courteney Cox Arquette:

Courteney Cox (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/CourteneyCoxFeb09.jpg)

[pepperminttea]

If I ever get too decrepit to take care of my hair by myself, and I don't have a volunteer around, I will definitely get it cut short whether anybody likes it or not. So there!

This is the only reason I can see now why I'd cut my hair when I'm older. My grandmother's now at the age where she finds it very difficult to lift her arms above shoulder level, she sports a white bob and gets it washed by a hairdresser twice a week (compared to the low bun she had before). If I'm as lucky as she is, I'll have long hair until my mid-eighties before I give in! :D

[jackiesjottings]

I ike to break the mould :) I was 44 when I decided to grow my hair long again, I will be 50 next week and I don't ever intend to have my hair short again :) I think though that mine will be a generation of ladies with bobs as that is what I see most of.

I am another one who wants long silver hair one day and it is progressing that way nicely.

[luthien_belewen]

I remember going to a Renaissance Fair as a teenager and saw an older lady playing the harp--she had pure white long wavy hair down her waist with ivy leaves around the crown. From then on, I wanted to be her when I am that age!


I've also heard the same rule for people with straight fine hair--don't grow below your shoulders, otherwise it'll make your hair flat and limp! it's like they're trying to oust long hair from society!

[Anniekins]

I'm not THAT old, but my hair has thinned dramatically due to medications and illness. In some places you can see my scalp. So I chopped it from tailbone a few years ago and blow dried and fluffed for all I was worth. Now I'm growing it back out because - physical limitations make it harder to have SHORT hair (and have it look good!). And also because with long hair, I can put it in a bun, comb my hair to hide the thin spots, and it will stay like that all day. So I find the longer hair to be better for hiding the thinness as long as I wear it up. It's a heck of a lot easier when I'm having a bad day to just toss it in a cinnabun than to blow dry it and curl it.

I also just plain missed my long hair. I do think though, that the longer hair is better for covering up thinness (at least on me) than the short.


This is me exactly! My hair is also thinned in places due to medications and illness will be 50 in few months and I have several chronic illnesses. Most days all I can manage is a bun or braid but even showering and washing my hair is a challenge too. I can enjoy my hair a lot more long because compared to trying to look nice with shorter hair ,long hair is easy! I would love to do more up dos but part of my illness is a blood flow issue when arms are raised so I usually do the quickest bun I can think of. I have to say though that one of my greatest pleasures is taking my hair down on a cool day and feeling it on my back. I may never cut my hair again. Or someday I might just decided to shave it all off but that would only be because I wanted to not because someone says long hair looks bad on older women. I did believe that for a time but after really looking I realized that it is neglected hair that doesn't look good ! I am so much nicer to my hair now so it looks pretty whatever do its in. I think that losing your health makes you appreciate things that you do have more and I love my right now .

Anne

[Ruvie]

wow, I am surprised my post got so many wonderful responses :) My boyfriend (who I live with now) always pets my hair and tells me how excited he is for when I get to tailbone, and my mother always compliments my length and is working on growing out her hair also! Shes 46 with AP length hair. I come from an hispanic family and long hair is very common for the older ladies :)

[Bluegrass Babe]

I remember as a kid my mom's hair thinned (because of medicine I think) and she was self-conscience about it. She got a hairpiece that was just for the back of the head. It seemed like below shoulder length hair attached to a headband. (From what I can remember) She would wear it with her own hair pulled back from the front and attached to the hairpiece in the back - half updo style. It blended very well and with a few silver sparkly hairs coming back from both temples and cascading down the back of the hairpiece, it looked very natural.

Later in her life, my sis convinced her to get a chin length bob. She HATED it. She never cut her hair short again. (I think it was the bangs, even as a kid, I knew that was not going to fly.) It wasn't long, around APL, just long enough to do half updos and small buns. She kept it that way til she died - with no bangs!

[Bluegrass Babe]

Most of the women in my mom's family had long hair. Her youngest sister had knee length hair that absolutely fascinated me. The only hair longer at the time was Crystal Gayle - and I was sure I'd never meet her. I have only vague memories of my granny and I don't know how long her hair was; but she had dark steel gray hair evenly streaked with white and silver and she kept it in a braid rolled into a low bun. That was the hair she had when she died. But, she lived with my uncle then, so I'm sure his daughter was helping her.

Women on my dad's side had bobs, pixies and poodle perms.

[frizzinator]

I get the impression that "they" think everyone needs a haircut, regardless of age.

[Bluegrass Babe]

I come from an hispanic family and long hair is very common for the older ladies :)

Maybe it's a cultural thing. Could be why some are more resistant to hair trends - a deeper connection to traditions, maybe? My granny had Native American heritage. My dad's family were Anglo/European.

[scottishsttr]

I'm not quite ready to join the Renegrays, so I'll stay a hennahead, BUT I will not cut my hair again for "ease of use" for sports or "social pressure."

One of my old bosses is *still* bemoaning the fact that I cut my long auburn hair short in 2006. She was happy to know that I was growing it out again when we talked recently.... we're both in that 45-55 age group where the cropped cuts start to become the "norm", so it's nice to know there are a few people who appreciate long hair!

I've always thought that I looked better with long hair, either up or down, than I ever did with my hair cut short. My hairdresser, reclaimed after my 8 year sojourn out of town, remained skeptical when he heard my plans to grow the length out again to what it was before I left. He predicted that I would cut it before it grew out again.... he apparently doesn't remember how stubborn I can be. :) :)

[Kome]

On a good note, my mom is almost 50 with waist length hair. It gets as long as classic, but she always cuts it back to waist. She has bangs and dyes her gray hair blonde.

Now... she doesn't do any of the routines to keep her hair nice that people on here do. I honestly wish she'd cut her hair (don't hate me!) because it's messy and oily and gross most of the time and she's had the same hair cut since I can remember! Oh well. She'll keep talking about it but never actually do it.

[kabelaced]

They say: "You're too old to have long hair."

I say: "You're too old/young to have an opinion." :D

I love silvery gray hair, and can't wait to have long hair when I'm older, too. Chopping the hair off because you're "too old" for it now just sounds like you should punish yourself because you're no longer twenty or something. It's not a crime to have long hair past any age! :D

[Bluegrass Babe]

On a good note, my mom is almost 50 with waist length hair. It gets as long as classic, but she always cuts it back to waist. She has bangs and dyes her gray hair blonde.

Now... she doesn't do any of the routines to keep her hair nice that people on here do. I honestly wish she'd cut her hair (don't hate me!) because it's messy and oily and gross most of the time and she's had the same hair cut since I can remember! Oh well. She'll keep talking about it but never actually do it.

Awww..... be nicer to your mom!! Tell her she has such nice pretty long blonde hair that you think it would look stunning in one of the hairstyles here at LHC!!! (You can tell her you stumbled upon this while looking for a hairstyle for a friend and she never has to know you're a member.) I bet it would look fantastic in a rosebun or the "killer"! You could give her tips on hair care you learned here so her hair doesn't look so "unkempt".

Let her know we are here! LHC will make you proud of your mom's hair!! :cheese:

I suggest the citric acid rinse - it makes hair silky, shiny, and tangle-free while keeping the "greasies" away!

[Bluegrass Babe]

Check out this link LILBERT sent to me. Love the picture! But look at some of the comments people left about older women and long hair ( and shorter hair)! Stereotypes suck!

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2008/02/16/a-tale-for-crystal-gayle.aspx

[Katurday]

I always thought long hair was the representation of feminine sexuality, and these magazines pushing for short crops after fourty are the same ones who are basically promoting the fact that only youthful women have a right to any ounce of sexuality and desireful looks. POO that. I know when I am older, I will be wearing the powerful long hair that I'm trying to achieve now. I always thought of the over fourty crop as an attempt to say "kay, I'm done babymaking so don't look at me anymore". PFFFFT.

[restourceful]

One thing I could never get past when I used to go to church with my folks was looking at all the more short haired "mature" ladies in the congregation from the back and seeing a field of dandelions.....

:spitting: Dandelions! :rollin: That's the funniest thing I've heard all day.


Im sorry but I just ran across this and I knew I had to post it after making the above comment.....:p

http://www.scradmin.org/albums/album03/Bad_Hair_Day_by_Cherie_Buller.jpg

Double :spitting: :spitting: DARKMARTIAN, where do you find this stuff? :rollin:


I get the impression that "they" think everyone needs a haircut, regardless of age.

Yes, I think, "they" do, too. :agree:

[AZDesertRose]

I'm 34 now, and I have NO plans to cut my hair at 40 or 50 or 60 or later. I hope to be at my family reunions, an old lady with thick silver hair like my Aunt Martha (who is 86 and still has a full, thick head of hair cut in a flattering do, not that old-lady puffball thing) except with LOOOOONG hair.

I already have arthritis and nerve problems, but I figure as long as I stay active, I should be able to stave off any worsening of the conditions, and it'll be far easier to take care of long hair than short for me.

[DiablitaNoir]

I hope to be at my family reunions, an old lady with thick silver hair like my Aunt Martha (who is 86 and still has a full, thick head of hair cut in a flattering do, not that old-lady puffball thing)

Heehee, those older ladies who do the short bouffant thing remind me of walking Q-Tips! :p

[MissManda]

I love silvery gray hair, and can't wait to have long hair when I'm older, too. Chopping the hair off because you're "too old" for it now just sounds like you should punish yourself because you're no longer twenty or something. It's not a crime to have long hair past any age! :D

This is a very interesting take on it. I agree. :)

[frizzinator]

I don't think cutting hair is like punishing oneself. Let's not forget that older people often have hair problems that younger people do not have.

For example, older people frequently have thin hair, where you see more scalp than hair. Older ladies with this problem often think that short puffy hair covers their scalp better than longer hair would. I suspect their style decision is due to their effort to project attractiveness rather than trying to conform to someone else's idea of age appropriate style.

[Bluegrass Babe]

Heehee, those older ladies who do the short bouffant thing remind me of walking Q-Tips! :p

Haha! Me, too! In high school I had a typing teacher who was very tall and very thin. She was a white-haired old lady (so we thought - probably not that old) who had a big bouffant. We all referred to her as THQ - The Human Q-tip! :D

[Bluegrass Babe]

Let's not forget that older people often have hair problems that younger people do not have.

For example, older people frequently have thin hair, where you see more scalp than hair.

I agree. Imagine trying to secure a bun with so few scalp hairs to anchor it. That could pull on hairs already too fragile, resulting in more hair loss.

Then think about sleeping with that hair. Insomnia is common among the elderly. My M-I-L already complains that everything wakes her up and she's only mid-60's. Rolling over on a braid, escaped hairs sticking to the neck and face....:rolleyes:

If you know a long-haired old lady - you can offer to help with the up-keep. But respect her choice if she chooses to cut.

[GRU]

I've been noticing that the "rules" for older women's hair don't hold that well where I am now. Yes, you can see plenty of older women with short dyed hair, but I've seen plenty with longer and/or gray hair. I rather love it. It makes me sad that it might be a "requirement" elsewhere.

Merewen, that might be due to where you live -- six months out of the year, some of your "neighbors" are cut off from society due to snowfall, so a long style that doesn't require cutting/perming at the beauty salon might be a necessity rather than a choice!



Im sorry but I just ran across this and I knew I had to post it after making the above comment.....:p

http://www.scradmin.org/albums/album03/Bad_Hair_Day_by_Cherie_Buller.jpg


Darnitall, DM, you get out of my "morning hair" photo album!!!! :rant: ;)




I'm not quite ready to join the Renegrays, so I'll stay a hennahead, BUT I will not cut my hair again for "ease of use" for sports or "social pressure."

AMEN on all counts, scottishsttr!





For me, my "old lady hair idol" would have to be Anna Lee, who played the character of Lila Quartermaine on General Hospital. I haven't watched the show in a couple decades, but I'll never forget the way her white hair was always beautifully coiffed:

http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/general-hospital/photos/195503/85529

http://jenautos.awardspace.com/soaps/ghpc/qsc/annalee.jpg



I'm currently 41yo, and I've considered the whole "that age for short hair" thing. But all I have to do is look at a picture of what I look like with shorter hair to realize that it just is NOT a good idea for my hair at any age. Many of you have already seen it, but here it is for those who haven't:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/ImaHockeyMom/boards/hair/brillohead.jpg


At the time of that picture, my hair was actually past shoulder length. Shrinkage is a very real thing for men in cold swimming pools and 3b/3c gals in humid weather!



I must be doing something right, because every time I'm at the local endoscopy center, the staff looks at me, looks at my chart, looks at me again, looks at my chart again, and asks me to confirm my Date of Birth because (according to them) I look way younger than the year that's written in my chart. :D

[lorig713]

Hmm, I don't know why but I disagree! :p

My hair gets longer every year, not shorter! :D

[ilovelonghair]

Have a look at this dumb article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1292890/Can-haircut-make-YOU-look-younger.html
It's obvious they have taken different pictures of the same person, in picture nr 1 she isn't smiling and in nr 2 she is. And of course the make-up.

[jane53]

I'm 56 with hair to my hips and I've had it long since I was 12.

People started telling me to cut it when I was 30.

They got more insistent when I was 40.

I have complete strangers come up to me and say, "Wow! Your hair is incredibly beautiful! Haven't you thought of cutting it at your age?"

1. They don't seem to see the paradox between their statement and their question. And

2. They don't know my age. They're shocked to learn I'm 56 and guess early 40s. Yet I've been harassed to cut it since I was 30.

Many people depend on conformity. Middle aged women are supposed to have bob-helmets.

Ironically, the reason I started growing my hair is that I saw my 90+ year old grandmother with her hair down. I'd always seen her with it up, and I walked by her bedroom when she was putting herself together after a brief nap. Her hair was thick, wavy, and hip length.

SO THERE!!!

[Caldonia Sun]

I don't think cutting hair is like punishing oneself. Let's not forget that older people often have hair problems that younger people do not have.

For example, older people frequently have thin hair, where you see more scalp than hair. Older ladies with this problem often think that short puffy hair covers their scalp better than longer hair would. I suspect their style decision is due to their effort to project attractiveness rather than trying to conform to someone else's idea of age appropriate style.

True. Older and sometimes menopausal women may have changing hormones which can result in itching skin/scalp, hot flashes that cause excessive sweating on the scalp, arthritis that can limit the use of arms/hands, thinning/loss of hair. Often, they just can't handle their hair.

I watched my mom as she got older. She kept her hair ridiculously short because she was constantly hot and sweating, which made her scalp itch like crazy. She could not reach up or behind and needed someone to come and wash her hair for her.


At 56, I hate when my hair touches my face at all, so it's pulled back. I get all itchy and feel like there are bugs crawling on me. I never used to feel that way at all. I also don't think my hair at just about APL is the best look for me right now. I'd probably look much better with a chin-length or slightly longer bob. My hair, face, (and everything else) is changing. Sigh ... such is life. Everyone is different.

[Prairie]

I don't remember my Great -Great Grandmother but the one thing I do hear about was her hair. It was waist length and always pulled up into a large silver bun, she was 102.

[Paniscus]

I'm 41.. guess I missed the memo! I think there are enough of us here to prove that long hair does not have an age range.

I've contemplated cutting, but not due to what society deems is appropriate for my age. Everything comes down to being happy with yourself and as long as what you're doing does not hurt others, who cares? So far, my hair has not hurt anyone :D

[GRU]

So far, my hair has not hurt anyone :D

Okay, this made me laugh... I'm about to pursue a career in nursing, and I could just see me actually injuring a patient by whopping them over the head with a thick braid, or poking their eye out with a pin-spitting hair explosion! :lol:

[princessp]

I'm 56 with hair to my hips and I've had it long since I was 12.

People started telling me to cut it when I was 30.

They got more insistent when I was 40.

I have complete strangers come up to me and say, "Wow! Your hair is incredibly beautiful! Haven't you thought of cutting it at your age?"

1. They don't seem to see the paradox between their statement and their question. And

2. They don't know my age. They're shocked to learn I'm 56 and guess early 40s. Yet I've been harassed to cut it since I was 30.

Many people depend on conformity. Middle aged women are supposed to have bob-helmets.

Ironically, the reason I started growing my hair is that I saw my 90+ year old grandmother with her hair down. I'd always seen her with it up, and I walked by her bedroom when she was putting herself together after a brief nap. Her hair was thick, wavy, and hip length.

SO THERE!!!

Wow that is crazy! At this point I haven't had anyone suggest that I cut it, but I'm not 40 just yet. I will definitely be a long haired 100 year old woman too (if I am lucky enough to get there).

[heidihug]

My grandma had long hair (waist-length but always worn up in a low bun) until she became too frail and ill to take care of it. I'd love to be able to do the same.

I have longer hair than nearly anyone I have ever met in the area where I live. Long hair is just not done here unless you are under 25. I think I'm viewed as an oddity. Though, honestly, the only people who think that are aquaintances who have a clue about how long my hair really is, and that's just a handful - those who have seen me with a down braid, or with my hair worn down at a party. I almost always wear it up in a bun, and most LHCers know that shorter-haired people don't have the slightest idea how much length can be contained in a bun. So, I hide in plain sight with my buns and hair toys.

I was at an informal sales event for my company this week, helping out on the customer service side of it, and a co-worker began toying with my left-down braid. She asked why I had long hair, and I said that I wasn't allowed to have long hair when I was little, and I now allowed myself to grow it as long as I wanted. You should have seen her - she was taken aback by that statement, I think. Then she smiled and said that she was never allowed to have long hair, either. She has short, bleached and straightened hair now. But, from her ensuing comments, I don't think she has ever thought about hair in quite that way.

At the same event a customer stopped to ask me if I had seen his friend - and he said, rather defensively, "not my life partner, my friend - just because I have long [shoulder-length] hair doesn't mean he's my boyfriend". I inwardly rolled my eyes about the boyfriend thing (like anyone should care?), then said that I like long hair. He proudly stated he grows it out to donate it, then looked at me expectantly - as if I was going to automatically praise him. Instead I told him that I thought that he should grow his hair as long as he wants, and not feel obligated to donate it if he didn't want to. I am quite sure he's never heard that statement before! He walked away with a perplexed look on his face.

I'm a rebel, spouting such nonsense. Hee.

[whoanellie]

He proudly stated he grows it out to donate it, then looked at me expectantly - as if I was going to automatically praise him. Instead I told him that I thought that he should grow his hair as long as he wants, and not feel obligated to donate it if he didn't want to

Heidihug... o/t but that reminds me that a co-worker recently commented on how long my hair had gotten (not that it's so long, but I've been growing for about 15 months), and then asked if I was going to donate it. Seriously, who asks that?

Back on topic... I don't get the assumption that older women should have shorter hair. My grandmother does have short hair, but I'm honestly not sure that she ever really wore her hair very long in the first place. She looks adorable in her little bob with blunt bangs.

I plan to have my hair however I want it when I'm older. I've never bowed to the pressures of society with regard to my hair and I'm certainly not planning to start.

My favorite long-haired old lady is the woman who played Ms. Marple in the PBS movies in the 80s/early 90s, Joan Hickson. She always had her hair up in a cute little old lady bun. :D

[Cimorene]

One of my long hair inspirations is my high school academic team coach. She was in her 70's back then, and always wore her silver hair in a bun. One time during a competition me and some girls on the team got to see "Auntie Ellie" with her hair down after a shower -- and it was SO LONG! It was at least waist length, maybe longer. And it was beautiful! We all gasped and were like, "OMG, you should totally wear your hair down sometime! It's so pretty!" None of us could understand why she would hide all that hair in a bun all the time. Obviously, this was way before I discovered LHC. :p

[heidihug]

Heidihug... o/t but that reminds me that a co-worker recently commented on how long my hair had gotten (not that it's so long, but I've been growing for about 15 months), and then asked if I was going to donate it. Seriously, who asks that?
whoanellie, I've gotten asked that more times than I can count...family, co-workers, people I've just met, you name it. Yeah, I get peeved when people say that. But, that's a topic on a different thread! (I love your member name, btw)

I wonder how long Joan Hickson's hair was when filming Miss Marple?

[VenusHalley]

Heidihug... o/t but that reminds me that a co-worker recently commented on how long my hair had gotten (not that it's so long, but I've been growing for about 15 months), and then asked if I was going to donate it. Seriously, who asks that?





I hate that assumption... it's like responding to somebody saying they got a pay rise... "awesome, are you gonna donate all the extra money?"

[jane53]

Tell people who suggest you donate your hair to donate their SUVs and get a fuel-efficient car.

I don't know if I've posted in this thread, but my hair-growth inspiration was my grandmother, who died with long hair at 96. I saw her hair down for the first time when she was about 89. I walked by her room as she was putting herself together after a brief nap. Her hair, usually worn up, was hip length and wavy and pure white.

[luluj]

she was about 89. I walked by her room as she was putting herself together after a brief nap. Her hair, usually worn up, was hip length and wavy and pure white.

What a lovely visual.......thanks for sharing, jane53:blossom:

[HairFaerie]

My mother was one of those people that thought long hair was only for young girls. She said that "older women" shouldn't be walking around trying to look like a young woman. I NEVER agreed with that.
To me, just because you have long hair has nothing to do with trying to look young!
I can totally understand that most older people don't want to take care of long hair, but it shouldn't be considered a "fashion faux pas" to have long hair over 40.
I am 41 now and plan to have really long hair in my "older years". :)

[ButterCream]

I hate that assumption... it's like responding to somebody saying they got a pay rise... "awesome, are you gonna donate all the extra money?"

Lol, that was a good one!!
I will remember that one:D

[beez1717]

ugh... i hate it how many women think that having short hair will cover their scalp better. Well it doesn't: Do you like the look of the older woman with thinning short hair which doesn't look good or do you like the look of the older women with the incredible Grey or white hair tied in a neat cinnamon bun (which by the way covers the scalp great!)

Just my

[Fizz]

When I get compliments about my hair, it's always followed by "so when are you going to get it cut then?.. you are 40 now"
Or worse.. "when are you going to have a proper hairstyle!":rolleyes:

And then there's the obligatory " you ought to donate that to the children who have cancer"

My 95 year old Uncle thinks that women should cut their hair when they reach 21 or have their first baby.. which ever comes first!:bs:

[little_cherry]

I never follow fashion rules...around here, girls look the same with their hair cuts and clothes.

They look like...clones.

Not me. :) I'm never 'too old' to have beautiful long hair. I started growing it out when I was 27. My cousin is in her 40s and has hair past BSL.

[kmoc123]

I am 50 and mine is just below tailbone...I don't care what anyone says...it's my hair! What miffs me is when hairdressers suggest that you cut it and donate to Locks of Love. That you can cut 10 or 11 inches off and you hair would still be long....NO NO NO!!!

[Norman]

Unfortunately the fashion/hairstyling industry peddles this line . As we all know, someone's age does not , in general, dictate how long or short someone should wear their hair. It's totally up to the individual and how they wish to wear it.

[HikerTrash]

I'm 45 and my hair is the longest it has ever been. If I keep it long, I'll just wear a bun when I'm old. Buns are suitable for old ladies, right?

[Yamainu]

My 52yo mother just cut her hair to flip - it's been BSL my entire life, and I've been very depressed about it.

But her hair's always been incredibly thin, and now that it's starting to thin out even more, you can see her scalp in places if she tries to pull it back. So short it is.

I hope, hope, hope by the time I get to that age we'll have cured Male Pattern Baldness in women so I don't have to lose my pretty hair!

[alwayssmiling]

I'm 45 and my hair is the longest it has ever been. If I keep it long, I'll just wear a bun when I'm old. Buns are suitable for old ladies, right?

Anything is suitable for old ladies, you are never too old for anything. By the time I get old I will be wearing my hair anyway I like ;). I'm currently on a mission to have beautiful long flowing locks for my 40th birthday (2years and 10 months away). There is a lady who lives near me who must be the same age as my mum (in her 70's) has hair down to her thigh with blue, green, pink streaks and bleach blonde fringe. Good for her I say.

[MrsGuther]

This very topic has always aggravated me! I hate the "little old lady" hairdo thing! I hate it with a passion! Why can't women of any age have long hair? I understand that long hair takes a certain amount of time and effort to care for, but isn't it worth it to not look like a miserable little old nursing home lady with no care for her own personal appearance! My mom is almost fifty and she has almost waist length silver hair. I think it's gorgeous! I'm so glad she hasn't given in to the societal expectation that older women must chop off all of their hair!!!

[BombaySapphire]

Haha this thread made me think of a comment I received recently from a client. I work in a male dominated industry and most don't care how I look, but this one guy said to me 'when I see girls with their hair long and down, in makes me think they just rolled out of bed after a romp in the sack."

I told him that was nice of him to share his feelings, but I didn't really want to hear those kind of thoughts that are in his head LMAO.

This thread reminds me of the 'mom' haircut debate my mother had with my father when she was 35. She didn't want to cut her hair, but I was a little nuisance who had a habit of tying her hair to inanimate objects when she wasn't paying attention :hatchet:

Jokes aside, I am sorry to hear so many people are being pressured by others to cut their hair. :mad:

[psimons]

Instead of always thinking about how hair makes me "look" - I care more about how it makes me feel. Sensuous, pretty, womanly. I'm actually none of those things, but hair fuels the fantasy.

[HikerTrash]

I think those old ladies with the puffy dandelion hair-dos, that was what was in fashion when they were younger and it just stuck. Women used to go to beauty parlors and have beehives and all that. You should see my mother's high school yearbooks. Everybody in there looks like they're at least 50 years old.

[chelseamichelle]

Very true! As long as my hair is healthy enough it will be long forever!

[New Choppy Cut]

We should also remember that if you do decide to have a short haircut in your 40-50s (for a change rather than being too old for long hair) you can still grow it again. So many people have told me that they regret getting a short haircut 30s onwards because they have just not been able to persevere with growing it again. They say (years on) that they would now like long hair again.

[Euphony]

I don't pay attention to the media, so I guess that's why I never heard of this "rule" until I joined LHC. But I've now actually noticed a lot of women follow that "rule" and the ones that don't, don't with the glee of defiance.

I'll be 40 in less than 6 months. I'm just now realizing that. I'm actually quite excited about it now too. My family passes away very young, there were two relatives that I know of that made it past 40 on my mother's side and both of them were in very poor health at 40. I'm happy, I'm active and wow - I'm almost 40 and very healthy.

I sit on my hair (not on purpose) - it's somewhere around 41...42...43" (I don't pay that much attention). I might cut it "off" but my cutting it off will be no less than at my waist. Then again, I might just keep growing it to see how long it will get and still look healthy. My age however, has nothing to do with that decision :D

[auburn]

I wish my mother had long hair. She excuses herself every time I tell her to let it grow, saying that she'll sweat more in summer, and that in winter she wears hats.

Anyway, she has no ideea about this hair stuff, can;t even make the simplest braid or o pony tail, she's very very clumsy about it.

My grandmother, on the other hand, admires long hair a lot, but she REALLY REALY can't let it grow, because her hair is very ... let's just say difficult. But she apreciates my hair changes... and loved it when it was at hip-lenght.

But my aunt... my aunt loves long hair, and she's an expert in buns, complicated braids,and so on. Her hair is very very dense, very curly and heavy, but not shiny, natural thing... Poor thing had that hair waist lenght for 12 years. You can't imagine what kind of work that means... when washing her hair, it took her `10 minutes just to get it all wet. Poured water on it and water didn't penetrate it, she had to insist a lot.
After 12 years of work on her hair, she decided to cut it. She had so much hair I had no ideea she had grey hair, only showed after the cut. The stylist had to do 2 cuts to get it right, it was just very very much hair. ... Anyway, she is the only one in my family who shers my passion for hair, and makes me buns and braids and teaches me how to, and we talk about hair products...

[sipp10]

I wore my hair in a collar-bone-length blunt bob for decades. I started to grow my hair last year for my 40th birthday - I wanted to be different. I think longer hair can make a woman look younger and sexier - if styled properly.

[1953Diygal]

I just read a statement that enforced this mentality in a book. It's a silly summer mystery called Pretty In Ink about a woman who owns a tattoo studio in Las Vegas and goes around solving mysteries. There was a snarky remark spoken by the heroine regarding women who try to "hang onto their youth" by having long hair. I'll quote it when I get home.

Then again, the "not allowed to have long hair" thing can go in reverse, too. My friend Krista had a mother who was a stylist and she was never allowed to cut it shorter than BSL. Never, ever, ever. She was never allowed to color it, either. Now that she's grown, she wears it in a pixie and dyes it a different color every month.

[CopperHead]

I'm 59 and recently decided to wear my hair half up to do some grocery shopping. It is classic length and dyed with henna. I could hear some people behind me talking softly about my hair and when the man started to talk to me, I could see they were elderly, but very cool. He called me "young lady" and said "that is some hair you have there." He then called his wife over to show her my hair and they both told me how beautiful they thought it was. That was the second compliment I got that day on my hair, so that whole short hair at a certain age thing is so silly. I just do what I want and to heck with what others think.:D

[Mairéad]

As long as my hair hasn't thinned by then, I don't see why I would 'have' to cut it. If I have some thinning and balding going on that could be concealed with a short haircut, then I would.

My mom always makes comments about older women with long hair and how disgusting she thinks it looks. I disagree. Those women tended to still have thick healthy-looking hair so I can't see what the big difference having that hair at 20 or 50 would make.

[ArcticNights]

My dear grandmother who passed away in 1979 had really long hair in the age of 69. She plaited it and wore it in a bun, held with amish pins. This might have been out of religious reasons, but it looked so gorgeous :D

I always think that women with short hair look frumpy and like they have given up on life itself. But I hope I`m wrong :?

[Shany]

Hahaha ''field of dandelions" and ''walking Q-tips'' that's very funny. My mom is 48 and has layered BSL hair and she will never cut her hair short. When she was doing her nurse training, she had to brush an octogenarian woman's hair..she had smooth, thick and healthy tailbone hair. The ladie said she never died her hair. There must be something to prevent hair thinning... I think I'm going to do some research about it... I want to keep my hair thick :P

[Petite Simone]

I don't get it either. Ok so at a certain age, shoulder length, thin, dried hair looks awful, but if you take care of it and let it grow, your long flowing locks are going to be gorgeous and farm more unique than the awful do's you see on "older" people these days. Just because you are over thirty doesn't mean you need to chop it all off. Some people look OLDER that way and the cut is not at all flattering. Then again the media also told people saddle pants made of confetti-print spandex paired with overlarge sweatshirts, a side ponytail of horrible crimped and crunchy hair was "hot" so I say ignore it. *shudders at memories of early 90's fashion and hair*

[Feline]

I think those old ladies with the puffy dandelion hair-dos, that was what was in fashion when they were younger and it just stuck. Women used to go to beauty parlors and have beehives and all that. You should see my mother's high school yearbooks. Everybody in there looks like they're at least 50 years old.

You're probably right about the styles getting "stuck". I always associated short, tight pin-curl styles with old ladies, mostly because my Grandmother and her friends wore them. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it was actually a "flapper" style, popular among young girls during the 1920s!

[long&blonde]

I agree with Carolyn. We certainly did learn rules were made to be broken in the sixties!
Going to salon for root touchups only, 57; the stylist gives me constant grief about my length. She and I are kind of a running salon sit-com for the ladies;most older than me,some younger,all shorter hair;in for their short cuts and do's. Our last hilarious exchange: I told her "You say Hag as if its a bad thing!" I ended up taping that saying to my cubicle wall at work.
However,honestly,I feel its her trying to get more salon business. Every older lady in the place wistfully oohs & ahs when I leave in a french braid. And all of them compliment me. Not the stylists! I think there's a message there! You do have to decide you want long hair,over 40,and then be strong about it. As others:stylists;Will try to talk you out of it. I agree about the makeover shows,what not to wear. I've seen some gorgeous heads of hair destroyed on that show. Not once do they let the lady keep her hair long. It is a Shame.

[Mommyof4]

My mom is 46 with waist length satin-fine hair and it is pretty thick.. Everyone tells her to cut it, but she won't do more than trim it.. It looks amazing and it is so beautiful.. I don't understand why people expect women to cut their hair just due to age?? Why do they care how long someone else's hair is?

When I'm 70 with super-long hair.. I will tell them: "If it hurts your eyes, don't look!"

[Mommyof4]

I agree with Carolyn. We certainly did learn rules were made to be broken in the sixties!
Going to salon for root touchups only, 57; the stylist gives me constant grief about my length. She and I are kind of a running salon sit-com for the ladies;most older than me,some younger,all shorter hair;in for their short cuts and do's. Our last hilarious exchange: I told her "You say Hag as if its a bad thing!" I ended up taping that saying to my cubicle wall at work.
However,honestly,I feel its her trying to get more salon business. Every older lady in the place wistfully oohs & ahs when I leave in a french braid. And all of them compliment me. Not the stylists! I think there's a message there! You do have to decide you want long hair,over 40,and then be strong about it. As others:stylists;Will try to talk you out of it. I agree about the makeover shows,what not to wear. I've seen some gorgeous heads of hair destroyed on that show. Not once do they let the lady keep her hair long. It is a Shame.


^^This!!

A few times my DH and I have been watching that show and I would freak out when they cut all the hair off! I was like, what?! Why didn't they just trim it? layer it? curl it? updo it? WHY?!?!!?! and he's like omg.. changes channel LOL :shrug:

[Tomoyo]

Honestly (and this might be an unpopular opinion), I do think a lot of women DO look better with a shorter cut as they get older. However, this is not to say that this has to be some kind of "rule", and really, the only reason I say that is that by 40, if you haven't learned how to take care of your hair at that point, several decades of dying, perming, straightening, blowdrying etc are likely to have taken a heavy toll. Combine that with a steady decline in skin and hair elasticity and the general effects of aging, women over 40 might find themselves facing a much harder task when it comes to getting their hair "up to scratch" than if they'd started in their 20's or 30's.

It seems to me that for a lot of people, the older you get, the thinner, duller and stringier your hair can tend to look through no fault of your own, and sometimes in spite of your best haircare efforts. This is obviously not true of everyone (and certainly not for a lot of LHC members), but if you haven't learned some of the haircare tricks of the trade like folks have here and you're still punishing your hair with frequent heat and heavy styling, you're adding strain to a time in your life when the unfortunate inevitability of aging is starting to show in your hair's quality. For me personally, I'd rather have quality hair at every stage of life; if that means shorter hair as I get older, I'd rather that than longer, but more damaged locks.

[dulce]

I'm 60 with silvery waist hair with NO intention to cut.It's strange as an oldster ,some in this society will say that you're trying to look like a teenager with long hair but if you get it cut off,short and dyed you get told how young you look!!Rather inconsistant isn't it!!It only shows how silly some of our societies expectations are.Kudos to those that wear their hair the way they want and don't follow the money based beauty industries recommendations.In a perfect world people would wear their hair short or long ,whichever was best for them with no interference but it's not a perfect world.I had long hair most of my life but due to pressure caved in and wore a pixie from mid my 40's- my mid 50's then grew out long hair again,best decision I made! Stopping the dye helped my hair tremendously.

[Carissamarie08]

I wont have the grandma cut but I dont think I will have long hair as an old lady.

[Mesmerise]

I'm kinda glad I live in an area where nobody tells you that you're "too old" for long hair!

I do remember one friend in high school with long hair, who said she'd "cut it when she was 30" (which of course was FOREVER away!!) but I saw her at our 20 year high school reunion at 37, and she still had her long hair ;).

I know plenty of women 40+ with long or longish hair! There certainly are a lot who cut their hair, but there are enough with longer hair that it's never commented on negatively.

[duchesswannabe]

I'm 60 with silvery waist hair with NO intention to cut.It's strange as an oldster ,some in this society will say that you're trying to look like a teenager with long hair but if you get it cut off,short and dyed you get told how young you look!!Rather inconsistant isn't it!!It only shows how silly some of our societies expectations are.Kudos to those that wear their hair the way they want and don't follow the money based beauty industries recommendations.In a perfect world people would wear their hair short or long ,whichever was best for them with no interference but it's not a perfect world.

Yes, quite, about the young routine and hair length!

I don't believe I have posted this as one of my inspirations to grow again, but I used to work with two 40+ aged women who wore at least APL hair, and I said, "OK," in my brain to it.

[Tota]

I don't know if anyone watches that show "What Not to Wear" but I hardly ever find the haircuts very flattering...Why do they always have the same shoulder length (or shorter), layered 'do'?:(:confused: lol. It's terrible. I mean what's wrong with long layers at the very least? Geez:rant:

I agree. And you know what's even more interesting to me ... That the hostess's hair is quite long. And I believe she's over 40 at least. So why not let all the other women to wear long hair if they want? I just don't get it :shrug:

[MonaLisa]

I wonder how they feel afterwards...:(
I don't know..to me long, or thick or healthy hair is sign of youth and good health..
So why dye it to death, thin it out...cut it....to look...younger? better?
Or it's matter of accepting that you're getting older?
I wouldn't want that...
Getting older regarding hair i can only associate with lovely graceful silver and white hair....

[Tota]

Oh, and when I grow older I want to be like that funky crazy granny from the cartoon Silvester and Tweety. She rocked that bun!

[duchesswannabe]

I agree. And you know what's even more interesting to me ... That the hostess's hair is quite long. And I believe she's over 40 at least. So why not let all the other women to wear long hair if they want? I just don't get it :shrug:

A fun thing that show could do is have a farcical episode in which they dress the hostess up in way out clothes and colors picked out by people who will shortly be getting a so-called makeover. They could also get people to put her hair up in wonderfully complicated braids and updos!

[didrash]

Its very funny how times change. When my grandmother was young, long hair was for old ladies :). It was fashionable in the 30s and 40s to have hair no longer than shoulder length and curled loosely with rollers. Updo's were for old women, and long loose hair was considered untidy - that is what she told me. So in her old age, she just continued wearing the hair style she wore in her youth, short hair curled with rollers. Nowadays, long hair is for young women :). This just shows that there aren't actually any rules - just fashion, and that changes with the generations.

[ladylovecraft]

What's ironic to me is that the majority of young girls now don't even have long hair, they just get extensions. So really, no one has long hair...

[rock007junkie]

I don't get it either. I could see the reasoning for ladies that are older (maybe 80's or so) because longer hair may be to difficult to care for at that age. Long hair on older ladies is beautiful though. My grandma had it long and she was stunning.

[jacqueline101]

I don't know why people think older women need short hair. I don't see anything wrong with longer hair.

[PrairieRose]

When I was younger and before LHC I thought the same thing, the older you get the better you look with shorter hair. But now as I get older, I don't want to cut! After finding LHC it has opened my eyes to a whole new world of long hair appreciation! I think older people or any people for that matter with long hair are absolutely stunning!:D

[lajsa]

Somewhat half on-topic:
This thread is evil! It made me google those what not to wear people, and immediately I got stuck on reading a bunch of forums with idiots going "OH NOES SHE IS SO STUPID I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE DIDN'T WANT TO GET HER HAIR CUT IT WAS UGLY AND LOOOONG" and I just sit here, growling and swearing to myself. :angry: :lol: Honestly. Maybe people who've never had long hair doesn't realize it, but hair takes YEARS to grow out properly. I might be happy to be on one of those shows (I have a genetical defect where I have no fashion sense at all and I hate shopping because I don't know how to find clothes that don't make me look pregnant...) but if they even tried to cut my hair I would CUT THEM. :lol: I wouldn't want to live with some stupid haircut I don't want for ages until it's grown out again just because I should "try something new" or whatever. People are stupid and sometimes I truly dislike humanity. :o

On-topic:
I can understand cutting hair because of medical issues, like thinning hair or physical limitations. You shouldn't have long hair if you can't take care of it and don't enjoy how it looks anymore, any more than you should have short hair if you don't enjoy it. But I think it's stupid to cut your hair just because you're "too old" to wear it long. If you don't want long hair anymore, that's fine and you should cut it, no matter what age you are, but to cut just because others are whining about it, or because society demands it, is just silly. I'm going to have long hair until I get thoroughly sick of it! :cheese:

[ladyfey]

I don't know if anyone watches that show "What Not to Wear" but I hardly ever find the haircuts very flattering...Why do they always have the same shoulder length (or shorter), layered 'do'?:(:confused: lol. It's terrible. I mean what's wrong with long layers at the very least? Geez:rant:

Yes! And they ALWAYS dye it! Drives me nuts!

[ladyshep]

I don't get it either. In fact, I don't get the fact that people think I look like a little kid (I'm 32) with long hair, but yet people say it makes older people look old????

[Kelikea]

Here is a picture of my mom's hair. She is over 60.
https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=4861927cda&view=att&th=12d82502dced4598&attid=0.1&disp=thd&zw
Her mom used to tell her to cut it because of her age. My mom never understood that either. I'm glad she keeps it long. My granny had beautiful hair, and its sad that she thought it needed to be short just because she was "older."

[izzybel]

I'm zoning in on 29 and my mother always asks when I am going to cut my hair. Then lectures me, saying things like, "it's not professional looking", "It's not age appropriate." "It doesn't look good, don't believe people who say its beautiful, sexy, etc.." anything to discourage me from keeping it long. And this started when it was just past bra-strap length, now it's tailbone. If anything its encouraging me to keep going.

[CarpeDM]

I don't know if anyone watches that show "What Not to Wear" but I hardly ever find the haircuts very flattering...Why do they always have the same shoulder length (or shorter), layered 'do'?:(:confused: lol. It's terrible. I mean what's wrong with long layers at the very least? Geez:rant:

I've always wondered why they have to chop off lovely long hair to make someone "look better". You don't see Stacy cutting her hair off ;)

[Quetiepi]

Here is what 56 looks like, ladies.

[growfro]

New here, but had to chime in! :)

Long hair is absolutlely wonderful on any age, whether it may be 5 yrs or 90 yrs. To me, hair is a major part of who we are! Some people feel more confident w/long hair *me* To see the makeover shows, top model shows, etc. where the stylists chop hair off almost every time makes me cringe! Esp the people who cry and are being forced to. (Thinking of America's Next Top Model)

:bigeyes:
I know they do it to get ratings, but sheesh!

[Ramille]

At age 59 I LOVE my long hair. DH says it is very sexy. I was always told my grandmother (who passed when I was 7) had hair long enough to sit on, and cut it when she was in her 40's because wearing it up gave her headaches. Too bad there was no LHC around then. I'm sure she could have found styles that would alleviate or balance the weight. (All the women in our family have volumes of hair.) I'm told when she first saw what it looked like 'bobbed' she cried. I'm sorry I have no pictures to share of her with it long.

[maborosi]

I'll be completely honest, I think it is a load of crap.

My mom's 55 and since she grew out her very, very short hair to SL, she looks 10-15 years younger. It looks good on her. So, frankly, I wouldn't pay mind to people who say things like that.

~maborosi~

[LissaJane]

My mom thinks that long hair makes her look old. I'm constantly telling her that it's exactly the opposite.... Every "old" woman I know has cut her hair in order to try and make her look younger, there seems to be this certain age (maybe forty, maybe older, idk) where women all just go "right, time for the haircut".

Not reffering to everyone, obviously, but a huge majority do this and none of them notice.

I think my momma looks so lovely with longer hair. She's beautiful either way though :)

[Maverick494]

Long hair to me can make a woman look younger, IF cared for well. I have an acquaintance who is 45 and she looks older with long hair because half of it looks dead and dry. She looked younger with short hair. But I think that if she cuts off the dead part and then grows it out she could look very lovely. But she has to decide, it's not in my place to tell her what to do with her hair...

[cuties]

From where I come from, its the opposite. They think shorter haircut is for young girls and longer length is for older people. Old is above 50, but things are changing now. :) Its more like whatever floats your boat.

[dwell_in_safety]

My mother has had her hair short since I was 8 or 9 because she believes it makes her look younger. I've always told her she looks younger with long hair, but she's never believed me because her sisters say otherwise (they all have short hair). :(

I plan to keep my hair long for as many years as is possible. Every time in my life that I have chopped it, I decided immediately to grow it out again and grew envious of those around me with hair longer than mine. :p

[catamonica]

In calif. In my area Ive only seen a few older women besides myself with waist length hair.
Long hair is your crowning glory, no matter what age.

[sfgirl]

I'm sure I'll be that elderly woman with hair down to her hips too :D. I'll probably wear it in a bun a lot though.

[Maktub]

From where I come from, its the opposite. They think shorter haircut is for young girls and longer length is for older people. Old is above 50, but things are changing now. :) Its more like whatever floats your boat.

That's really interesting ! Feel free to not answer, but I'm curious to know where that is !

[Organic]

I am 57 . My hair was waist length. Almost black...but I had been dying it for years. I am growing the silver out. Last February I went and had the top layer stripped of dye so that the demarcation line was not so pronounced. I looked like a skunk trying to grow it out and always caved. The stripped hair has gradually broken off and the dark layer of hair underneath is coming though. The silver is almost 6 inches long. So I have silver and light blond and then dark brown/black. My hair looks like some of the girls who get low lights.The breakage got so bad that I had my hair layered with tons of layers just to cut the dead hair off. So now the front is shoulder length and the back is BSL. I have an appointment in Feb which I am cancelling cause I know the beautician is gonna chop more length off. I am just gonna let this grow, The first six inches of silver is SO thick and healthy. I plan to grow it to my feet.

[Aliped]

I am 57 . My hair was waist length. Almost black...but I had been dying it for years. I am growing the silver out. Last February I went and had the top layer stripped of dye so that the demarcation line was not so pronounced. I looked like a skunk trying to grow it out and always caved. The stripped hair has gradually broken off and the dark layer of hair underneath is coming though. The silver is almost 6 inches long. So I have silver and light blond and then dark brown/black. My hair looks like some of the girls who get low lights.The breakage got so bad that I had my hair layered with tons of layers just to cut the dead hair off. So now the front is shoulder length and the back is BSL. I have an appointment in Feb which I am cancelling cause I know the beautician is gonna chop more length off. I am just gonna let this grow, The first six inches of silver is SO thick and healthy. I plan to grow it to my feet.

Wow! That sounds awesome!

[Organic]

I updated my photo albums. I lived for years with my mother yelling for me to cut off all my hair. THis site gave me the guts to grow the silver out naturally and to keep it long.

[getoffmyskittle]

Well, you see, the cuts are not actually mandatory...

[Catia]

I am 57 . My hair was waist length. Almost black...but I had been dying it for years. I am growing the silver out. Last February I went and had the top layer stripped of dye so that the demarcation line was not so pronounced. I looked like a skunk trying to grow it out and always caved. The stripped hair has gradually broken off and the dark layer of hair underneath is coming though. The silver is almost 6 inches long. So I have silver and light blond and then dark brown/black. My hair looks like some of the girls who get low lights.The breakage got so bad that I had my hair layered with tons of layers just to cut the dead hair off. So now the front is shoulder length and the back is BSL. I have an appointment in Feb which I am cancelling cause I know the beautician is gonna chop more length off. I am just gonna let this grow, The first six inches of silver is SO thick and healthy. I plan to grow it to my feet.

Organic - do you mind me asking what was done to strip it? Something like ColorFix or bleach or? The reason I ask is because I'm always tinkering with the idea of lightening the black in my hair but I don't want it to break off either :no:

Thanks!

[wallflower]

This rule is so arbitrary and stupid! It boggles my mind that people take such dumb rules for granted and never even stop to question "Why?"

But possibly even more annoying are the ones who DO have a reason—"long hair ages you." Really??? Because last time I checked, a short, fluffed, layered 'do was an almost sure indicator of 40+ years.

And even if long hair did "age" you, what the heck is so bad about looking old? If you can't accept your age, that's your problem, but don't criticize another woman for not sacrificing her hair due to a fear of looking "old."

A few years ago I saw this elderly lady at the mall with hip length white hair. It was stunning! The woman, overall, was stunning—she was wearing a flowy cream dress and lots of gold jewelry that jingled when she walked, like a gypsy. Later, she ended up working at the same cosmetics counter as my mom, and my mom told me the woman had a string of admirers always bringing her flowers. So, take note, if you embrace your age gracefully (bonus if you also keep your long hair), you'll be the old lady everyone wants to be one day. :)

[lovinglocks]

My mother, who is almost 50, has hair past her bum :)

What I've noticed is a lot of my friends, and other women, chop all their hair off as soon as they have kids... If it's because it's easier to maintain... I think a bun/ponytail/etc is easier to deal with than short hair in my face.

[Kelikea]

I posted before, but the pic didn't work. Here is a picture of my mom's hair from last holiday. She is over 60 and is still wearing and growing her long hair . I give her advice from lhc all the time!
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=124158&albumid=9576&dl=1326851939&thumb=1

[allycat]

Beautiful, yours and your mom's! (Tell her I said so :) )

[Kelikea]

Thanks! She'll be happy to hear it and know that long hair is embraced by women (and men) of all ages here at lhc!

[Kapri]

I updated my photo albums. I lived for years with my mother yelling for me to cut off all my hair. THis site gave me the guts to grow the silver out naturally and to keep it long.

Organic. I checked out your album and think you look lovely. In fact your silver hair suits you better than the darker hair. I don't always think that is the case. Some people look so much better with dyed/hennaed hair but you look softer and more radiant.

I think I need to check out the depth of my own hair colour relative to my skin tone. I sense that it needs to be softer and lighter.

[Tota]

I agree Organic, you look beautiful with your natural hair. You actually look much younger than with dark hair. You glow!

[Of the Fae]

Actually, there is this lady I see walking sometimes, and I'm quite sure she is in her sixties, but she has such amazing waist length hair that she puts in this half updo with curls at the ends... I seriously envy her hair, and I hope I may be so lucky to obtain such an amazing grey/golden when I am her age!
I must say shorter hair can be very youthful and fresh looking, but it should be a matter of personal choice, not society pressing it onto you. And personally I like long hair way way way better :p

[Mesmerise]

For me, if I see an older woman with longer hair she always appears "younger" to me than one with shorter hair. I'm often surprised by how old some longer haired ladies are!

I mean, I know they're elderly, but I might think they're late 60s instead of 80+!

Last time I cut my hair short I was told I looked older and I sort of freaked out. Actually I think it was meant to be a compliment because I always looked young for my age :rolleyes:.

But yeah, I'm not sure how having a more "mature" haircut is supposed to keep one looking younger while long hair is "aging" :confused:.

[blondie9912]

I don't know if anyone watches that show "What Not to Wear" but I hardly ever find the haircuts very flattering...Why do they always have the same shoulder length (or shorter), layered 'do'?:(:confused: lol. It's terrible. I mean what's wrong with long layers at the very least? Geez:rant:

Total revival of an ancient post, sorry in advance :blushing:
I completely agree however! It seems that Nick's favorite thing to say is *insert British accent* "Weh gonna harf to cuht a lorra hair awff"

[Manny1826]

It's so funny-- I just saw this thread, and my mother in law thinks "women of a certain age" should cut their hair. She is referring to both myself AND my mom (my mom's 57). I think my mom looks SOOOOO much younger for her age because of her long hair.. and I am following in her footsteps. I have nothing against short hair.. I even had short hair for a while... but when people make comments like that it just gets me. Hair length is just a preference of how someone shoudl wear their hair b/c how they want to wear it.. not because it's how they're SUPPOSED to wear it... can you tell I'm sensitive on this subject?? ;-)

[Mesmerise]

It's so funny-- I just saw this thread, and my mother in law thinks "women of a certain age" should cut their hair. She is referring to both myself AND my mom (my mom's 57). I think my mom looks SOOOOO much younger for her age because of her long hair.. and I am following in her footsteps. I have nothing against short hair.. I even had short hair for a while... but when people make comments like that it just gets me. Hair length is just a preference of how someone shoudl wear their hair b/c how they want to wear it.. not because it's how they're SUPPOSED to wear it... can you tell I'm sensitive on this subject?? ;-)

It's rather horrifying to think that you're considered "a certain age" at 31!!!

I am so glad I come from an area where nobody seems to give two hoots about older women with long hair ;).

[lilravendark]

My mum is in her 40s and she has long hair it's about tb length now, no one tells her to cut it, screw them anyway if people think you should cut your hair. Longer lengths than is normal on a person of any age will attract people that think its ugly, should be cut, styled, donated etc

[Bene]

I never thought this was mandatory :shrug: What's the worst that could happen, someone doesn't like it? And? Pfft.


I can't wait till I hit 40 and someone tries to tell me that I'm no longer allowed to keep long hair, so I can tell them to go scratch their ass.

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Alot of people who commented in this thread note that many ladies seem to have their hair become too thin as they age, and are unable to pull off long hair.

MY Mum, who is nearly 59 and a beautiful renegrey, has only had her hair continue to thicken as it silvered! She hates it, and often has it "thinned" out so it isn't so heavy! She always use to have long hair, around waist-ish, but no longer wants it that long because it is too heavy, too hot and too hard to manage! (So she keeps it between shoulder and BSL- still not short!!)

I could never see Mum (or myself) with a short perm or the like (Often standard hair style for older ladies!)

[whimaway]

I don't know if anyone watches that show "What Not to Wear" but I hardly ever find the haircuts very flattering...Why do they always have the same shoulder length (or shorter), layered 'do'?:(:confused: lol. It's terrible. I mean what's wrong with long layers at the very least? Geez:rant:

This bugs me so much! I love it when a girl sticks up for herself and keeps her long hair. That was mainly with the old stylist Nick though. Ted is much better and more open to taking the owner of the hair's suggestions!

I plan on growing my hair out and keeping it that way for a very long time, and also going gray. :) Do some people dye their hair grey when that starts?

Only if I were physically unable to care for my hair would I cut it. I just love long hair!

[duchesswannabe]

Alot of people who commented in this thread note that many ladies seem to have their hair become too thin as they age, and are unable to pull off long hair.

MY Mum, who is nearly 59 and a beautiful renegrey, has only had her hair continue to thicken as it silvered! She hates it, and often has it "thinned" out so it isn't so heavy! She always use to have long hair, around waist-ish, but no longer wants it that long because it is too heavy, too hot and too hard to manage! (So she keeps it between shoulder and BSL- still not short!!)

I could never see Mum (or myself) with a short perm or the like (Often standard hair style for older ladies!)

I love what you just posted. I just want to insert that my mother looked really great with a very short hairstyle (possibly a cut while growing out a perm), and she had grown out her gray, too, by then (early 70's). The photos I have of her at my wedding were regal. Then again, the cut was proportioned to suit her hair needs and complemented her facial structure. However, thanks for the words of comfort about hair and thickness after the dreaded '50s. :silly:

[andreamuse]

Something I really realized recently:

Last January I cut my hair from APL to a pixie. Granted, my hair was damaged from a lot of different things (dyes, extensions for awhile, not caring for it properly, etc.), so it was probably ultimately a good thing, but I totally didn't think about the fact that I was, *gasp*, 40! I had just cut all my hair off at 40! :D And no wonder all the people who gave me compliments on it were other people around my age and older.

The thing about the pixie cut is that I actually look good in a pixie (I have small features and bigger eyes), but in order for it to look "edgy" and "young" I would have had to maintain it every three weeks or so. After about three weeks, the cut would look boring, and to me, it made me look my age. Argh. Plus, I felt weird about not feeling as feminine with such a stark cut. So about four months ago, I decided to grow it out. I have no idea how long I will let it grow. I'm 41 now and I imagine by summer my hair will qualify as chin length. And from there, it will take multiple years to get long.

My hair is on the thinner side and I always wonder, when people say that long hair doesn't look good on older people who have thinning hair, do they mean hair that thins as we get older or people who have naturally thinner hair (I've always had thinner hair, it's genetic)? This makes me cringe a little because I know that some people will think I shouldn't have longer hair because mine is on the thinner side. Or do they mean people who have such thin hair that bald spots are showing? My opinion is that any type of hair will look good long if it's well taken care of. I think thinner/fine hair looks ethereal and fairy-like, so I am trying to embrace my natural texture...

[Kherome]

If you end up elderly with any healthy problems and have to move to a nursing home, they pretty much force the hair cutting issue from a "hygiene" standpoint. Really it's "We're too lazy to wash more than 4" of hair."

[Mesmerise]

My mum is in her 40s and she has long hair it's about tb length now, no one tells her to cut it, screw them anyway if people think you should cut your hair. Longer lengths than is normal on a person of any age will attract people that think its ugly, should be cut, styled, donated etc

I do wonder if it's a regional thing, because here in Australia I've never head anyone say older women should cut their hair (outside of a fashion magazine I remember reading where some older lady - 50s or so - had her longer hair cut a bit shorter (but still not really short) to suit her "age").

I see plenty of 40+ women with longer or at least, longish, hair and nobody ever says anything about it!

[gibsongirl71]

My Spanish grandmother is 91 :rockerdudand still has almost APL wavy hair. She had very dark hair when she was younger but as she turned gray she has had it professionally colored dark honey blond. Her skin tone is very light and the blond suits her.

Now on the flip side my mom's sister has really thin hair. She keeps it short and permed like a poodle. But I understand why and don't judge her for it. As a matter of fact my mom and her other 2 sisters keep their hair short also. But they like the whole wash and wear idea and they are in their 70s.

As for me, I won't ever go shorter then shoulder length unless there are serious health issues etc.... I think that it really just depends on personal preference.

[Seeshami]

My Mom won't think about any thing bigger then her monthly micro trim until she's 50. It's coming up, but she's watched me chop, chop, chop and hate it viciously every single time, so I don't think she'll chop it. Maybe cut a few inches.

[Schrei777]

I want to see my mom with long hair again. She has it really short, like 3 inches, for so long I can't even remember what she looks like with longer hair. I mean it looks good on her and she doesn't look matronly, people always think she around 30 but she's 43, but I would love to see how she'd look of she would just grow it out once.

[lapushka]

My mom started growing out her hair in her forties, having between BSL and WL red hair that she would bee-butt bun right on top of her head. It looked absolutely gorgeous on her! She's blond now, in her sixties, and has about APLish length hair that she keeps in a peacock twist with a claw clip. No, it's not über long, but it's definitely not the typical old lady haircut. One of her sisters is in her fifties and just had her hair cut from BSL to APL (with much regret). What's typical for any age? I mean... You get to decide, right?

[Henrietta]

I have no idea WHY people think that way either. But half of my family keeps telling me "You wil have to cut it anyway when you will be pregnant and especially when you will have a baby because you won't have time to take care of it." Irritating, but ignorable.

[piratejenny]

I have no idea WHY people think that way either. But half of my family keeps telling me "You wil have to cut it anyway when you will be pregnant and especially when you will have a baby because you won't have time to take care of it." Irritating, but ignorable.

Haha, don't they also tell you that for every child you will loose a tooth? ;)

I'm 40 now and I'm growing :D. I used to have hair around BSL for the longest time until at some point in my early 30s I decided I was sick of it and went for a pixie. I found that so much harder to maintain and looking good and if I look at the pictures now it is blatantly clear that I am simply not a short hair person. As far as I can remember nobody ever told me I had to cut my hair, though. But then I'm not very good at listening to other people's opinions anyway :cool:.
My grandmother had waist length hair until she died at age 86.

[Renate]

If I reach the age of 40 with long hair, I will definetely stay with long hair, no matter the pressure.

[healingarts]

I succumbed to that in my early 40's and it was so hard to keep up. Now at 53 I am growing it out and keeping it in good shape. It finally reached my shoulders and I would like to grow it to BS length. It certainly is NOT mandatory. I know many women in their 60's with glorious, long silver hair.

[which.chick]

I am supposed to cut my hair? (I'm 43. My hair is below my hips.) I didn't get the memo. However, anyone who tried to hand me the memo would be soundly spanked and sent on their way, so I guess maybe that would explain why I never got the memo. :) I will wear my hair long until I cannot care for it myself or hire anyone else to take care of it for me. (We hired someone to do my grandma's hair when she couldn't do it anymore. She wore her hair short forever but we hired a girl to come in and wash/curl/style it after her arthritis got too bad to hold a comb. To be fair, that was after she hit ninety.)

[Tori Angeli]

I don't know if anyone watches that show "What Not to Wear" but I hardly ever find the haircuts very flattering...Why do they always have the same shoulder length (or shorter), layered 'do'?:(:confused: lol. It's terrible. I mean what's wrong with long layers at the very least? Geez:rant:

I like the show for the fashion and makeup, but the hair is almost always very cookie cutter. It also peeves me that the current hairstylist for it insists that every woman should color her hair. Seems like a sweet, sweet guy, but I just do not agree. They recently had a show where he was giving hair care tips for straight-haired or curly-haired women (the latter of which at least sensibly included leave-in conditioner) but gave nothing for us wavies. Well, the rest of the world seems to think wavies are just in some awkward in-between stage and we should straighten or chop, so why not?

[Agnes Hannah]

I am 47 and growing, currently just above BSL. I had ubershort hair when I turned 40 and it made me look OLD, it showed my scalp and there was no hair left to manipulate. It was awful, I looked middle aged.
When I was 43 I went through a really traumatic experience and felt that I had to change something about myself, and the only thing I could do was to grow my hair.
When I was at school, my drama teacher had long hair coiled up in a huge bun and sometimes a piece ofhair would excape to tease me on how long it was, classic I think. She must have been in her forties as she had a son same age as i was then.
Also, today Iwas walking through town and I saw a woman who was probably about 55-65, with mid back length grey hair, it was sleek and beautiful. I will grow mine until it gets patchy, then I will buy a wig. Cant go short now, gone too far down this road and invested too much time into growing. I also use extensions, not just for length, more for thickness.

[deja]

You would think people would want to hold on to their youth.

[stachelbeere]

I have no idea WHY people think that way either. But half of my family keeps telling me "You wil have to cut it anyway when you will be pregnant and especially when you will have a baby because you won't have time to take care of it." Irritating, but ignorable.

Yes!!! Same with my cousin. She used to do all sorts of crazy things and was stylish with SL - APL hair. Now she 'settled down' and cut her hair into a pixie after she has given birth. WHY??? she looks like a *hawk* now.
I'm from the same part of Europe as you and I DON'T GET why so many girls do that once they've given birth :/

[goldcopperbrown]

Seriously, why does everyone think long hair is something you are only allowed to have up until a certain age? Makeover shows, magazines...all of them want to hack off older womens gorgeous locks over some stupid "rule". Sorry media, i will have hair down to my bum or longer until i die :D

I agree with you and I ranted about this to a friend the other day. I think older women with long hair look great (and younger). Better than if they had short hair (that's my personal preference though). I plan to have my hair long my whole life.

[Vrindi]

Seriously, why does everyone think long hair is something you are only allowed to have up until a certain age? Makeover shows, magazines...all of them want to hack off older womens gorgeous locks over some stupid "rule". Sorry media, i will have hair down to my bum or longer until i die :D

Since I've stopped reading fashion magazines, and watching tv (if it isn't on Netflix or Hulu, I don't see it), I don't hear this that much. When it bothered me, I started looking for examples of people "in the wild" who go against this. I've seen many women who ignore this dumb social rule and are very happy for it.

Vogue does not tell me how to live my life. When I want to see couture fashion, that's when I'll pick up a magazine, but it doesn't happen often.

[Andeee]

I am almost 50 and my hair is just about waist length. I don't really think of myself as old and at 40 I still looked like I was in my late 20s; my hair was longer then. I gave in to pressure a few times over the years and got a lot chopped off. Not because of societal pressure (I don't think), but I just thought I should look more polished. But honestly, I think no matter how long your hair is, it can look very polished in a sleek updo.

A couple of years ago my hair was thinning big time and I did get a lot chopped off as it looked terrible. One of my older (early 60s) friends was saying that's what happens when you get near menopause, etc. But I knew she was wrong (at least about me). My mom is in her 70s with super thick and strong hair (even with dyeing it for decades!). Turns out I was just extremely anaemic, and now (I'm on prescription iron) it's back to shiny and thick.

I'm keeping it long (and growing it longer) for as long as it looks healthy. I'm super lucky to have a great hairstylist who will not pressure me to cut or even trim it at all. I told her I had a dream that I'm not supposed to cut it anymore and she is honoring that. But she's over 40 as well with BSL hair and she looks young and gorgeous! I'm also lucky that she colours my hair with no grumbling (not ready to be grey yet) and does not charge me more because of the length.

[Leeloo]

I thought it was mostly a north American “rule” to cut hair when women get older. In a lot of countries I do not see this happening.

[Funkyfish]

I turned 40 this year and started growin my hair recently, LOL!

[chen bao jun]

Only my husband has input on how I wear my hair. I don't care if there is a rule.
56 and growing.
I'm influenced by these strange chop your hair ideas less because I wasn't born in the US and my background isn't european, either.
My one grandmother died with hair she could sit on at age 93, and the other one had brastrap length hair when she died at 88, which thickened back up remarkably when she stopped dying it black.
My mom is almost 83 and she is growing her hair long for the first time, due to Jamaican black castor oil and going with her natural african texture. She is almost brastrap in the back and in the front where she was broken off (and even bald in spots) due to tight braiding and extensions, she's almost to her ears.

[Kitten1030]

I don't get this mentality either, it seems to me shorter hair ages you even more. I'm almost 40 and am determined more than ever to have long princessie hair for once in my life damn it!:hifive::)

[fairylover46]

One of the most beautiful, classy looking women I have ever seen in my life was a woman of about 70. It was near Christmas time, and she had on a very elegant red cocktail dress with matching shoes. Her makeup was perfectly done, and she had red lipstick on that matched the shade of her dress. (blood red) She had silver gray hair with darker gray strands throughout. Her hair was in French twist style with loose curls cascading out of the top. She had loose curled "wispies" of hair framing her face. She had perfect posture and glided across the room when she walked. Everyone in the room was looking at her in awe. That was 15 years ago and I still remember her clearly due to her striking appearance and grace. I asked her how long her hair was when it was down and she gestured to almost mid-thigh. I told her that her hair was beautiful and I thought it was great she kept it long and the natural color. She gave me a lopsided grin, glanced around the room at all the men (young and old) looking at her, winked at me and said,"Yes, it has it's perks" and glided away (while her husband followed her around like a puppy dog). I thought then, and still think now (at age 46) "Wow, I want to be just like her when I grow older!"

[chen bao jun]

Yes, she sounds amazing.
I have always thought that nothing is classier than gray or white hair put up beautifully on an elegant woman.
I don't know why Americans think you lose your looks when you get older--or MAKE yourself look as if you have, due to poor grooming and confidence. Many other countries think you just come into your own then, as you figure it all out.

[long&blonde]

I too was angry younger, seeing all the ladies 50s and older in short cuts.
I'd thought it was society/peer pressure that had them all cut short.
speaking now from my perspective of age 59, hair about 6inches from being able to sit on it, It is not just society's pressure & peers that is the reason you see so many ladies 50s & over, short hair.
Short hair-starting out with a pixie or buzz cut is one of the "answers" to the mystery that faces you when you realize you have 3 feet or more dark dyed hair-and 3 inches of grey, snow white or silver roots.

If you never cut, rarely trim, the 2 are Never going to meet.
Many buzz or pixie their hair in response to this-also enjoying feeling healthy ditching dye chemicals.
I got a whole new outlook on the ladies 40s & up with short hair, after seeing how fast my own snow white roots grow in on dark blonde past tailbone hair at 59.
it gives you a riddle to solve. What do you do?

[fairylover46]

So the moral of my long winded story is this: If you love it, grow it, age is just a measure of the time you have been on a journey called "life", not a timeline on when you "should/should not" look a certain way, or have hair a certain length. The lady I told about in the earlier post did not conform to what society thinks a 70 something woman should do with her hair, clothes, or makeup and she was rocking it!

[HintOfMint]

One of the most beautiful, classy looking women I have ever seen in my life was a woman of about 70. It was near Christmas time, and she had on a very elegant red cocktail dress with matching shoes. Her makeup was perfectly done, and she had red lipstick on that matched the shade of her dress. (blood red) She had silver gray hair with darker gray strands throughout. Her hair was in French twist style with loose curls cascading out of the top. She had loose curled "wispies" of hair framing her face. She had perfect posture and glided across the room when she walked. Everyone in the room was looking at her in awe. That was 15 years ago and I still remember her clearly due to her striking appearance and grace. I asked her how long her hair was when it was down and she gestured to almost mid-thigh. I told her that her hair was beautiful and I thought it was great she kept it long and the natural color. She gave me a lopsided grin, glanced around the room at all the men (young and old) looking at her, winked at me and said,"Yes, it has it's perks" and glided away (while her husband followed her around like a puppy dog). I thought then, and still think now (at age 46) "Wow, I want to be just like her when I grow older!"

Heck, I want to be her NOW.

[fairylover46]

I live in the US in Georgia. I don't about other places but down here it seems everybody thinks "in the box" as far as hair is concerned. I have hip length hair with gray streak at each temple and occasionally I get asked "Why do you have it so long at 46?" My reply is "why would I not have it this long at 46? There is no eleventh commandment stating I should cut my hair at a certain age." So far nobody can give me an answer. I guess they have been conditioned by media to cut, color, straighten, and curl without question and figure when you hit a certain age you have to cut it short and curl it all over your head like 99% of the other females around here. What is the point of that anyway? Besides having to go to the salon every single week to have it done? extra money spent, extra time, et cetera. I just don't understand it. It is usually older women that ask me that question, then after they walk off their husbands come up and say something about more women need to keep their hair long because it is more feminine, attractive, and tell me please don't cut it leave it as it is, and not to "fall for that kind of thinking." They say it in a conspirational whisper to me but are too scared to tell their wives what they really think! Sad.

[fairylover46]

To HintOfMint: I knoooow!!!! Seriously! When I saw her I was 31 and was soooo jealous of her I couldn't stand it! I have traveled across several states and met many people of all ages, races, and such, but whenever I try to think back on people that I have met that impressed me the most she is the only one that comes to mind. She is my icon and I never even got her name.

Oh, and another inspirational over 40 woman with long hair (even though I never met her) is the matriarch in the movie The Wicker Man with Nicholas Cage. She has beautiful long silver hair with big chunks of buttery blonde in it and it is AWESOME! For anyone who thinks they need to cut their hair when they get older, one look at her will change their minds and give great inspiration to grow, and grow, and grow!

[HintOfMint]

Fairylover46, she sounds like she has incredible presence. I recall an art professor at my college who was also so striking. She, too, was possibly in her 70s with white hair in a french twist (never saw the length), porcelain skin, and a dash of pure blood red lipstick. She was just beautiful.

[fairylover46]

Mint, just read your post and got a premonition! When we get older we shall be dressed in gold and silver Rennaissance gowns of royalty, perched atop white stallions,with long silvery white hair flowing twenty feet behind us on a gentle breeze, gazing into the sunset nonchalantly as gallant knights bow at our feet to beg for our attentions!

Wow. I really need to cut back on watching so many Rennaissance movies

[tetisheri72]

Mint, just read your post and got a premonition! When we get older we shall be dressed in gold and silver Rennaissance gowns of royalty, perched atop white stallions,with long silvery white hair flowing twenty feet behind us on a gentle breeze, gazing into the sunset nonchalantly as gallant knights bow at our feet to beg for our attentions!

Wow. I really need to cut back on watching so many Rennaissance movies

And then the knights will go behind you and start doing all the detangling that 20 foot long hair blowing in the wind is going to need. :p

[gnome82]

This very topic has always aggravated me! I hate the "little old lady" hairdo thing! I hate it with a passion! Why can't women of any age have long hair? I understand that long hair takes a certain amount of time and effort to care for, but isn't it worth it to not look like a miserable little old nursing home lady with no care for her own personal appearance! My mom is almost fifty and she has almost waist length silver hair. I think it's gorgeous! I'm so glad she hasn't given in to the societal expectation that older women must chop off all of their hair!!!

Most little old ladies in nursing homes still care for their appearance, I have met the most happy and inspiring little old ladies in nursing homes ( 8 years of working with the elderly), that have more personality and enthusiasm for life (considering their circumstances eg: dying from breast cancer) than people younger than them. I have met some people elderly with beautiful souls and the smile on their face is far more beautiful than any long hair I have seen or could imagine. Some of ladies had very short straight hair or the permed short do.

I do not plan to cut my hair shorter when I am older but if I had to I would learn to be ok with it.

[chen bao jun]

Yes, if I have to, i'll lean to be okay with it too but so long as I don't have to, I'm not going to.