Do you secretly "compete" with others?

[FroggyMonkeyMom]

My sister-in-law recently cut her hair. We don't live near each other And the last time I saw her (two years ago) she had waist length or longer and I was a bit jealous because I was barely BSL, and was STILL bummed over cutting my hair chin length a year before.

Even before I met her I had jealously admired her hair from the pics my husband had shown me. In fact she is one of my many inspirations. We've only met a few times in person, sometimes hers was longer, sometimes mine was. I doubt she thought twice about "competing" and her new style is really pretty (if I were to cut mine I would do something similar) but a tiny part of me felt like I had won or something. Like it's a co legion. Silly, right?

Anyway I think she is more concerned with current styles than with length.

Does anyone else secretly compete? Or spot a long haired stranger and secretly compare with them? Or is this just a little too obsessive?

[candycandace]

I know exactly what you are talking about! I secretly compete with my ex boyfriends girlfriend. Not because I'm jealous of her, I just can't get over the fact that my ex left me for one of those "Barbie-doll" kind of chicks :rolleyes:. I guess the thing that makes me want to compete with her is that she always brags about how "long" and "goregous" her hair is. Though her hair is bsl, bleached blonde, and super damaged. I hope to one day see her in public and show off my long, healthy hair to her :laugh:. Silly, right? :oops:

[spidermom]

I always experience a secret little thrill when I notice that I have the longest hair in the room, even when it's put up and nobody knows but me.

[invisiblebabe]

Nah, not with hair lengths anyway :)

It is weird though that now my sister's hair is longer than mine (at least relative to the body - she is 5 inches shorter than I am). Hers is about waist length, mine is upper BSL. It's funny because when we were preteens and teens, mine was always a lot longer, I am still not used to hers being longer! :)

[Kricket]

Everyone where I'm at has to cut their hair before they get here, so it's always a competition to get your hair long. It's a bit of a status symbol -- not to say there aren't any girls with short hair -- but there's open admiration for long healthy hair and people have no issue commenting on it.

[seaj]

I compete with my family for fun. I think I only have two Aunts with hair longer than mine. One has been maintaining a blunt hairline around BSL for over 15 years so that will be hard to beat. The other has super thick iii hair that's layered, but longer. Most of my cousins got the iii/coarse/1a silky black hair that is indestructible, but they all have had haircuts recently. I only compete because most of them don't approve guys having long hair.

[FroggyMonkeyMom]

@ spidermom, I do that, too! Hahaha na na na boo boo, my hair is longer than hers!

[honeydippedxo]

My sisters and I have always had pretty much the same hair length our whole lives. Usually pretty long but on those rare occasions when mommy dearest would drag us to the salon she would make us get the same cut. Now a days I'm the only one with short hair so seeing both my sisters with long hair makes me wish I didn't cut it. But at the same time they never cared much about the health of their hair, just the length. My hair has always been super healthy in comparison even when I considered mine to be super damaged. Even though I cut my hair with the intentions of growing it as healthy and as strong as possible I get sort of JELLO when I see them...

I can't wait to have long hair again. I think it's pretty ok to be a little competitive, it helps with motivation. As long as you're not obsessed about it and as long as it's not a form of hatred it's A-OK in my book. I'm sure you have a few little secret admirers (competitors) yourself.

[racrane]

I did that all the time in high school. I might have been bullied, but I had the longest hair! I still compare but I don't do it as obsessively. Shame it's not acceptable to walk over to a stranger and look at their hair up close. :D

[Lisa R]

I have to admit I sometimes do! When I'm in a room with people I notice their lengths and see if mine is longer.

[Alex Lou]

I normally don't feel competitive about hair at all. But there are a couple people in my family who drive me nuts, and unrelatedly they are obsessed with long hair. I don't keep my hair long all the time, but when it is long it is thicker and in better condition than theirs will ever be. I can also grow it longer. Muhahaha! >:D

[slz]

I don't compete per se since I don't know anybody whose hair length compares to mine, but I think I'd be very upset if I were to meet someone with similar length.
So yeah, I guess I have the potential for this kind of stupid :o .

[julliams]

I totally do the "longest hair in the room" thing and I do notice when mine is longer than both of my SIL's because they both grow their hair to waist and chop it to about BSL from time to time. I wouldn't say I grow to compete, but I do notice when mine is longer or shorter than other people's, and I do get a thrill when mine is longer.

[Creatureling]

I'm secretly competing with both of my little sisters to see whose hair grows fastest :oops:. They both want long hair, but they won't stop using their hair straighteners, so I think I have a pretty good chance of winning.

[MonaLisa]

Hmmm I think no. It's funny really, but I mostly end up having longest hair wherever i go. But there were few times there was a girl with longer hair than me...Classic..and once even knee...you'll see me staring at them with admiration.
As for friends, and people i care for, I'd really like them to have longer/healthier hair, and hope for that secretly, because presuading them just doesn't work!

[Snippety]

I do enjoy what I think of as my Crocodile Dundee moments - walking past another person on the street and thinking "That's not long hair....this is long hair !!" but not so much since I cut back to waist length.

Thinking about it I also do that with tattoos - "That's not a tattoo......" I am more sad than I thought ! ;)

[andreamuse]

yes, haha, but right now I am at the very bottom of the barrel in any hair competition. I am growing out from a pixie and I'm just at that awkward stage where the layers are growing out, on the verge of a mullet. So basically anyone except people maintaining a pixie has longer hair than me right now! :D

Also I have a friend who got a pixie cut right around the same time I did, but she started growing hers out right away, where I kept mine maintained until just two months ago. So anyway, her hair is now shoulder length, and I am jealous that she has already gotten through the awkward growing out and mullet stage! :)

[kettle]

Yep. I am the longest haired person I know, at a little past tailbone, so this doesn't happen much anymore. But when I first started growing my hair out from chin length, it occurred very suddenly to me that it was the first time in both of our lives that my hair had been shorter than my sister's. Man did that spark the competitiveness. I'm now safely way longer. (I win! :p)
I absolutely do the "longest hair in the room" thing too. I like that it's a secret; in the past I may have had to take it down to feel that, now I enjoy that it's just for me.

[pepperminttea]

Not long-term like 'growth racing' or anything, to be honest if any of my friends wanted to grow their hair I'd be thrilled to have someone else to talk hair-nerd with ( :p ), but I admit I do get a certain satisfaction from realising I have the longest hair in the room. :o

[jrk]

It's no secret.....my sister! We always bet on who can go longest without a haircut. We do trims, but nothing more than a 1/2 inch. Last time, I won....then cut 11 inches off :( About a month ago we bet again. We both have inverted bobs about the same length. She still owes me a million dollars from our last bet ;)

[Alaia]

I always experience a secret little thrill when I notice that I have the longest hair in the room, even when it's put up and nobody knows but me.

This. :lol:

[Helenae]

No, not competitive at all. I don't think "long hair" necessarily means "nice hair".

I've seen some women with straggly long tailbone hair which looks thin and uneven, then some women with BSL hair which is thick and silky and voluminous - that's where I start to get a little jealous and begin to compare.

[JulietCapulet]

Actually it wasn't until I joined this forum that I really thought about comparing my length to that of other women. But now I think about it more often and notice differences. My hair is longer than any of my friends but I live in south Florida where latina girls usually have long hair so I'm not a rarity most of the time.

[weddy]

I wore my hair up when I worked at the hospital, except on wash days that ended up with a braid down my back (with a towel under it until I parked my car at work). People that hadn't seen the braid before would sometimes make a little fuss over it, so I enjoyed that. Except for the Eastern Indian ladies, I usually had the longest, but never did length comparisons.

One time I decided my ends were beyond repair and had a bigger trim than usual, enough that it triggered some shrinkage, making it appear even shorter. When my former SIL saw it, she connipted and made me promise to call her next time I was thinking about a trim ROFL! So she was definitely a length comparer.

[Piyo]

hee hee, there is a new girl at work, and she is the ONLY other girl in the building who has almost waist length hair. Unfortunately, it is also about the same color as mine...except she's naturally blonde.

I couldn't help feel a little competitive, because our hair seems to stand out so much that it would be hard not to compare them. She is a sweet girl though, I don't think either of us are too vain.

[Amber_Maiden]

Not really... Perhaps I just like being the person with the longest hair in both my and my husband's family- including extended family. I also have the longest hair of any of my friends or his friends. hehe

[PorkChop]

Kind of.... i was really pleased when a lass who works with me got her BSL+ hair cut to her shoulders very recently even though she had nice hair. I was like ''Yes!, now i have the second longest hair in my workplace!!''

[FrozenBritannia]

I don't know that a feel jealous about others hair, but I definitely notice it. Mine was almost waist length last year, but it fell out, and now I'm back to just past my shoulders, and I do feel sad when I see a friend who had the same length hair as me and now hers is at hip (but damaged, oh my!) and there ARE little pangs of 'not fair' when I see how much my SIL's hair has grown (but she's preggers, so I'm not sure if thats the hair or the fact she's having a lil baby and I'm not allowed any more.)
Realistically, I'm quite proud of how much my hair has grown and that I have any at all. (And I would have to think really hard about expanding my family, because the age difference would be too much, I always swore I would never have kids as far apart as my parents did, because I know cousins better than I know my own siblings!)

[Calaelen]

I certainly don't compete with any of the ladies on here, I'd be doomed if I tried! However there is a woman in my city who works at a store I sometimes go into. When I "met" her, she had just beyond knee length hair, and me about waist. I just had to compliment her on her hair, and I asked how long it had taken her to grow it. She very snottily replied that it had taken her her whole life and that I had no chance of getting that long starting so late in life...well I was kinda shocked, and pissed.

What gave her the right to be so uppity about it, even rude. Now this lady is older, at least in her 50s, and she chemically colours her hair, her ends were in AWFUL shape, which she tried to hide by heat curling them...I was in awe of the length, but certainly not by her actual hair.

I'd already set out on my goal of knee, but from that moment forward I was also doing it to prove her wrong. Then, fairly recently, I think in the last six months, she cut to TBL, and my hair was not only longer, but looked WAY healthier. I felt I had "won"..lol. How petty of me for sure, but it was her rudeness, and almost challenge that started the whole thing.

Usually, I see a long hair and stand in awe of them, jealousy or competition never even entering my mind.

[Diamond.Eyes]

I don't really compete with anyone. But a girl I used to consider my best friend used to say things like "long hair is ugly on girls", and "red hair doesn't look good on anyone" and of course she was trying to insult me considering my hair was down to my hips at the time. She was just that kind of person who would hint insults at you. I wasn't competitive with her, but she sure was with me. She would tell our mutual friends that I had gross ginger hair, but the funny thing is that she eventually grew her hair to bsl then dyed it red :laugh:. Oh, hypocrites.

[Calaelen]

I guess I have the potential for this kind of stupid :o .

:D You never fail to post awesomely! Frequently you go on my post of the day list...this just may have done it.

[Mayflower]

I do sometimes, but if I have a bad/flat hairday and I see someone with shorter hair than me, but more voluminous or big or wavy, I can still get a bit jealous (in a good way though). So it's not all about the lenght for me, because honestly I barely see someone with hair longer than me around here.

If I'll reach my goal lenght in a couple of inches, I don't think I'll ever be jealous of hair longer than mine 'cause it's just not what I want anyway. Though I can enjoy looking at really long hair, even if it's just not for me :).

[SilvraShadows]

I usually just end up feeling left behind at the starting gate, with a mouthful of dust on top of it. I remember when I first joined the LHC there were a couple of members who had the same length as my own... all of us about 20 ish inches. I guess you could say I watched to see if we reached the same lengths about the same time...

:sad

Then something happened, I had to go away for a bit of time and when I came back they had reached unfathomable lengths! I'm still at the starting gate.




:horse:

[heidi w.]

My sister-in-law recently cut her hair. We don't live near each other And the last time I saw her (two years ago) she had waist length or longer and I was a bit jealous because I was barely BSL, and was STILL bummed over cutting my hair chin length a year before.

Even before I met her I had jealously admired her hair from the pics my husband had shown me. In fact she is one of my many inspirations. We've only met a few times in person, sometimes hers was longer, sometimes mine was. I doubt she thought twice about "competing" and her new style is really pretty (if I were to cut mine I would do something similar) but a tiny part of me felt like I had won or something. Like it's a co legion. Silly, right?

Anyway I think she is more concerned with current styles than with length.

Does anyone else secretly compete? Or spot a long haired stranger and secretly compare with them? Or is this just a little too obsessive?

I think it's silly to compete over hair. It's one of those things that you can't control a whole heckuva lot. And what do you get for "winning" or "losing"? There are some things that are worth competing around. Hair doesn't make a lot of sense to me as a competitive topic, especially with a sister. Isn't it more important to have a sister and get along?

Just my 2 cents.

heidi w.

[BabyRay33]

I do this at work. A couple girls that had really long hair have trimmed theirs and I have close or possibly the longest at my office now.

It's a harmless way to think about hair at work LOL...besides posting on hair forums when I should be doing something else!

[beccababesx]

Yes, me and my best friend joke about it as our hair is the same length, however I secretly am extremely competitive and am horribly happy when I see mine is growing faster because she blow-dries, uses bad brushes, washes every other day with SLS and doesn't wear updos... I'm bad I know.

[MonaLisa]

I do this at work. A couple girls that had really long hair have trimmed theirs and I have close or possibly the longest at my office now.

It's a harmless way to think about hair at work LOL...besides posting on hair forums when I should be doing something else!

tell me about that! :o
I'm way too much on LHC when I'm at work :o

[jacqueline101]

Oh yes I do it. I got competitive over the woman my ex dated. She has tail bone length hair and mines 7 inches from the bottom of my bra strap. I even cut my bangs like hers and I'm going to grow my hair to tail bone length. I've also had people compete with me attempted to grow out their hair.

[lesbia]

I always do this! Definitely! ;)

[pepperminttea]

I got competitive over the woman my ex dated. She has tail bone length hair and mines 7 inches from the bottom of my bra strap. I even cut my bangs like hers and I'm going to grow my hair to tail bone length.

... Does this not raise red flags for you?

[Martukita]

Yes I do! Even more now that I'm on LHC!:p

[lajsa]

I don't really compete, but I do feel nice about myself when I'm looking at people's hairs. Not because I think everyone should have long hair or because I look down on people with shorter hair than mine... but I feel proud about myself when I look at my irl friends. Especially when the one who was closest to my length cut her hair to a chin-length bob. I felt awesome for not cutting my hair :p

Honestly, it's silly and stupid but I like it. :D I never act on it, of course, but it makes me feel happy about myself when I notice I've got the longest hair in my general area. I've got pretty bad self-confidence usually but I actually feel like my hair makes it better because I feel prettier with it. And even though hair isn't really an accomplishment (heck, just leave it alone and it does its thing) I still feel proud of myself. :p Maybe it's the "I have long hair because I LIKE it and that makes me awesome for looking like I want to!" factor or something, I don't know.

[katsrevenge]

Not really.

I know that at least one sister is getting jealous though. She always had the longest hair. Now mine is almost as long as hers and since she heats, rips through her hair with plastic brushes and only ponytails it she's got more damage then I do.

[Grillz]

Yes. Yes, I do.. and it's so silly and petty, but I do it! I started to type out the kinds of things I take pleasure in, but felt way too silly lol

[NativeGirl]

I do enjoy what I think of as my Crocodile Dundee moments - walking past another person on the street and thinking "That's not long hair....this is long hair !!"

I love this! I have those same moments!

[turtlelover]

Honestly, I don't think longer necessarily equals better, so I don't really do this. I DO notice the health of someone's hair, and if it is cut in a style that flatters them. I tend to prefer longer hair, but it doesn't have to be SUPER long to be pretty to me.

[heidi.maryke]

Honestly, I've gotten to the point that length doesn't matter anymore. I notice hair that is healthy, shiny and well groomed, this is what makes me want to compete, or aspire to that hair.

[Zesty]

Haha I kind of do this. I notice how long someone's hair is and compare it with mine, and it's kind of nice when mine is longer or healthier or what have you.

[allnight avenue]

I won't lie, I very much enjoy that even though my hair is only BSL, I'm usually the person with the longest hair around. When hair jealousy over color, curls, etc. gets the better of me at least I can say "mine's longer!" So petty, haha.

[CurlyCap]

I love healthy, gorgeous hair. I don't much care how long it is bc usually the long hairs around here are more neglected and ratty than crowns.

[utdesertrunner]

Hee hee...yes! All the time, but mine is nothing to brag about....yet....but it used to be the longest in the family :)

[MissManda]

Nah, I don't compete over hair. I like to admire it from afar and sometimes I feel a little envious of the length/condition. It makes me think, "Oh, that is so beautiful! I hope my hair looks like that someday!" I'll admit to feeling a little sad when I see a friend cut off their pretty long hair, but then I see their happiness and it's all okay again. :p

[Melisande]

I don't. Truly, I'm the most un-competitive person I know. I don't compete with anyone and can't understand the concept of competition. It's probably one of the reasons why I had so little outward success in life with so much inner satisfaction :-) and why so many kinds of sports are "a closed book" to me...

I'm happy to see beautiful heads of hair, wherever and whenever. I'm totally with MissManda. I admire, I take example, I enjoy.

[tigereye]

I do, but only with one person. Most of the time I'm just so happy to see longhairs/henna heads/hairtoys etc. in the wild. But there is one girl who seems to be everywhere I go, who is generally snotty and nasty in her remarks towards me. She has hair that is only an inch or so longer than mine, but I have layers. I want to get longer than her, partly to stop the annoying "my hair is too long for that" (hello, she is waist length. I could do everyone of those styles when Mine was at hip, and I know people with longer, thicker hair here do them too) or "why would you want red hair, anyway" (um, maybe because I like the colour and flare from henna? If I didn't like it I wouldn't be doing it.) remarks.
The only other thing I get jealous of is French twists. Mine always looks like I have an extra head. Just too long and thick I guess. I don't think it will ever look good on me unless I chop to shoulder which just ain't happening.

[Quixii]

I do, and I feel kinda bad about it. When ever someone mentions the length of hair of somebody else, I always shout mentally, "Um, HELLO! Do you not see my hair?" It's awful! At least I really do have the longest hair of anyone I know, other wise I'd probably get more obsessive than I already am. :nono:

[charchar1711]

Haha I do this, thought I was the only one who did! I got my hair cut to chin length and hated it when I decided to start growing it out my best friends hair was longer then mine, but due to her constantly damaging her hair by straightening her naturally curly hair and having to trim it all the time where as I ALWAYS leave my hair natural which means less damage and less trims mine has just taken over the length of hers :D !

[Hollyfire3]

I totally understand this! I have competed with my best friend for nearly ten years and she just now cut her hair to a bit shorter than mine (hers in now upper bsl mine is lower bsl) and i felt soo happy! She knows i have alwasy been jealous of her hair and it is a issue at times. I wish i could just except my hair is mine and no one elses but, i can't.

[Kayleena]

Hi, everyone! :) Yes, I do secretly compete with others – & I’m always happy when I win. *lol*
If my hair is *not* longer, it bothers me just a little if it’s someone I know or see on a regular basis. If it’s a stranger, then I’m OK. Right now, I usually win the “contest.” :coolblue:
I'm also very happy that my hair is longer than most of the long-haired celebrities! :coolblue:
Eventually, though, if I can achieve enough posts to be able to attend a long hair meet, then a lot of you would beat me & DH in length. Happy growing! :)

[snowfaery]

I don't over length other than go I wish, but I do over colors especially when a coloring attempt went south and I was disappointed with it.

[lolot]

I don't really compete with anyone. But a girl I used to consider my best friend used to say things like "long hair is ugly on girls", and "red hair doesn't look good on anyone" and of course she was trying to insult me considering my hair was down to my hips at the time. She was just that kind of person who would hint insults at you. I wasn't competitive with her, but she sure was with me. She would tell our mutual friends that I had gross ginger hair, but the funny thing is that she eventually grew her hair to bsl then dyed it red :laugh:. Oh, hypocrites.

i know those type of comments and is obvious she love your hair so much that she was just telling that so she will convince you to cut it and dye it, i hate those types of "friends" :mad:

[Kira94]

Haha, I'm secretely competing with most of my friends. About half of them are still longer than me right now. Is it awful that I'm secretly hoping they'll want to cut or trim their hair? :laugh:
Well, except for my friend who's growing her hair out with me. Hers is about 3b and 28 inches. I'm quite jealous, but she's my best friend, so I wouldn't want her to cut it, her hair is gorgeous. I just want mine to catch up, that's all! :laugh:

[LissaJane]

I was totally secretly competing with my sisters a while ago. For a little while my hair was winning and I was the longest of the bunch, except my hair looked slightly more ratty and was thinned out.. I used to get little thrills when one of them went to the hairdresser hahaha, karma much?
Then I cut it all off and am slowly working on outgrowing them both again :p

My littlest sister has the most beautiful thick light brown hair. I would give pretty much anything to have her hair, it's so beautiful. I'm working on making mine as lovely as it can be.. I think it has the potential to be a fairly nice mane, it just needs to grow!

[the.fee.fairy]

I don't compete, but i do stalk!

I was in India a few years ago and there was a woman with the most beautiful knee length hair. I stalked her for a while trying to get a picture, but in the end i asked our guide to ask her if it was ok. She was really nice, she came over to me and stroked my hair, telling the guide that she thought the colour was the most beautiful she's ever seen It got into a complimenting competition.

She told me (through the guide) that she used coconut oil a lot and that she washed it in the river once a month (she meant the Ganges, she believed that the holy river helped it to grow).

I still remember her and i have the picture somewhere.

[Avital88]

I think everyone secretly does this.. now i know that my friend is growing out her hair and she is in exotic places all the time(heat is faster growth) i always joke she will catch up with my length.
Beginning of summer her hair was mbl and its now past waist growing to hip..
But i love her long hair and would never want anyone to cut it for mine to be longer(thats a bit of cheating anyway)
I give her many hairtips even though i know she is secretly competing with me hehe,its ok ,im at least 5 inches ahead with thicker ends,so make that 6..
I like a little competition,no jealousy involved..

[Lissandria]

I don't compete, but i do stalk!

I was in India a few years ago and there was a woman with the most beautiful knee length hair. I stalked her for a while trying to get a picture, but in the end i asked our guide to ask her if it was ok. She was really nice, she came over to me and stroked my hair, telling the guide that she thought the colour was the most beautiful she's ever seen It got into a complimenting competition.

She told me (through the guide) that she used coconut oil a lot and that she washed it in the river once a month (she meant the Ganges, she believed that the holy river helped it to grow).

I still remember her and i have the picture somewhere.

Awesome story! :)

No I don't compete with others really; however when I see fried hair I think "mine used to be like that, and it's not now" :p. I reallty do admire beautiful hair though.

[raveness13]

I do compete with my friends secretly. Two of them have hair a little longer then mine, but dry and damaged. Hopefully my healthier hair will grow faster! Does anyone else feel slightly embarrassed about doing this? :oops:

[lolabird]

I don't compete, but i do stalk!

I was in India a few years ago and there was a woman with the most beautiful knee length hair. I stalked her for a while trying to get a picture, but in the end i asked our guide to ask her if it was ok. She was really nice, she came over to me and stroked my hair, telling the guide that she thought the colour was the most beautiful she's ever seen It got into a complimenting competition.

She told me (through the guide) that she used coconut oil a lot and that she washed it in the river once a month (she meant the Ganges, she believed that the holy river helped it to grow).

I still remember her and i have the picture somewhere.

Such a cool story!

[the.fee.fairy]

TBH I've travelled a lot of the world and i've found that it doesn't matter what culture you're in, people really like long hair.

So, if i see anyone who's hair i admire, i always try to make the effort to talk to them.

A compliment is a compliment, regardless of language.

[MonaLisa]

I don't compete. I love beautiful long hair on other people, and wish I saw it more often.
But I do kinda compare :)

[joflakes]

I don't compete as I have such short hair, but I do get hair jealousy a lot!

[Chromis]

No, not at all! I am always always see people with hair longer than or as long as mine, though it happens less and less as I keep growing. I am always happy to cheer others on as well. Not just for hair, for whatever they are working on in general. (If I'm not cheering you on, chances are I just don't like you, but I generally just ignore rather than making snide comments when possible.)

[ktani]

No. I used to be envious just because I wanted to know the secret - the products used to achieve what I could not with my hair.

Because hair is different, most products work differently on an individual.

And then there is being genetically hair blessed, which I am not.

Some people can use almost any products with success. My hair used to be fragile and being fine/medium and wavy, prone to breakage and split ends. On top of that, it is thin.

I finally found what I need to love my hair as it is and no more envy searching for solutions. I found mine.

[Isadora]

My sister compete with me before she had her hair cut really short 2 years ago. Funny feeling now, but yesterday my daughter started to compete with me :p

[woolyleprechaun]

I love this thread, it makes me feel less crazy :)
I do this all the time.....The girl down the road had waistlength dyed and straightened hair that I was jealous of (the length, not the condition) and then she chopped it off to BSL. I wasnt happy in a nasty way ('HA HA!!! You've got shorter hair!!') but in the sense that it made me feel like I was finaly getting longer and overtaking people (Im not mad, honestly)

[ladyshep]

When I worked in the salon 12 years ago, a friend of mine wanted to compete with me. So we had fun doing that.
I won though, but who cares. That's NOT the reason I have long hair today.

[AGFE0914]

I wish I could say "oh no I don't do that that's immature" but um Sat there was this girl who came into a club I was in and her hair was below the rump and extremely shiny. The worse part is she came in when we were leaving and all the lights were on so it emphasized the shine lol. Normally I share beautiful views with my boyfriend, but I think that night I rushed him out because I was secretly jealous and it was our first night out in a while. Sooooooo immature I know:(

[mzBANGBANG]

Yep, and my hair isn't even that long. I'd say I compete with my mother and close friends. Unfortunately, I usually end up losing my competitions since my hair is prone to split ends. Hopefully after a year of being here, I can take care of those little buggers.

In class, I'm often checking out other long haired girls and playing around in my head which forums they should read on here, lol. There is one girl who sits in front of me with BEAUTIFUL waist length hair, and when I saw her hacking at it with a brush all I could think was NOOOO!!!

[Arashi]

Hmm.. well, no, I don't think so... As it is, now that I think about it, I have longer hair than all of the people I know and see on a regular basis, and I'm only at APL. I don't think to myself "I've got you beat!" when I see them with regards to their hair length. :p And as far as strangers go, I'm often too oblivious to notice their hair at all, and if I do it's because it does stand out in some way.. like an older lady with a beautiful sliver knee-length braid I once saw at the zoo.. which in that situation my reaction is more like awe and wonder rather than any sort of competitive feeling. I don't tend to compare myself to others a whole lot, I think.

[xoxophelia]

Hmm.. I have noticed some women making passive aggressive comments that may very well be aimed at me. So I guess there is a competition going on that includes myself. But I am not actively involved in it. Does that make any sense?! o.o

What I do dislike is when people will pretend to be nice publicly to not spoil their image but are actually nasty to you. I've had some friends come to tell me that so-and-so person rants about me regularly. :shrug:

It is really odd. I'm usually a bit too oblivious to this sort of stuff to take notice. Also, I am far too modest over my hair and looks in general to think of it as much to compete with.

[Long_hair_bear]

I envy people with longer and thicker hair, but I don't try to compete. I just tell myself, one day, my hair will be that long. :D

[aisha.christine]

No, my hair is too short to "compete" with anyone, and usually I admire people who have beautiful, healthy hair. The only person with whom I relish having better hair than is my old best friend. She always says that she has such beautiful hair, and that everyone thinks she's so pretty, and that my hair is ugly etc. Her hair is about shoulder length like mine now, and it is horribly unhealthy. I felt so good (terrible, I know) after she bleached it and I saw chunks of her hair on her t-shirt. I want to feel bad about it, but she was so rude to me our entire friendship that I can't.

[Sushi144]

I don't think I really compete. Not because I'm a nice person who dislikes competition, but because my little sister taught me humility about my hair ! :o
Hers grows sooo fast without her doing anything special, she could easily reach the knee if she'd want it, while I'm desesperate to reach classic for years now.

I do compare though, and have some satisfaction when I realize I do have the longest and healtiest hair in the room... Especially since I'm on this forum !

Actually, thinking about it, maybe I compete with one girl, but it's because she's kinda mean to me. Our hair are about the same length, but as she's smaller, it looks longer. So I'd like to reach classic just to say "HA, HA, HA !" :D

[dwell_in_safety]

I used to note with pleasure that I had some of the longest hair on campus. :p

Now it's only APL, so that's over, but I do think I was silly for that behavior in the past purely because my hair was so damaged. THIS time, though... lol.

[Lostsoule77]

I'm not too competitive. I think it's because my sister is so competitive, not about hair, but in games and such. I do tend to compare though. Both of my nephews' wives have long hair. In September we all had our hair down and I was trying to figure out who's was the longest. I think mine was, but not 100% sure. Our hair is all different though.

I have noticed lately that I pay more attention to hair than I did before I joined TLHC. I see how damaged most girls hair is and (on rare occasions) how beautiful some girls hair is. I realized that I'm judging people by it, a fact that I don't like. I try not to judge people and know I do it more than I like. :shrug: I hope I'll get over this soon. Right now I have to actively NOT do it.

[piffyanne]

Yes. Yes, I do.. and it's so silly and petty, but I do it! I started to type out the kinds of things I take pleasure in, but felt way too silly lol
This. Usually I win, with one notable exception: I see a girl once a year (don't "know" her, but she she always goes to a convention I attend, and wears her hair out) who has knee-length hair. It's suuuuper fairytaleish, though, and has been about the same length each time I've seen her, so I think it's at her terminal. I've actually considered growing my hair knee-or-longer, just to see if MY terminal "beats" hers. Yes, it's petty, especially because she doesn't know I exist. :rolleyes:

I feel bad about comparing myself to her that way, but it was such a shock to me (baby's first longhair sighting!:thud:) when I first saw it that I don't think I've ever fully recovered: the harmful emotions (I'm seriously just kidding here, thank God!) still lurk under the surface. I probably should take up meditation.:p

ETA: Now that I think about it, although I always wanted to have long hair, I only actively started growing it (83673) because a girl in one of my college classes had waist-or-TBL-length hair, and I wanted hair as long or longer. When my hair was finally long enough to compete, and I met her again, she had cut back to an inch or two above shoulder. I was disappointed I couldn't compare with her, and sad to see her beautiful hair gone.

I guess that means I'm not as bad as I thought I was. I wouldn't make passive-aggressive comments, nor do I wish haircuts on/against people. I like to compete "fairly," if that makes sense.

[Dark Rapunzel]

I usually get a little feeling of satisfaction at my job where everybody has short hair unless it's extensions :)
I do the longest hair in the room thing too XD

[RedBlue]

...Yes...:o I am secretly happy that I have the longest hair out of my mom and sister. Now if only my hair would catch up with my aunt's OR she would cut hers!:D

[lilravendark]

Haha used to compete with my male friends they had longer hair than mine which was at the time chin length. In the end they shaved their heads and I was sad lol I wanted us all to have lovely long hair :(

[mrs_coffee]

I'm not a competitive person with anything, really. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's just not in my nature or something?

[Of the Fae]

I have the same thing with length too :P
However, this does prevent me from cutting it shorter even though I'm at an awkward phase now (About APL and tangling up at the nape of my neck like there's no tomorrow). I want to have hair as long and beautiful as people I see on the streets sometimes, so it's more of an inspirational thing.

[long&blonde]

Silently checking the room out to affirm if my hairs the longest there, every work meeting I attend.
And, a not so secret hair war with Footballs Pgh.Steeler, Troy Polamolu. How long would those curls be wet? I watch Steeler games w/my mum,any mention of Troy's name,I pop down onto floor by tv w/all my hair back,for another instant comparison.

[cnd0020]

Silently checking the room out to affirm if my hairs the longest there, every work meeting I attend.
And, a not so secret hair war with Footballs Pgh.Steeler, Troy Polamolu. How long would those curls be wet? I watch Steeler games w/my mum,any mention of Troy's name,I pop down onto floor by tv w/all my hair back,for another instant comparison.

That's hilarious! He DOES have magnificent hair!

[PixxieStix]

I guess in my mind I do secretly "compete", but not with anyone in particular. I get a thrill when I walk into a room and notice that my ponytail is one of the thickest, or that my ends are in much better shape than many of the others I see. I am growing my hair out for me, for many reasons, but would never, ever want someone elses hair to suffer or get chopped so that I could feel better about mine. I take pride in the care I give my hair, and do feel a certain amount of satisfaction when I can see the difference between the health of mine and the health of anothers, regardless of length. Admittedly, I cannot wait for the day when I can walk around and notice that my hair is longer than most everyone elses, but that isn't because I think it's better, but because that will mean I finally reached my goal!

But the person I am "competing" against the most is myself. :D Why? Because I always win!

[Lostsoule77]

But the person I am "competing" against the most is myself. :D Why? Because I always win!

That is great!

[McFearless]

Somebody made a thread like this a while back and my response was hostile and judgemental. *blushes* Now that I've thought about it some more, got my ego in check, I understand its normal and we all want to stand out in one way or another, and for long hairs we want to be unique in that respect. I don't compare my hair to others in term of wanting mine to look better than theirs or wanting to have the longest hair, but I definately do look at gorgeous heads of hair and think mine is so horrible. But then I get over it and try to appreciate my own! It is hard sometimes but putting it into perspective helps.

[gthlvrmx]

I do. Of course i do. And im so happy i dont cut my hair now. >)

[gingylocks]

I DEFINITELY compete!! With my mother and my sister, and my mom's best friend. Right now, I don't have the longest hair, but I'd like to think I am the most patient, and my hair is the healthiest out of the bunch (everyone else dyes their hair and/or uses straighteners or perms)

[CurlyCap]

Never competed, but today I finally noticed.

There's a girl with hair very much like mine, which is rare where I live. Last year when I cut my hair, I looked to her as motivation for growth. Well, it's a little over a year later and when I saw her today I realized my hair is longer than hers.

We have similar hair but mine is well kept and she fries hers a lot. I didn't "win", but it did boost my morale about all the things I go through to keep my hair healthy.

[BeccaAngel]

I definitely do that, usually with my sister. she had longer hair than me, and a few weeks ago, she chopped it all off. so i was like, "Yay mine is longer than yours now!" haha. I usually keep any other comparing to anyone else's hair to myself but not with my sister. its probably silly :)

[SilentGuardian]

I secretly compete with my cousin, who's about the same age. We don't really talk. Her hair is WL. Mine is only AP, so I'm a bit jealous when I see her. I do feel a small victory, though. Her hair isn't as thick as mine, and she does harmful things to it like highlights and heat styling. It's going to catch up to her in the future, and then maybe my hair will be longer then.