Family's expectations...

[IvanaGil]

Hey everyone.
So, I know everyone has their own reasons for having (or growing) long hair, but I was thinking the other day that one of my reasons (although small) is that I would disappoint my family and DH if I were to cut my hair. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE my long hair, but I never really thought about how a haircut would affect my family. For one thing, I know my mom and brother would FREAK out, and DH would probably mourn longer than me. I teased him once by braiding three braids (basically losing 6 inches of hair just in the braids) and told him that I got a haircut, and his eyes almost popped out of his head. He looked like I had just told him I murdered a family.
Then I unbraided my hair and he calmed down lol.
I feel like my hair is another member of my family.
Do you guys have family members or loved ones who love your hair as much as you, if not more?

[caadam]

Not in the present moment, but when I was a child, my mother loved my hair. She would style my hair every morning before school, even blow dry it when I was a child. My hair used to be a dark golden blonde.

I remember one day, I was about... eight or so--I asked my dad to take me to go get a haircut. So he took me to the hair stylist and they chopped off my braid, and I came home with a bob.

Let's just say my mother was pretty livid. lol Rightfully so, but technically, my hair at that point was more hers than mine. Heh.

[IvanaGil]

Not in the present moment, but when I was a child, my mother loved my hair. She would style my hair every morning before school, even blow dry it when I was a child. My hair used to be a dark golden blonde.

I remember one day, I was about... eight or so--I asked my dad to take me to go get a haircut. So he took me to the hair stylist and they chopped off my braid, and I came home with a bob.

Let's just say my mother was pretty livid. lol Rightfully so, but technically, my hair at that point was more hers than mine. Heh.

Yeah, something similar happened with my parents. My mom never let me cut my hair or dye it, and to this day, I have never dyed it for her sake. The first time I cut it, she almost had a heart attack lol then again, I had given my self a haircut at the age of 4 just to look like Matilda...I would've been angry too lol

[SongofLove]

Interesting thought! That is sweet how your family loves your hair too :)

I think my family would be happier if I shortened my hair because although I try my best to clean up my shed hairs, some of them always make their way to the floor to look gross :(

[Ticky]

No, my family doesn't really care about such things.

[IvanaGil]

Interesting thought! That is sweet how your family loves your hair too :)

I think my family would be happier if I shortened my hair because although I try my best to clean up my shed hairs, some of them always make their way to the floor to look gross :(

Aww lol the only thing that gets on their nerves is the massive amount of ponytails I seem to leave everywhere

[Zesty]

There was a point when I was growing my hair out that my boyfriend convinced me he would lay down and cry until he drowned himself in his own tears if I got a trim. Lol! But of course he was kidding, he just wanted me to grow my hair out. Then I guess I got a little overenthusiastic, because recently I asked what he even meant by "long" and he indicated something around APL or BSL. Now that I'm quickly approaching hip, I think he finds it a bit much. (Too bad for him.)

As for the rest of my family, they just find it curious, and don't seem to have opinions either way.

[barely.there]

I look like a boy with short hair. DH is certainly more physically attracted to me with long hair, and the rest of my family and friends love the new look. I'm always getting complements.

However, DH doesn't freak out if I trim my hair a miniscule amount :P

If DH cut his hair, I would probably cry. He looks like a lion with his long blonde mane and red beard.

[Lady Neeva]

My family is the opposite. Since many, many individuals in my family (as well as my area) have APL-BSL hair, they expect me to have the same. (There's also the conundrum of the killer hairballs on the floor, like trimming my hair back to APL would help.)

[woolyleprechaun]

I look like a boy with short hair. DH is certainly more physically attracted to me with long hair, and the rest of my family and friends love the new look. I'm always getting complements.

However, DH doesn't freak out if I trim my hair a miniscule amount :P

If DH cut his hair, I would probably cry. He looks like a lion with his long blonde mane and red beard.
Not to sound like a predator or anything, but your DH sounds hawt ;) You sound like the perfect hairy couple...:o

[1nuitblanche]

Most of my biological family doesn't really care what I do with my hair. My brother is adament that I look better with long hair than short hair though. And DH prefers long hair because it is more feminine and I'm kind of girlie, but he also says that I can do anything I want with it.

[NativeGirl]

My parents would probably die if I purposely cut my hair. They understood when I cut the remaining of it off, when most fell out due to chemo. My whole family has long hair - at least TBL. One time, one of my brother's cut his hair and it didn't go over very well. He cut it to about APL, so that he wouldn't sit on his hair. I've contemplated cutting my hair, simply because I'm not allowed to wear it down, and when I do, people won't stop touching it. But then, I know my parents/siblings/aunts/husband won't ever let me live it down. Growing our hair out is tradition. It's our culture. Also, I think I would miss it. I wouldn't necessarily miss scaring myself by thinking my hair is a spider on my arm...but I would miss it blowing in the wind. Or even blending in with my family. :)

[cuties]

Not in the present moment, but when I was a child, my mother loved my hair. She would style my hair every morning before school, even blow dry it when I was a child. My hair used to be a dark golden blonde.

I remember one day, I was about... eight or so--I asked my dad to take me to go get a haircut. So he took me to the hair stylist and they chopped off my braid, and I came home with a bob.

Let's just say my mother was pretty livid. lol Rightfully so, but technically, my hair at that point was more hers than mine. Heh.

Ditto, I did exactly the same thing and I was 10-11 at that time with almost WL hair. I went with my dad without letting my mom know and got it cut to chin length. She was so furious. Not only her, even my school teachers were furious with me. I almost cried every night for a week over this.

[goldnymph]

A bit less than four years ago, I chopped my midback length hair off in to a bob that fell above my chin. When my mom mentioned this to my grandma, my grandma responded by trying to console my mom, telling her not to worry, that surely it was just a, "rebellious phase," that I was going through and that I would eventually grow my hair out again. It was weird, especially considering that mom loved my new cut...

[natt i nord]

My parents would be happy, if I cut my hair... They always complain about the long red hairs I'm losing all around in the house :rolleyes:

[Sunny_Waits]

My family actually would probably prefer I keep mine short. None of them have long hair and I don't think they understand the desire to have very long hair. It seems like a lot of trouble, I'm sure...

As for my husband, he just wants whatever makes me happy, as far as I can tell. He doesn't appear to have a preference.

[Tota]

When I decided to stop dyeing and cutting my hair three years ago my mum and grandmum told me I will look bad with long hair (I'm too short, too old, too fat, my hair is too thin to look good long and yadayadayada). Now my hair is BSL and virgin. Thanks to TLHC it's also healthy and shiny. I went to visit my grandma a few weeks ago and I asked her to cut my ends. The answer was NO WAY KEEP IT THE WAY IT IS! She said to just put it in a braid if the ends bother me and forget about it :rolleyes: My mum is bragging to her friends how long my hair is now. This is the same person who never let me have long hair as a child. So ... whatever.

[IvanaGil]

Not to sound like a predator or anything, but your DH sounds hawt ;) You sound like the perfect hairy couple...:o

LOL! "Hairy couple"

[dwell_in_safety]

My mother loves my hair long. She liked it when I cut it short a year ago, too, but she just looooves it long. She's very interested in how I take care of it now, too. lol. My friends were all quite happy to hear I was growing it out again.

[Snippety]

Last time I mooted cutting my hair my four year old burst into tears and said "No ! Don't do it !! I want you just the same ! You're PERFECT !! ". Good enough for me ! :p

[jacqueline101]

My dad has liked the idea of me having long hair.

[tweetylonghair]

If I was to cut mine..one freind says she will beat me up..my huby wouldnt talk to me for a week and my kids would wonder where there mom went.. Alas kids at school I work with would also have all there comments. I just am letting it grow and trying for healthy...maybe I can stop coloring..this has been my latest decision and I want to really go for it

[moxamoll]

I think The Consort actually prefers it, now that it's long enough to braid up at night. When it was shorter and I slept with it loose, he always complained that it was trying to climb up his orifices and into his brain. :D But he mainly just likes it whatever length I like it.

He REALLY like the red though! ;)

The rest of my family probably doesn't understand the desire for very long hair, but they know it isn't their business. My niece loves my "princess hair" and my mom is just fascinated to watch me put it up. :D

[honeydippedxo]

I'm pretty sure no one's going to be scarred for life just because you get your hair cut. Not to be rude, just saying it would only be a big deal for a short while before everyone got over it. If you wanna cut go for it.

[Amber_Maiden]

My mom has recently told me she loves me hair, and that she thinks it's gorgeous... She might care a bit if I cut it.

[IvanaGil]

Last time I mooted cutting my hair my four year old burst into tears and said "No ! Don't do it !! I want you just the same ! You're PERFECT !! ". Good enough for me ! :p

How adorable! :)

[IvanaGil]

I would never cut my hair, but I was just contemplating that if I did, I would disappoint a few people, and a few days later, I would probably hate myself for it, too.

[dollyfish]

Ha. I'm totally the opposite. Not that my family has anything against long hair, but I've always had pixies and bobs, and up until I started growing my hair out, my mother's just-above-shoulder-length hair was the longest in the family!

[italianamama]

My mom thinks I'm a bit nuts, but is overall impressed :D Now back when my hair was APL and I was trying to grow it to waist, my hubby expressed a wish that I not grow past waist because "It just seems kind of weird." Now that I'm solidly at tailbone, he thinks my hair suits me :D I think he'd be fairly shocked if I cut it off. Long is his preference, and considering that I had a bob when we first met (which he did NOT like, but I thought he was a jerk back than!).... Now my best friend would KILL me if I cut my hair.

Oh and speaking of childhood haircuts... my almost 6 year old daughter's hair is almost classic length. Her hair WAS knee length last summer but *someone* (cough, my ex, cough) took it upon himself to hack it to just below waist. It really was a hack job and I had to cut off even MORE of her hair just to even it out. I'm still pissed about that.

[Tasare]

My family has never been big on long hair. I think shoulder length is unattractively long to most of them. They allowed me to grow my hair out a few times when I was a kid, but I always wound up with it cut back to my chin just when I was starting to be happy with the length. My mom insisted that I would someday thank her for keeping my hair short, but I guess I haven't changed as drastically over the years as she hoped!

I have a wish that my mom will someday admit that I do look more beautiful with long hair. I'm allowed to dream, right?:redgrin:

Thankfully my hubby likes the long hair, though he's not that picky.

[based goddess]

My family adores my long hair, they always marvel at it since their hair usually can't get that long without look dry/damaged.
They'd be DEVASTATED if I cut my hair, it's a good thing I never will. ^__^

[BrightEyes]

My family (parents and siblings) doesn't really care. My DH prefers my hair in a bob (one reason I have a tendency to chop), although he tells me I can do what I want with it. He has also told me he likes my hair blow dried and flat ironed *sigh*, another reason I have a hard time giving up heat.

[AnqeIicDemise]

I tried responding to this a few days ago while I was at work but the server crashed. (Or was it yesterday? I don't know what day of the year it is anymore.)

I think its the Latin American thing but women don't generally cut their hair. My mom did in the 80s and just doesn't have patience to grow it out anymore. My auntie had to shave her head due to severe migraines (turns out she had brain tumors. Some could be removed but others just can't be bothered with.) and has decided to keep it short. Every other woman in the family has kept it long.

I cut my hair back in 2000 due to severe damage and sheer rebelliousness. NO one tells me what to do. Well, I take it back, people tell me what to do I just don't listen. I had classic length hair that was beyond fried due to having to curl my hair for football games and pep rallies. My hair couldn't hold a curl unless I doused it in gel, hair spray and then fried it with a curling iron in teeny tiny chunks. Think foiling thickness. By the end of that football season my splits had splits upon splits.

So that valentine's day, after going to my brother's JP wedding, I called up my best friend to go with me to the salon. With her encouragement and support I went from classic to pixie. I had to get rid of damage and was going to be loosing tons of hair anyway, might as well have fun with it, no?

When I got home, my parents were shocked. They would've gotten angry and probably punished me if it hadn't been for the fact that my brother got up from the couch and just started yelling at us. 1) I was a selfish, disrespectful, dishonorable child for cutting off *my* hair. 2) My best friend was a baby murderer for supporting my decision and holding my hand while it got cut. How dare she help me do such a travesty?!

I got angry and I went into my bedroom to just let it go. Mistake 1. Brother basically broke down the door and continued with the verbal onslaught. I told him to get out of my sanctuary, mistake 2. I thought he was going to get physical but my dad stepped in -- as did my best friend -- by reminding my brother that at the end of the day its JUST HAIR. Dad went on to explain that yes, he was disappointed because he really enjoys the longer hair on women but at the end of the day I'm the one who deals with it every day. It was my choice. Mom did mention it was a cute, if not shocking change. Despite everything it looked much healthier.

Brother did apologize for being an idiot.

He still gives me crap about the other things I do to my hair. Like the reddish/purple underside? He has a mini heart attack when he sees it sometimes. Dad agrees its strange but he's seen the condition of my hair and isn't complaining. Its long. Its healthy. Its super shiny and thickish. Mom swears my hair's going to rot off for all that I do about it and is always genuinely surprised whenever I send her progress shot.

Dad said it best day I tried to punish him and my brother further by going blue: the only one who is going to suffer at such a stupid move is the one who has to wear the mop of hair everyday. So. yeah. I don't care if I disappoint anyone else with my hair growing/cutting decisions as long as I don't disappoint myself.

[Oksana]

My parents don't really mind what length my hair is but my partner much prefers long hair.

[curlylocks85]

*BUMP*

My mother has always preferred my hair to be long. She took care of my hair when I was a child and she was angry and shocked when I came back from the salon, with her friend, who had driven me there because she had to work, with a one length bob that was BSL at 12 years old. She got over it, but she still prefers it long; as do I. :)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

My family would much prefer that I have my hair like theirs: above shoulder length and fried.

[goneJackal]

If I cut mine, my family will probably throw a party! :laugh:

[spidermom]

My family think that my long hair suits me.

[turtlelover]

My family likes my hair better long now that I'm an adult, though when I was a 9 year old kid, my mom cut off ALL of my long hair and gave me a truly horrid permed pixie cut that traumatized me enough that I didn't want to leave the house, and called the Clairol help line right after the perm!!!!!
:agree:
I remember sitting in church after that and wanting this one lady's long, beautiful tailbone length hair soooo badly since mine was so horrible, and playing with her hair while pretending it were mine! HAHA! I am glad my mother came to her senses eventually and now regrets doing that to me back in the 80s! HAHA

My hubby clearly prefers longer hair, too, though he'd be fine w/ just past the shoulders and has never expressed an interest in it being super long, though I doubt he'd object. However, he'd definitely be sad if I cut it short short.

[dogzdinner]

My mother thinks I should cut my hair short and dye it blonde.....


what a weirdo!:rolleyes:

[Radioduck]

My sister loves and envies my hair because it's so much thicker and wavier than hers. I don't think she would care too much if i cut it, but I think she would become more desperate than I would if I one day would get hair loss issues. :lol:

[lilin]

Hey everyone.
So, I know everyone has their own reasons for having (or growing) long hair, but I was thinking the other day that one of my reasons (although small) is that I would disappoint my family and DH if I were to cut my hair. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE my long hair, but I never really thought about how a haircut would affect my family. For one thing, I know my mom and brother would FREAK out, and DH would probably mourn longer than me. I teased him once by braiding three braids (basically losing 6 inches of hair just in the braids) and told him that I got a haircut, and his eyes almost popped out of his head. He looked like I had just told him I murdered a family.
Then I unbraided my hair and he calmed down lol.
I feel like my hair is another member of my family.
Do you guys have family members or loved ones who love your hair as much as you, if not more?

Nah. My dad always loved my long hair, but he didn't mourn when I went short a few years ago.

My partner liked my long hair, but a couple months after I shaved my head, I found out he apparently has a thing for pixie cuts! So he's really enjoying my hair right now, at a couple inches long. I know he'll still like it when it's long again though.

I am actually getting a lot of compliments on the pixie. Apparently my face suits it. :) But I got lots of nice comments on my long hair too, and no one's ever seen me with hair this short before, so there's a certain novelty to it probably.

I like the pixie too. Unfortunately, my favorite lengths on me personally are pixie and very long, so a couple months from now, I will be embarking on a multiple year awkward phase!

[*ReiKa*]

I don't think anyone in my family would have such a reaction if I cut my hair, and they all truly love my long hair. Always got compliments from them and they admire it and pet it everytime I visit them, but they're not so attached to it that they will cry if I cut my hair much shorter, and that's just fine I guess.
My mum has always been my n.1 supporter in my hair journey, and my partner isn't that bothered to dictate what lenght I should keep my hair at, but he thinks long hair suits me better and *wouldn't like* me to go back to shorter lenghts, but he always says that I should do what makes me happy, so overall, everyone loves my hair in a healthy way.

[Neelie]

My mother supports both short and long as both suits me. But she wants me to be happy so whatever I choose to like, she is happy with either on me. Personally, the longer the better lol. My mother just tells me when I should sort out my split ends lol. And maybe not to colour them neon green lol...

[Hairkay]

Strange enough my mother liked her daughters to have long hair. She'd already planned to cut it very short if it was too unmanageable for her. Fortunately for her she was happy to comb our hair. It was a bit awkward for me because my curls were a little looser than my sisters and everyone would always comment on it. In a Caribbean family looser curls were favoured and so was length. Family and their friends told me to never cut it short.

[mira-chan]

My family is used to me with long hair and they really don't care either way.

[butter52]

Call me weird but...your family would get dissapointed? Well im not here to decorate their world so they can deal with it.

What I do to my hair is only my business. And I would not give anybody the power to dictate my style. I find it kind of abusive.

[gyhaslan]

Besides the occasional short/bad haircut up until I graduated high school, I've had long hair. My hair hasn't been shorter than APL in the last decade and I've pretty much maintained between APL and BSL. So my family and friends are used to me with long hair. If I did cut it short, they would be more shocked than disappointed but ultimately, supportive.
My boyfriend on the other hand, is a huge fan of long, dark hair (lucky me!). He got a little nervous when I started using henna because didn't know what to expect :) He would be very, very upset if I cut my hair shorter than APL, he would mourn, but as long as I'm happy, he's happy.
My sister has had her hair at every length between chin and waist. My family might comment here and there but it doesn't affect them whatsoever and she does whatever she wants.

[Robi-Bird]

I have only had long hair for a short time, about two years so my family is more used to me having short hair. That said, Mom recently told me that I'd better not cut my hair off since it's providing me with so much entertainment.