Why is shoulder length so popular with the mainstream public?

[MinderMutsig]

This is something I've been wondering for a long time. Shoulder length is one of the most annoying lengths!

You can't really do anything with it except a lace braid, a peacock twist and a pony stub. It creeps into collars and the back of shirts which is annoying and frankly looks ridiculous. It falls in your face all the time. A little gust of wind means you're gagging until you're able to pull the hair from your throat. It gets stuck in earrings and the clasps of necklaces. Who would do that to themselves voluntarily on a daily basis?

I understand if you're trying to grow it out but then it's just a stage that you have to go through on your way to something better. But purposely? Why?!

[Tisiloves]

It's the shortest possible length which can be put up, and its fairly face frame-y and flattering, I'm guessing.

[Mesmerise]

Hmm I dunno... I have cut my hair back to a bob more than once in the misguided belief that it would make me look better (misguided after the first time.. you'd think I'd LEARN) and I always found it super annoying to grow out through the shoulder length stage :rolleyes:. I've always gone shorter than SL or kept it longer ;). I don't think I've ever voluntarily cut to shoulder length, except maybe to get rid of a lot of damage, while not cutting it too short.

[Rufflebutt]

I'm guessing because most people don't know how to properly take care of their hair therefore they can't make it past shoulder length. So it's "long" for them.

[Ml001]

It's the shortest possible length which can be put up, and its fairly face frame-y and flattering, I'm guessing.

Agreed. I actually find myself (just a hair above BSL - pun totally intended) occasionally annoyed thinking I should just cut back to where it's most convenient. Shoulder length. lol. I won't, of course. I'm growing it out to waist and then I will see what I do from there. :)

[Madora]

Shoulder length is easier to care for. Also, most of the general public doesn't want to be bothered with longer hair and for certain haven't a clue how to do anything more complicated than a ponytail.

[Jesabel]

Because a lot of people outside LHC aren't bothered to put hair up, and like the way the shoulder hair looks when styled. I think many people can look good with this length as Tisiloves said, easy to manage and face framing. Not just because they don't know how to care for it and can't grow it longer. Many would ask why so many of us want long hair? "Why would you want hair that long, hard to handle, to care for, and have to put it up all the time?" People have different wants and not everyone wants long hair, therefore being able to style how ever they want.

[CorinaS]

Well it's pretty easy to up-keep for most types of hair, looks good on most women and it's still feminine. Plus, a lot of women change their hair-cut often and that always involved cutting the length as well. My hair looked horrible when at shoulder length, so the only options as to grow it long or cut it very short (which makes me look like a 13 year old).

[IvanaGil]

It's the same where I live. SO many women have shoulder length or shorter. I think some women feel "shackled" if they have long hair because it's not representative of an independent woman. Besides that, it's also very fashionable nowadays. And some women don't know how to care for it. It's a whole load of reasons, I think.

[FrannyG]

There is literally a flattering shoulder length haircut and hairstyle for every face shape/hair type combo imaginable. It's still long enough to look feminine, and it frames the face nicely. It can be put up in a peacock twist to get it off one's neck in the heat.

Also, the hair never gets long enough to have to worry much about damage from heat styling or dyeing.

I do have to take issue with the idea that shoulder length hair is easier to care for than longer hair. For a lot of women, it requires a lot of styling/blowdrying that most of us longhairs never have to worry about.

I know that I spent a lot more time making shoulder length hair look good than I do now with longer hair. Mind you, those were the days when 1a's like me felt the need for more volume. :hmm:

Maybe I would find it low maintenance now that I'm comfortable with my straight hair.

[shutterpillar]

I always wore my hair shoulder length because it was easiest to style at that length. If it was any shorter, my waves made it look funky. Shoulder length seemed like a happy medium to me. And it didn't take too long to heat style (back when I was actually heat styling it).

Now that I am growing it out longer, I realize longer hair really is much easier to manage. Especially now that I have been able to master a few different hair stick styles.

[EtherealDoll]

I'm guessing because most people don't know how to properly take care of their hair therefore they can't make it past shoulder length. So it's "long" for them.

I agree with this. Also most women who always have fairly short hair think that shoulder length is long and I know a few that even think anything longer than SL is "too long and too difficult to take care of"(funny thing is that they never had they hair longer than SL).

[Vampyria]

My mom has shoulder length hair for a long time now. She dyes it golden blond and the only product she uses is shampoo (which I use for clarifying).

This length really suits her, and I think that longer hair wouldn't look healthy anymore, plus she has no wish for long hair and doesn't want to spend more time to style and taking care of it.

As someone who wishes long hair, I find shoulder length stage terrible. It wouldn't suit me and I find it really short and unpractical. I've been trimming thinned ends off regularly (I was so fed up with it that I trimmed more than it grew), but I stopped before reaching shoulder length just because of that.

[catamonica]

Should length is easy to care for. And most people think it's long at shoulder length.

[johnnystiletto]

It's the shortest possible length which can be put up, and its fairly face frame-y and flattering, I'm guessing.

^This.

Also, my mom has been wearing a slightly layered shoulder-length bob/mom haircut thing for as long as I can remember...so I tend to associate shoulder-length with slightly older women, who don't consider themselves "senior enough" to wear the mainstream white puffball granny hair.

[Vampyria]

Should length is easy to care for. And most people think it's long at shoulder length.

Yes people probably consider shoulder length medium long, while for LHC standards that is pretty short.

[spidermom]

I've got some good pictures of me in shoulder length hair. What's not to like?

[missmelaniem]

I love women of all ages in long hair, but I can understand why some prefer shoulder length.

When I was at the gym a woman pretty much made fun of me for having long hair. I was blowing it dry after a workout and she looked at me and laughed and said "I dont know how you do it". She had super short hair that IMO didnt look good but whatever. I just told her "Its worth it" and thats exactly how I feel about long hair. Its worth the effort.

She also took another jab at me in the parking lot saying that the wind could dry my hair for me (it was pretty windy out) I just laughed and said "Yeah, free blow dry".

I loved having my hair in a bob, but I dont think it looked good on me.

[torrilin]

Honestly, if you held a gun to my head and made me swear I'd wear hair that couldn't be braided in a plain English braid for the rest of my life... shoulder length would not be the cut I pick. I'd go for a bangless Louise Brooks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Brooks) bob, because it suits me and is about as pleasant as medium to short hair gets for me.

However, my hair is a solid 3" ponytail, so shoulder length is partially unpleasant because my hair is thick enough to make most updos not actually work. And it's straight and slippery enough that the ones that are options are all hideously unstable. And it's fine enough that shoulder length accentuates the flat and limp appearance.

[MissHair]

Personally I can't wear shoulder lenght but I think it suits other incredibly well. I'll give you some examples in the mainstream media:

http://8makeup.com/data/images/2012/05-12/86/haircut-idea-olivia-palermos-shouldergrazing-bob-0.jpg

http://cdn.blogs.sheknows.com/celebsalon.sheknows.com/2011/02/olivia-palermo-hair.jpg

In my opinion breathtaking. But I don't have the quality for it!!!

[jacqueline101]

I agree with Madora. Its a care free wash and wear length.

[XcaliburGirl]

My hair is currently shoulder length. It has some of the advantages of short hair (easy to wash, quick to dry), but can be put in a ponytail and doesn't need frequent trims.

I'm not crazy about how it looks down, since it's fairly wide without length to weigh it down. On people with hair that is flatter than mine, it is a nice length. I just wear it in a ponytail every day and it's quite manageable.

[HintOfMint]

I cut my hair to collarbone length for the first time in 5th grade. I loved the Spice Girls and Posh Spice was my favorite, so of course I wanted to have hair like hers.

If I were to ever cut my hair short, that is probably the length to which I would return. I talk a lot about pixies and all, but shoulder length is the hairstyle I remember being flattering on me.

[palaeoqueen]

I agree with Madora. Its a care free wash and wear length.

Gosh not for me, it's my worst length! Won't go up, looks hideous down unless it's beaten to death with red hot instruments of torture...

Amongst the people I know most of them think SL is pretty long and/or that their hair won't grow any longer. I can't speak for the rest of the population though obviously ;)

[ravenreed]

I think it is one of the more flattering lengths, along with BSL, and waist.

[rach]

easy length and less worry about damage showing up with heat styling. Colouring it takes one pack. Easy to put up and have down free range with minimal tangles. It's socially accepted.

[irisheyes]

Gee, after reading all this I'm beginning to consider a shoulder length haircut!

[spirals]

It's the shortest possible length which can be put up, and its fairly face frame-y and flattering, I'm guessing.

This. Plus, for many 3As and 2s, just past that length is where the curl just starts to bend, making the hair hard to control. When I still thought I was a wavy, I would try to grow it out and end up getting it cut to SL again, over and over.

[dwell_in_safety]

It's long enough to put up, but short enough to not get all that tangled when it's left down. It's also the maximum length that those who most frequently damage their hair can grow, due to breakage.

I've always found longer hair to be much easier to care for, and have usually sported it as a result.

[FrannyG]

This. Plus, for many 3As and 2s, just past that length is where the curl just starts to bend, making the hair hard to control. When I still thought I was a wavy, I would try to grow it out and end up getting it cut to SL again, over and over.

This is also true for straighties. When our hair is just above shoulder length, it's at "flip length", so named because it literally does flip our hair upward at the sides and even in the back.

[missmelaniem]

Gee, after reading all this I'm beginning to consider a shoulder length haircut!

haha! I was thinking about maybe a couple of inches longer than the photo that was posted. The weight off of the ends makes your hair so swingy and voluminous.

[MonaMayfair]

I like shoulder length hair. It doesn't seem to be particularly popular round where I live though, most people I see seem to have at least BSL hair...

[BrightEyes]

Shoulder length hair is awful for me (and my biggest obstacle to growing longer hair). When it hits my shoulders it starts flipping and getting caught in collars, purse straps, etc. Even when heat styled, it just doesn't behave. And I usually have my hair layered (lately it's been in an a-line cut). So once it gets to my shoulders the layered bottom half starts looking thin and I can see through it, which drives me crazy and I have a tendency to chop at that point.

I have really liked my hair when it is 1-2 inches past my chin. I do have to heat style it (usually every other day if I can't get it into a stubby ponytail). But once it is styled it stays looking nicely styled all day. No flipping, getting caught in collars. I can basically style my hair in the morning and forget about it.

I've always liked how short hair frames my face too. It seems to compliment my features.

Sometimes I wonder why I am here trying to grow my hair at all:rolleyes:

[Xxanderia]

Early last year I had cut my BSL to a shoulder length shag (yes, what was I thinking :ponder: ) and mainly noticed that when it's shorter it seems to have more volume. I'm sure that's an added bonus for the girls who keep their hair at that length, especially for fine hair. At shoulder length you don't have to do much for it to have a ton of body!

[FrannyG]

Gee, after reading all this I'm beginning to consider a shoulder length haircut!
That's exactly what I've been thinking all day. :)

[longhairedwolf]

It's easy to care for, but still feels longish and moves when you do and frames your face nicely. A lot of the fun of longer hair (worn down) without most of the hassle.

[lapushka]

This is something I've been wondering for a long time. Shoulder length is one of the most annoying lengths!

You can't really do anything with it except a lace braid, a peacock twist and a pony stub. It creeps into collars and the back of shirts which is annoying and frankly looks ridiculous. It falls in your face all the time. A little gust of wind means you're gagging until you're able to pull the hair from your throat. It gets stuck in earrings and the clasps of necklaces. Who would do that to themselves voluntarily on a daily basis?

I understand if you're trying to grow it out but then it's just a stage that you have to go through on your way to something better. But purposely? Why?!

I don't know why. All I know is, shoulder length in my case is a major no-no. Wavy hair that length just poofs out and is wild as hell.

[Loveisaverb]

I think it really depends on the person, some people just don't have the time to care for hair and they want something that still has some kind of length yet is easy to care for. Which is where shoulder comes in. But of course there is still people who do more maintenance at shoulder than say someone who is BSL. As it still has this air of feminism and it doesn't really bother you.


When I cut my hair to shoulder length from my previous BSL because I felt like I needed a change and my hair already had a bunch for split ends from me taking poor care of it. If anything shoulder length taught me to take care of my hair because of its easy care. As it got longer I learned to adapt to taking care of longer and longer hair as it grew.

[jojo]

I quite like shoulder length myself, I think it suits most people too and is easel to maintain, my only problem with it is in hot weather, although I could just about get it up, undos fall out and wearing it down makes me sweaty .

Not everybody has the know or the interest in very long hair I suppose, so stick to shoulder as it is feminine and easy to look after.

[Hollyfire3]

It's the same where I live. SO many women have shoulder length or shorter. I think some women feel "shackled" if they have long hair because it's not representative of an independent woman. Besides that, it's also very fashionable nowadays. And some women don't know how to care for it. It's a whole load of reasons, I think.

I think long hair is very independant, it means that a person takes time for themself and makes their own decisions, not letting the norm be them.:)

[Crybb]

Thanks for this discussion. I thought it was just me, but my shoulder length hair looks terrible down! I'm bunning all the time! Gives me hope for six months from now!

[MinderMutsig]

I don't understand how some say shoulder length is easy to care for and a wash and go hairstyle. I've never been more of a slave to my hair as I was at shoulder. Perhaps because I am a wavy/curly and have very fine and fairly thick hair?

Before that my pixie was pretty much wash, dry, rub a couple of times with a little wax/gel etc. and go. The only downside to the pixie was the frequent trimming to maintain the hairstyle and hairstylists who didn't get it and slowly transformed my funky pixie into a soccer mom cut. That's when I cried, buzzed at home and decided to go the opposite end of the hair length spectrum to see how I liked that.

My shoulder length hair though, well, pretty much from chin to just past APL, meant huge triangle head and a poofy one at that because the hair wasn't long enough yet to properly form a curl. Hair kept sticking out in wrong directions if it hadn't dried just right and getting caught in the rain was a nightmare. It seems like every week I had to thin my hair more to keep it from misbehaving although I'm glad that this time around I knew about thinning shears and owned a pair because I've been through this stage before without them and that was even more of a nightmare.

I guess I always figured most people would have similar problems around shoulder length. I mean I get that the stick straighties don't have these problems and for a true curly shoulder length is probably also a good length for curl formation but most people don't have stick straight or truly curly hair and I assumed they all had the same problems.

(Well, except for the creeping into collars, getting caught in clasps and trying to asphyxiate you by embedding itself in your trachea with only a sigh of wind. Those seem pretty universal to me.)

[IvanaGil]

I think long hair is very independant, it means that a person takes time for themself and makes their own decisions, not letting the norm be them.:)

I didn't mean independent like that :) I mean how women who cut their hair short are often seen as strong and feminist, almost as if long hair doesn't make you these things.

[Vampyria]

I don't understand how some say shoulder length is easy to care for and a wash and go hairstyle. I've never been more of a slave to my hair as I was at shoulder. Perhaps because I am a wavy/curly and have very fine and fairly thick hair?

Yes, it depends a lot of thickness and hair texture. I can't imagine having shoulder length when my hair got curly (3b/3c, not sure) years ago. It was also really thick. I even had big problems to manage it with APL and longer. Now my hair has slight wave and it's still gaining thickness, so I don't see a bit longer than shoulder length as such a problem to manage. I just don't like how it looks on me very much.

[Katze]

I'm guessing because most people don't know how to properly take care of their hair therefore they can't make it past shoulder length. So it's "long" for them.

For those of us whose hair is hard to get long, it is the longest you can get without thin ends. Most people don't know how to care for their hair, so shoulder is probably easier.

My hair seems able to get to APL with better care, but not longer. If it did get longer, I would bother to learn more updos (assuming my hair would stay in them!) but as it is there is no point since my hair seems to be naturally 'short.'

[Venefica]

I think the reason why it is popular is that the hair is long enough not to need as much styling as short hair do, and you can put it into a ponytail and other such hairstyles. I think it is popular because it is simple, it give some length to do something with but not the work of caring for long hair, at at least as much work as many THINK it takes to care for long hair.

[ladyfey]

I love my hair at shoulder length. Why not? It didn't even need conditioner at that length, and without conditioner - hair dries super fast. I love it and might have it again someday when I am tired of long hair.

[Nymphea]

I had a SL once and honestly, I hated it. It was just too short for me, and to long to be short and playful in the terms of "short". I couldn't do anything with it and it just lay there like that. SL styles can be great for those who love it for some reason, but for me - no. I think I'd rather go shorter or, of course, longer.

[hairstuck]

Shoulder length hair isn't so hot.

It's not as heavy, either.

It's long enough for a pony tail and some styling, but short enough that it's not hot and heavy.

[hairstuck]

And, also, it's more or less the norm.

Shoulder length hair is common enough that it doesn't stand out, so it fits in at any workplace.

[share801]

Well it doesn't take as long to grow so perhaps fewer people get annoyed and chop?

[MintChocChip]

I got told by a hairdresser that shoulder length is the most universally flattering haircut. What a load of rubbish! I then got a shoulder length haircut because she suggested it and have never been so unhappy with a haircut. This was roughly this time last year. Thank God hair grows!

Having said that, two of my friends do have shoulder length haircuts and they both look so pretty with SL hair. :undecided

[Amber_Maiden]

Because you can still put in a ponytail- keep in mind the mainstream don't usually do buns, or if they do they are rather simple.

[Ticky]

I agree with the previous post, most people aren't interested in buns. Some people consider shoulder length a nice, not too long/not too short/easy to care for length. At least that's what I heard, I wasn't too happy with mine back then.

[longhairedwolf]

I don't understand how some say shoulder length is easy to care for and a wash and go hairstyle. I've never been more of a slave to my hair as I was at shoulder. Perhaps because I am a wavy/curly and have very fine and fairly thick hair?

Before that my pixie was pretty much wash, dry, rub a couple of times with a little wax/gel etc. and go. The only downside to the pixie was the frequent trimming to maintain the hairstyle and hairstylists who didn't get it and slowly transformed my funky pixie into a soccer mom cut. That's when I cried, buzzed at home and decided to go the opposite end of the hair length spectrum to see how I liked that.

My shoulder length hair though, well, pretty much from chin to just past APL, meant huge triangle head and a poofy one at that because the hair wasn't long enough yet to properly form a curl. Hair kept sticking out in wrong directions if it hadn't dried just right and getting caught in the rain was a nightmare. It seems like every week I had to thin my hair more to keep it from misbehaving although I'm glad that this time around I knew about thinning shears and owned a pair because I've been through this stage before without them and that was even more of a nightmare.

I guess I always figured most people would have similar problems around shoulder length. I mean I get that the stick straighties don't have these problems and for a true curly shoulder length is probably also a good length for curl formation but most people don't have stick straight or truly curly hair and I assumed they all had the same problems.

(Well, except for the creeping into collars, getting caught in clasps and trying to asphyxiate you by embedding itself in your trachea with only a sigh of wind. Those seem pretty universal to me.)

It depends on the hair and the haircut. I'm a wavy and my hair is around collarbone length. Because I have long layers, it hangs quite nicely and I don't have any triangle head problems.

[LaFlor]

I cut to collarbone length last year to get rid of layers I had (which I had put back in eventually :rolleyes:).

Anyway, it was very easy, wash and go, use whatever products I wanted, and long enough to get out of my face when I needed to. I didn't have to worry about deep conditioning or babying it. But my hair is generally easy to take care of, so I can understand why some hairtypes might find it MORE difficult.

[lundmir]

I'm between SL and APL. In the past, my stick straight hair behaved beautifully at this length. But it seems I had my texture change after I chopped it to pixie, because right now if I comb it straight after washing, it frizzes out. And if I leave it alone, I get 2a waves!

I used to love SL hair, but now I can't seem to get used to my new texture and I don't manage to look good unless I curl it or wave it intentionally. It is definitely more work than my old TBL hair.

[feb26]

I think it's more to do with professionalism than anything else...if you're young & have BSL or longer, it makes u look younger. If you're older, it's worn up in the office, so alot of lazy women cut it as "what's the point of having long hair they don't wear down?" a lot of women find it too time consuming too & don't know styles. most of the girls i work with don't even know how to do a french braid, which is my go to style. i sooo don't get this, just utube it & practice! :confused:

[nowheregirl]

I dont know about mainstream public but i like shoulder length hair because of the way it falls all over the shoulder(specially with layers) both front and back when down...once the hair is a bit longer it just doesn't fall the same way and looks more deliberate than casual :|

[nobeltonya]

Well it's pretty easy to up-keep for most types of hair, looks good on most women and it's still feminine. Plus, a lot of women change their hair-cut often and that always involved cutting the length as well. My hair looked horrible when at shoulder length, so the only options as to grow it long or cut it very short (which makes me look like a 13 year old).
That was always my problem.. I also look like 12 if I cut it too short [shoulder wasn't my best cut either] and like a boy at pixie.. I actually think that, so far anyway, the longer it is, the more manageable it is.. you can put it up if you need it out of the way [there are so many options] and washing doesn't really take that much longer. However, it is a hindrance if you wear it down because you have to be constantly aware of it so as not to get it caught in things... but once you get used to it, it's easy. :disco:

[MissHair]

Gee, after reading all this I'm beginning to consider a shoulder length haircut!

Me too.. and this is what tempts me at the moment.. :(

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8HGF_KmzL8M/T7qsDB2UMbI/AAAAAAAAAUY/ZtvXOYmZtwo/s1600/Olivia%2BPalermo%2B3.jpg

[RitaCeleste]

I dunno? Its like asking someone why you need windows if all you ever do on the computer is go play Farmville on Facebook? Ubuntu is FREE and you don't game, photochop, or actually need Windows so why'd you pay like $100 more for your computer? I can ask all day and get 100 really great answers which sound like, BLAH BLAH BLAH to me. I have Windows because you can't make Twisted Brush run with Wine. For "Fun" my ex plays an online game that's so bloody complicated he needs to use a tablet to go to an information site and get info on what to kill where for x,y,z quest so he doesn't ever have to log out to get the info. People do a billion different odd things, how does anyone make sense out of any of it? Its best not to worry about why people do what they do. Seriously, they could all give you some really good answers that you could just never identify with yourself. As far as I'm concerned, its like owning a copy of Windows you really don't even need, its marketing. Some of them probably Googled "Most popular hair length" because they aspired to look even more average. Don't look at people too hard and don't ask deep questions and never expect too much out of them and you'll be pleasantly surprised occassionally.