Why is long hair on men seen as such a negative thing by a lot of people?

Up-n-atom!

Lot more love here for the long hair than I was expecting! I wouldn't be a fan of the 'balding middle-aged man with a pony-tail' look or the greasy haired kind...if you're gona go long you need to look after it! Messy curly hair is my fave *swoon*

I don't get the association between being immature and having long hair either...as I said before, surely most schools don't allow long hair for boys, they usually break out and grow it after they leave? Suppose parts Ireland can be pretty conservative - still people out there who think if a man wears pink he's gay.

Somnus

I am a friend wrote: »

It also looks daft when you see a guy in a suit and the hair up in a ponytail... IMHO

I wouldn't say daft but a bit weird maybe? I was suited up for an interview a while back as I said earlier and the whole time I kept thinking that wearing the suit is being completely overridden by the fact that I have long hair. In the end turns out not! But I definitely felt out of place :P

Stheno

I am a friend wrote: »

Also, it's always fuzzy!!! Women tend to look after their long hair better but mens (I've seen) just looks like it's washed and that's it. Just fuzzy and unkempt looking.IMHO

You've not met my bf's son then. Hair down almost to his waist, poker straight and in great condition. Most of his female friends want hair like his

I'd a work colleague who also had very long hair, it was blond, and in fantastic condition, he got more comments on his hair than most of the women in the office combined

irisheddie85

Dr.Poca wrote: »

I wouldn't say daft but a bit weird maybe? I was suited up for an interview a while back as I said earlier and the whole time I kept thinking that wearing the suit is being completely overridden by the fact that I have long hair. In the end turns out not! But I definitely felt out of place :P

I have long hair and a beard and recently suited up for the first time since growing them.

Have to say i felt great as i was myself with my hair and beard. Not shaving or cutting my hair just to make other people happy with how i looked.

I wash my hair more often than my girlfriend. Every girl and especially hairdresser comments on how healthy my hair looks and feels when im drunk and let them plait it

Nemanja91

I've nothing against people with long hair but I just think it looks weird when a guy has his hair tied back with a bobble or if his hair goes past his shoulder, thats just me though. I'd say it must be way too much effort having long hair though.

bureau2009

There's long hair and there's well.........long hair!

Guys, you don't need to always get a No 1 cut.

Renew and revamp your image for 2011 - a new you!!!

Let that No 1 haircut grow out a bit. Tell your barber you want it slightly longer and ask him/her to give you a slight trim with a scissors.

EXPERIMENT with you hair guys! Have fun with it! See how often you score with your stunning new image ;);).

parker kent

A lot of posters seem to think that all guys either get a number 1 or have long. straggly, unhealthy hair. There is a pretty massive middle-ground in between those polar opposites!

The Waltzing Consumer

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

Ireland's pretty conservative and at the moment a guy having long hair is seen as non-conformist.

I don't find this credible. The only time I ever hear the word "conformist" is when issues like this arise. If long hair on adult men was socially acceptable, then you would have no problem conforming or would you have short hair just so you would not conform? This is why I think for a lot of men, who have long hair, they just have not grown up, they seem to look at it as a rebelling issue like the way teenagers would.

Ireland conservative? I don't think so. A culture of excessive drinking, excessive spending, one of the least religious countries in Europe, one of the highest teenage-mother ratios in Europe, changing family structures, likely to be the first country to ever elect a gay president. Styles and fashions are completely different to twenty years ago, let alone 50 years ago, we are more materialistic, less patriotic and nationalistic, moving away from traditional pub "craic" to modern ways of entertainment. Men twenty, thirty years ago had longish hair with big beards (think Irish versions of taliban), now they dress and look better, with much more emphasis on health, diet and appearance.

So how are we actually conservative?

Funkfield

John Waters (the journo) was being interviewed on radio there a while back and he said that he regularly gets comments because of his hair. People are always asking him "why the long hair?" etc. He was asked was there some "fascination" with long hair. He said that hair naturally grows long, so what's societies "fascination" with short hair.

Never understood it myself. Its just hair.

Ireland is the only place people have commented negatively on my hair.

milli milli

OK here is my take on the whole long hair on men debate.

When I was in my twenties, the only guys I went for would be long-haired guys. I was attracted to the whole grungey, non-conformist thing.

I would still be attracted to non-conformist guys but TBH the whole long hair thing looks so dated now. Especially if a guy has worn his hair long, in the exact same way for say 10-15 years (or longer).

Look at Anthony Kiedis from the Chili Peppers - he had the long hair 15 years ago but now his hair is shorter (but still cool and non conformist).
A long haired guy just screams, stuck in a timewarp, to me now. Kind of like 30/40 somethings who only listen to music from their youth :rolleyes:



If you're going to have long hair and for a long time, at least change the style a little

JajaD

Yeah my boyfriend has longish hair which i love and he works as a manager and he is always contemplating getting it cut so he looks more professional. I hate the way there is 'a professional look'. Its so annoying. It should be about job performance not hair appearance!

I think all lads should grow their hair long..its so much sexier!!

HavingCrack

It's just not fashionable to have long hair at the minute, thats all. In the 70's long hair and beards were in and wouldn't have caused the same reaction as today. Same with the early 90's and grunge etc Give it another 10 years and long hair on men could well make a reapperance.

I reckon it's because it's extremely confusing, especially from the back. Leads to awkward situations in nightclubs.

Yeesh <pulls collar>

G86

I am a friend wrote: »

I have yet to meet a man on whom long hair has been attractive...

Also, it's always fuzzy!!! Women tend to look after their long hair better but mens (I've seen) just looks like it's washed and that's it. Just fuzzy and unkempt looking. It also looks daft when you see a guy in a suit and the hair up in a ponytail... IMHO

I have to disagree..

I used to date a guy who had the most amazing shoulder length hair, any woman would have killed for it. Had the whole 'surfer' look nailed to a tee, and it was sheer hotness. But then he cut it off and was like someone just turned off the hot switch, he just looked so... ordinary!

Princess Peach

I like long hair on a guy, if he has the look to pull it off! My first boyfriend had these weird half dreadlocks half way down his back when we were together, they suited him so well! A couple of my friends have always had long hair, I think short hair would look awful on them if they ever tried it. Depends on your look.

I don't think I've ever thought of long hair as a negative thing on a guy. I'm sure not every woman finds it attractive, but thats just their preference. I'm not a huge fan of short hair, like closely shaves. I like something to run my fingers through :pac:

JajaD

HavingCrack wrote: »

It's just not fashionable to have long hair at the minute, thats all. In the 70's long hair and beards were in and wouldn't have caused the same reaction as today. Same with the early 90's and grunge etc Give it another 10 years and long hair on men could well make a reapperance.

Actually, its very much 'in fashion' to have beards, mustaches, longish hair at the moment. Johnny Depp, Kings of Leon, Colin Farrell, Any band in NME, etc etc....

HavingCrack

JajaD wrote: »

Actually, its very much 'in fashion' to have beards, mustaches, longish hair at the moment. Johnny Depp, Kings of Leon, Colin Farrell, Any band in NME, etc etc....

No sorry, my first post doesn't really explain what I mean well. I think what I was trying to say was back in the 70's say it was more acceptable amongst 'professionals' for lack of a better word. Band members, actors etc. rarely have to conform to any type of look.

telboy

It makes people look like they have poor personal hygiene. I'm not saying it is true but that is how it is viewed.
It also makes people look like they want to be different for the sake of it. Again, not saying it is true, but it makes men look weird.

rjmf

Can be seen as a bit of vanity too so you can't win!

PrincessLola

I think its hawt!;) So do most of my friends, but when I brought the topic up with some male companions they dismissed it as "gay"

Banjo Fella

I'm a guy with moderately long hair, just about shoulder length. I prefer how I look with my hair like this and some friends have said that it suits me, so that's why I grew it out! Plus, it's like owning a favourite hat and getting to wear it everywhere without getting as many funny looks. And you can toy with it when you're bored. Sure, what more could you want?

Letting it become scraggly would have advantages, as it would double as a receptacle for storing keys, glasses and other useful paraphernalia, but I like feeling neat and respectable, so I keep it tidy. And surely that's all anybody could reasonably expect of you, right? It probably isn't worth paying attention to somebody who thinks that the arrangement of a person's follicles is a telling indicator of their personality. I wouldn't want to be employed by a company that would take issue with it anyway.

The worst remark I've ever had directed at me for it was that having long hair is a bit "ghey, like, bai". Which is pretty mild. Firstly because there's nothing wrong with something being "gay", secondly because it would be kind of advantageous should you want to subtly hint at your personal configuration or tolerance of orientations, and also because it's totally irrelevant for somebody who's comfortable with their orientation.

Conor_M1990

I think its seen as been a rocker/goth/hippy/emo/so on so forth. I remember in school anyone with long hair would get remakes like "cut your hair ya hippy" and generally people didnt have there hair long to avoid the abuse.

HavingCrack

Banjo Fella wrote: »

The worst remark I've ever had directed at me for it was that having long hair is a bit "ghey, like, bai". Which is pretty mild. Firstly because there's nothing wrong with something being "gay", secondly because it would be kind of advantageous should you want to subtly hint at your personal configuration or tolerance of orientations, and also because it's totally irrelevant for somebody who's comfortable with their orientation.

Strangely enough I don't think I've ever met someone who is gay who has long hair . They all seem to have it really short. Make of that what you will :pac:

KungPao

As with most things, it depends on the person. If people keep saying "get a haircut ya hippy" it may mean it doesn't really suit you, rather than it being a problem with long hair...if that makes sense.

It's like a beard. Sometimes you see someone with a beard and you are immediately drawn to it as it looks funny...i.e. it looks bad on the person. And other times you don't really notice it, it seems part of the person and looks good and you don't think anything of it.

My hair is similar to that pic of the Chili Peppers singer, but a bit more curly, I believe it suits me and I never get negative comments...not even from hard men or skangers :eek:

One thing's for sure, If it was short, it would look ridiculous...wouldn't suit me all. Nor would proper long hair.

Josh_Calvert

It's more an Irish thing...in normal countries there is a greater range of 'types' of people and more images are commonplace/tolerated/celebrated.

Personally I find the very close cropped/shaved look far more noteworthy and statementy than long hair...there are actually skinheads in combats and bomber trousers wandering around Dublin again.Haven't seen them since the very early 80's.Recession much?

cocoa

telboy wrote: »

It makes people look like they have poor personal hygiene. I'm not saying it is true but that is how it is viewed.
It also makes people look like they want to be different for the sake of it. Again, not saying it is true, but it makes men look weird.

Eh, have to disagree there. You can't make people think anything, or view you in a certain way. People make choices, conscious and unconscious, and view and judge you in certain ways as a result. It is their choice to view you a certain way based on how you look and personally, I just amn't interested in associating with people who infer too much from appearances.

Tar.Aldarion

most girls dont like it but when they do they love it. I don't know why, I'd say longish but not too long is much more popular. Pity, as we could all be like aragorn :P

Banjara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5zxeLwUSdk

shannon_tek

As i pointed out to someone last night. we have come a long way from cave men times , and short hair is much neater and more professional, also it can make sum guys look female im not saying thats a problem but swishing your hair around i cant see it working, all IMO. like if you like long hair you like long hair suits some not others.

dearg lady

shannon_tek wrote: »

short hair is much neater and more professional

but why? Genuinely, why is this the case? A woman with long hair isn't seen as unprofessional

I feel bad for the guys who've had to, or felt they had to cut their hair for work. A pet peeve of mine is dress codes, 'professional' attire etc. I'm a firm believer in letting my work stand up for itself, how I dress or wear my hair effects my work in NO WAY! But I know that soemtimes we have to conform to get ahead, I just hope that changes someday