That’s not long. That’s between “I need a haircut, but don’t feel like getting one,” and “I’m growing it out.”
I don’t consider it long myself but I get a lot of hippie and beatnik jokes so I’m uncertain.
Not rebellion, just a style choice – and one I don’t care for, though I did once date a guy with long hair. I was just a kid! I didn’t know what I was doing! I was experimenting!
Dude, how much do you think a Harley costs? (Or, maybe, how freaking cheap are the houses where you live?)
Guy, long hair, rebellion?
Sometimes - usually, in fact, since that’s how I look at it, but not always. My BiL has a scalplock that’s quite long. I couldn’t name a more stable, normal, non-rebelious person. He just likes that scalplock.
I don’t think I’ve ever associated long hair on men as a symbol of rebellion. Sometimes with laziness (I had a male friend who never cut his hair because he never felt like it), sometimes with middle aged crises (yes, bad stereotype), but never rebellion.
I’m 48, male and an IT professional, my hair is very thick and still mostly brown. I wear it in a ponytail that reaches about half way down my back. I hate getting my hair cut, I have a cowlick that refuses to behave if my hair is more than 1/4 inch long. Going to the barbershop every couple weeks to keep in looking decent got to be too much trouble about 2 years ago. It’s easy to take care of and I save enough for a 12 pack of good beer every month.
Depends on hair, length, style, and level of care.
I knew a guy in college who had the most beautiful hair – thick, lustrous brown – I’ve seen on a head regardless of gender. Last I saw it fell to mid back on him. He used conditioner and kept his hair brushed and generally back in a ponytail.
Another fellow I know… well, if you didn’t know better, you’d think he’d stepped out of Rivendell somewhere. He’s tried cutting his hair short to look professional. He looks like a styleless prat when he does. The Prince Valiant look really was the worst. Long hair suits him.
I have a thing for long but well cared for hair. Unfortunately I find most men look rather crappy with long hair. In the crowd I tend to hang out with, long hair mostly means “I’m a geek who would secretly like to look totally awesome or possibly like an 80s hair rocker.”
Length of hair would not be a bar to my interest in someone.
If I hadn’t gone bald on top, I’d probably still have long hair. Thick, curly blond hair; how the ladies used to run their fingers through it.
Just a hairstyle; 40 years ago it had real political significance, but now it’s just a fashion.
I associate it more with cultural reasons, laziness, or apathy.
In high school every Samoan guy I knew had long hair, and for them it was a cultural choice. My boyfriend has hair to his waist. I asked him why he grew it out and his response was basically ‘I forgot to get a haircut about 10 years ago, and just haven’t really bothered since’, and now he just likes it.
I don’t have a length preference, as long as it’s cared for and suits the individual.
I don’t mind long hair, but I do think it’s hard to pull off. I’ve met a handful of guys with long hair that suits them, but on most guys it just looks rather messy, in an I-can’t-be-bothered-to-go-to-the-barber kind of way.
My mom told me that in college she once went on a date with a long haired guy and spent most of the evening being chased by policemen with scissors. (This was in the 70s, in Korea. Must’ve been fun.)
ETA: I guess I didn’t really answer the OP. Actually, I think I vaguely associate long hair with Anthropology majors, because for some reason all of the Anthropology majors I met in grad school had long hair. :dubious:
Nothing to do with rebellion. Just a style.
I always liked the way I look with long hair, but I tended to wear it medium-short because it was easy to take care of. Then I went through chemotherapy and lost all of my hair. I’m so enjoying having hair again that I’ve grown it out long, and I find that I quite like it this way.
Rebellious and sexy? Well, if you say so… 
Mostly it’s just a hairstyle, especially if I see it on younger guys. When I see it on guys my age, it makes me think they are trying to hang on too hard to some symbol of their youth, just like older women who insist on shopping in the juniors department.
I still regret pressuring my brother to cut his shoulder-length hair short to help him get a job in the early 80s. I wish I could take it back. He’s never had long hair since, and now he’s developing a bald spot.
We’re living in a good time for wearing your hair however you want. I say take advantage of the freedom.
By itself, I don’t take long hair on a man as a sign of rebellion.
I grew up with short hair, and clean-shaven until my mid-20s. Then I tried growing a goatee and mustache. Looks good, and my wife likes it.
Then I tried growing my hair long. I’m not sure how it looks, but my wife likes it. Win!
(Plus, since it’s gotten longer, I’m getting more playful tugs from cute girls. Double win!)
Long hair on geeks has been a long-standing tradition anyway, so I’m not sure how rebellious I’m being… but I don’t plan on cutting it, heh.