# Older women and short hair? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644 "2009-02-20T01:03:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/1 "2009-02-20T01:03:44Z")
Why do some women wear their hair short when they go past a certain age? IMO many of them would look a lot hotter if they kept their hair long. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/2 "2009-02-20T01:15:35Z")
Off the top of my head… Hair gets coarser with age (in general as well as, for many women, after pregnancy and menopause), so it doesn’t lie the same way and needs to be cut differently, long or short. Longer hair often needs more upkeep – and women with kids often don’t have the time (or money). If the woman dyes her hair, keeping it short makes it that much cheaper. While you may think they’d look nicer with longer hair, they might not. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/3 "2009-02-20T01:19:07Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Why do some women wear their hair short when they go past a certain age? IMO many of them would look a lot hotter if they kept their hair long. What ‘certain age’ do you have in mind? Many - not all, of course - women over 40 look like they’re trying too hard to look young by hanging onto the long tresses look. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/4 "2009-02-20T01:20:24Z")
I’ve been told that it’s pretty much expected to cut my hair after I reach 35 or 40; that “older” women look ugly with long hair, that it’s unprofessional, yadda, yadda. I say 1. Stop trying to put me in the grave. 2. Leave my hair alone. 3. Curly hair generally looks better long. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/5 "2009-02-20T01:24:39Z")
If by “older” you mean women in their 70s and 80s, it’s probably because that was what was in style when they were younger. Also short hair is probably quicker to set. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/6 "2009-02-20T01:26:29Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > What ‘certain age’ do you have in mind? Many - not all, of course - women over 40 look like they’re trying too hard to look young by hanging onto the long tresses look. I guess it starts at late 40ies to early 50ies. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/7 "2009-02-20T01:33:41Z")
In my part of the world, it’s pretty much true that when she cuts her hair, the honeymoon’s over. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/8 "2009-02-20T01:36:49Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Why do some women wear their hair short when they go past a certain age? IMO many of them would look a lot hotter if they kept their hair long. Judging by my two long-term relationships, it’s because they don’t care what you think. #1. Q. “Why don’t you let your hair grow long? I think you look cute as hell when it’s longer.” #1. A. “Because I like it short.” #2. Q. “Why don’t you let your hair be straight? I think you look cute as hell with straight hair.” #2. A. “Because I like it permed.” Both of which are, of course, perfectly valid answers. _sigh_ Too bad, too sad, for me. ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/9 "2009-02-20T01:42:31Z")
I’m 49 and I still have longish curly hair and I suppose I should bow to tradition and consider cutting it off, but I don’t want to. It feels good bouncing around on my head and on my back. I can tie it back if I need to look dignified or dressed up. I garden and work outside all the time too, and short hair is harder to get out of your face. I doubt I’ll cut it off anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/10 "2009-02-20T01:55:27Z")
I’m 42 and have short hair. I’ve had short hair most of my life simply because I like the way it looks on me. Unfortunately, it’s not really a choice for me now. My hair is thinner than it was in my 20’s. If I let it grow long, it gets stringy and nasty. So, for me, it’s not choice between long, lovely hair and short, cute hair. It’s either short, cute hair or long, nasty, stringy hair. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/11 "2009-02-20T01:57:18Z")
On another board, discussing beauty and aging issues, someone wrote that at some event, a woman with a great figure and long beautiful hair was standing there with her back to the room. When she turned around, he was shocked to see the girl with the great figure and long beautiful hair was at least 80 years old! Once a woman reaches a certain age, might as well get a nice flattering haircut. Your girlhood days are over, might as well be comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/12 "2009-02-20T02:02:42Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > On another board, discussing beauty and aging issues, someone wrote that at some event, a woman with a great figure and long beautiful hair was standing there with her back to the room. When she turned around, he was shocked to see the girl with the great figure and long beautiful hair was at least 80 years old! > > Once a woman reaches a certain age, might as well get a nice flattering haircut. Your girlhood days are over, might as well be comfortable. I’m a little bewildered. If her hair was long and beautiful at 80, isn’t that a flattering haircut? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/13 "2009-02-20T02:10:06Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Why do some women wear their hair short when they go past a certain age? IMO many of them would look a lot hotter if they kept their hair long. IMO they look better when their hair is short. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/14 "2009-02-20T02:33:06Z")
There are a few reasons most mature women keep their hair short. They pretty much all boil down to “it doesn’t look good like it does when you’re young”. 1)Hair does indeed get coarse and also finer as it ages. That does not age well. Finer hair has more body, shine, and shape when it’s cut shorter. 2)Long hair draws the eye downward, making naturally sagging skin look even saggier, thereby aging the wearer instead of the more desired effect of making her look younger. 3)A lot of older women get thinning of the hair, and wearing it long only accentuates that- short hair can be permed, teased, curled, etc. to minimize the appearance of the scalp. 4)As we get older, we don’t really care how men want us to wear our hair, but more about what we want our hair to look like and how it works for us. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/15 "2009-02-20T02:33:24Z")
When my wife was in her 20’s, she wore her hair straight and below her butt. In her 30’s it was midway down her back. In her 40’s it was shoulder-length and in her 50’s she cut it to a bob. Each time for the same reason: lower maintenance. She’s still cute. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/16 "2009-02-20T02:42:23Z")
IMO, short hair can look hot as hell on women of any age. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/17 "2009-02-20T02:46:41Z")
I’m 51, and while I still wear my hair fairly long, I don’t let it get as long as I used to. In addition to the other reasons listed above, my hair has started splitting and breaking off shorter than it used to. I think that stringy, straggly hair is unattractive no matter what age or gender the wearer happens to be, so I get mine cut below the shoulders, but not so long any more. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/18 "2009-02-20T03:33:02Z")
My grandma had her hair down to her waist, and put it up in a bun every morning (so basically she had a short STYLE). When she was in her late 60s, she broke her shoulder or elbow or something and found she could no longer manage her hair. She got it all chopped off and now sports a lovely, short perm. She absolutely LOVES the maintenance factor and I think she looks great. My mom is exactly like **kunilou** ’s wife - her hair gets shorter every decade. I’m sure she cut off the long locks because she had kids in her 20’s, and I’m sure she’s getting closer to a bob now in her 50s because she’s sick of dying so much hair. And, she looks fabulous too. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/19 "2009-02-20T04:19:11Z")
In Japan, I’ve seen more than a few older-aged women with short hair in purple, green or red. ---
**Author:** ![Libre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85e7bf/32.png) [@Libre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Libre)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/20 "2009-02-20T06:15:57Z")
> [@JpnDude](#): > > In Japan, I’ve seen more than a few older-aged women with short hair in purple, green or red. Yeah! That’s awesome… Go JAPAN!! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644.md?page=2)