# 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:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/81 "2009-02-23T16:49:22Z")
It’s true that one should be free to have whatever style suits them, **Abby\_Emma\_Sasha,** but many people over 40 just don’t look good with long hair trailing down, either because the hair is thin and stringy, or because of it drawing the eye to the wrinkles, etc. It’s much better to either wear it up, or cut it short than to let it make you look even older than you are. And yes, that’s IMHO, but I’m as entitled to my opinion as anyone. I’d love to be one of the ones who do look good with long hair, but I’m not. My boss is, and she’s a year older than me. (Of course, it’s irrelevant with me, because my hair tragically declines to grow any longer than the top of my shoulders without looking stringy, and that’s nothing to do with age. ::sigh:: ) ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/82 "2009-02-23T17:14:28Z")
> [@discodancer](#): > > How short is considered short hair? > > Is a chin-length bob considered short or medium? I was just wondering what is considered to be long. Compared to **Cat’s** picture of her gorgeous hair, mine has been short all of my life. When it’s wet it comes down to the middle of my back but once it dries it’s barely past my shoulders. Loopy corkscrew curls use twice as much hair to get down there. ---
**Author:** ![Unsquare\_Dance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b3f665/32.png) [@Unsquare\_Dance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unsquare_Dance)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/83 "2009-02-24T03:48:31Z")
My mother is 50 and looks fantastic with her salt-and-pepper-Jamie Lee Curtis hair. She’s got a great figure, too. I’m letting mine grow out now, though, because I’m too cheap to cut it and too clumsy to cut it myself. Eventually I’ll get bored and cut it off. But my hair is always slicked back into a ponytail. There’s nothing sexy or alluring about my muddy, flat, ugly hair. But I’m so beyond caring what I look like that it doesn’t matter. My thing about men wanting long hair on women is… they never play with it, they never stroke it, smell it, or tell me how nice it looks. They’re just offended if it suddenly isn’t there. What’s the point of having it if no one’s enjoying it? ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/84 "2009-02-24T04:17:23Z")
I’m about to turn 65. My hair is a lovely silver, but I wear my hair very short because it’s thin and fine and I am one of those whose chemo did NOT produce curls, only less hair. While some older women look great with long hair, most don’t. And, there is nothing that looks worse than grey roots. **Truus,** I loved your post. It said almost everything I wanted to say! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/85 "2009-02-24T04:20:56Z")
> [@Unsquare\_Dance](#): > > My mother is 50 and looks fantastic with her salt-and-pepper-Jamie Lee Curtis hair. She’s got a great figure, too. > ? Since you brought up JLC, I applaud the fact that she isn’t trying to look 20 but I don’t think it’s a sin if she used a little coloring. There are women her age with less gray in their hair so to me she looks older than 50. ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/86 "2009-02-24T04:36:38Z")
> [@MaddyStrut](#): > > 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. That’s my problem too. I’ve always had crappy hair, and it’s gotten thinner and crappier as I’ve gotten older. So I’m stuck with short hair. If I had good hair, it’d be long. I think nice long hair on older women looks nice. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/87 "2009-02-24T07:09:46Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > 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. I can understand why some women (or men, but you almost never see men with long hair anymore) might feel that shorter hair is more “safely” professional-looking, in terms of attempting to meet people’s expectations. But then if you’re a female with long hair, why not just put it up, or back? ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/88 "2009-02-24T18:21:48Z")
nevah mind. ---
**Author:** ![Atomicflea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Atomicflea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomicflea)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/89 "2009-02-24T18:48:50Z")
> [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](#): > > Well, it’s ridiculous to think women of any age should adhere to any rule. My mother , who is 76 years old, has never dyed nor permed her hair. She has always worn it long and it is still midway to her back. It is totally grey but she likes it that way and she’ll give you an earfull if you criticize it. > > Me, I’m close to 50 and I’ve gone between short and long my whole life. I like trends and I usually cut my hair in the style that I like. Right now it’s shoulder length and I like that I can pull it back with pretty barrettes. My husband loves it long, too and wants me to grow it out more. > > Like I said, I like it long but there are short styles that I want to try. If I don’t like them I’ll grow it out again. I really don’t care about any “rule” that I must have old lady hair. I’ll admit to covering the grey because I don’t want it, but that’s just me. Every woman is different and every woman should have the hairstyle she wants. No rules need apply. This. Long hair does not equate insecurity, nor does short hair mean you’re hopelessly sexless. ---
**Author:** ![chrissysissystar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5e9695/32.png) [@chrissysissystar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrissysissystar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/90 "2009-02-24T19:02:54Z")
I was short haired as a child (my Mom, god love her practical nature, was NOT going to spend a lot of time grooming a toddler / young child’s hair), long haired up until my senior year of HS (got tired of pulling it back for ball games) and haven’t had it longer than shoulder length since then. For me, short is the best. I have a lot of hair but it’s baby fine and stick straight. Great when it was long and the fashion but seriously no bueno now. As for shorter hair signaling that my eggs are drying up and I’m entering crone-dom? Hardly. I consistently have people guess my age as at least 10 years younger and that number is getting larger as I lose weight. So, in conclusion, it’s short because I want it to be, it’s flattering and, dammit, I rock it. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/91 "2009-02-25T20:08:40Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Old women with free, long hair tend to look nasty for some inexplicable reason. That’s why women cut it short, this is what people tell me and I agree. (I love long haired women, and find many middle-aged women appealing - but the two don’t mix, IMHO) I dont know why, but I took this post seriously to heart. Me: I’m going to go get 3 inches chopped off my hair. Mr. K: Why? Me: someone on the internet said I should Mr. K: _shrug_ It looks ever so slightly better, **Toxylon** , so thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/92 "2009-02-26T01:26:09Z")
I was just pondering this topic today… I’ve worn my hair long (past shoulder length) for most of my life. I did the short hair thing for awhile - wasn’t all that flattering, but I was also 60 lbs heavier. I’m back to mid-back length, more or less - I wear it down at work & up in a ponytail most of the time. How old is too old for a ponytail? ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/93 "2009-02-26T01:42:54Z")
I love ponytails and pigtails on older women. If it looks good on you then it is never too old. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/94 "2009-02-26T16:44:25Z")
> [@Politzania](#): > > I was just pondering this topic today… I’ve worn my hair long (past shoulder length) for most of my life. I did the short hair thing for awhile - wasn’t all that flattering, but I was also 60 lbs heavier. I’m back to mid-back length, more or less - I wear it down at work & up in a ponytail most of the time. > > How old is too old for a ponytail? You aren’t too old. 🙂 And it depends on the style of ponytail, anyway. I’d think if it makes you look like a aging cheerleader trying to hang on to her glory days, then it should go. If not, keep it. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644/95 "2009-02-26T16:45:54Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > It looks ever so slightly better, **Toxylon** , so thanks. Cite?🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-women-and-short-hair/486644.md?page=4)