# Pulled back hairstyle: why is it popular? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 25, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552 "2026-04-25T17:46:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/21 "2026-04-25T23:27:24Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I see hair bits in the face of men too. In lots of TV and movies. > > You don’t think they look too dumb to push their hair back? > > It’s a matter of the film makers wanting a certain look to the character. > > Has nothing to do with intelligence. You will note I said “actor” and did not specify the sex . The choice of the showrunner or whoever who forced the poor actor or actress to do that is a stupidly poor choice. Yes, what it shows is the low intelligence of the filmmaker, not the poor actor. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/22 "2026-04-25T23:28:53Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > But I was thinking more of the hair styles where the hair is strongly pulled or forced back from the forehead… it seems to be a fashion statement, perhaps? In my case, I have to pull it that way or else the shorter front section doesn’t stay back. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/23 "2026-04-25T23:32:39Z")
I mean, you could argue that having hair at all is dumb, and it’d be smarter for everyone of any gender to just shave it all off. But most of us keep it, because we like how it looks, even if it is sometimes inconvenient. If you’re willing to accept that someone keeps hair at all even though it’s convenient, why not accept that some people keep particular styles that are inconvenient? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/24 "2026-04-25T23:59:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If you’re willing to accept that someone keeps hair at all even though it’s convenient, why not accept that some people keep particular styles that are inconvenient? I do. But in this case, it was shown that that hairstyle was _not_ the choice of the person wearing it, but instead the filmmaker to make some sort of point. If someone wants to shave their hear, or a “mohawk” or a mullet or whatever- then that is a personal choice. _But when the showrunner makes them wear that hairstyle_, then I say that the _filmmaker_ is making a stupid choice. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/25 "2026-04-26T00:03:03Z")
Nope, in post 12 you said “women”. This is similiar to calling blonds dumb. Don’t get me started on that one. Lived with it my whole life. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/26 "2026-04-26T00:13:46Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Nope, in post 12 you said “women”. “I see that in film and TV a lot on women.” But after then I used the generic actor. I only see it in film or TV, never in real life. Filmmakers put their cast thru a lot of stupid stuff to make some sort of film point. I am not talking about REAL LIFE here, only in film and TV. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/27 "2026-04-26T00:23:47Z")
O–kay. You know some peeps hair just naturally falls forward. Short of wearing a crew cut there’s not much you can do if barrettes or elastics don’t hold it. I say women and men who’ve found a way to keep their hair back, if that’s their preference, good on them. I’ve never found a way to do it. When I was actively gardening more I used a kerchief. Often I’d go in to find a strip or two hanging loose. I kinda liked the look, really. A slicked back pony tail in my wild woman hair would never ever work. There goes my career as a synchronized swimmer. Dang. (The OP didn’t stress actors or film) ---
**Author:** ![Varl\_Hobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/91b2a8/32.png) [@Varl\_Hobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Varl_Hobe)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/28 "2026-04-26T00:39:14Z")
Judging people’s intelligence by their hairstyle is gross, but I don’t think we’re going to avoid it anytime soon in this culture. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/29 "2026-04-26T00:57:41Z")
Everything about how an actor looks in a show is the director’s choice. And everything they say, and everything they do. That’s how it works. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/30 "2026-04-26T01:45:45Z")
Look, we make judgements on little indecipherable things about people all the time . The things we can prevent ourselves judging about others can only be a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/31 "2026-04-26T02:18:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Everything about how an actor looks in a show is the director’s choice. And everything they say, and everything they do. That’s how it works. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/32 "2026-04-26T02:43:55Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Cartoonist and MacArthur Fellow Linda Berry Nitpick, Lynda Barry: [Lynda Barry - MacArthur Foundation](https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2019/lynda-barry) Regarding the pulled-back style, I remember seeing a wedding party with all the bridesmaids in that style. Maybe the bride felt it looked formal, but it didn’t suit some of the girls who had thin hair and high foreheads and ended up looking almost bald. About hair bits flopping around, people these days may use loads of hair gel to keep their hair slicked back. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/33 "2026-04-26T03:10:24Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > Nitpick, Lynda Barry Damn autocorrect! She’s a friend of a friend and I truly know how to spell it. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/34 "2026-04-26T03:44:29Z")
Interesting! Lynda Barry looks like a fun person; has your friend told you much about her? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/35 "2026-04-26T03:55:39Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > Lynda Barry looks like a fun person; has your friend told you much about her? Not a lot; they were pals way back in the day when Lynda was still a local treasure. Just that she was funny and very astute. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/36 "2026-04-26T05:16:28Z")
I, male, had long hair for a few years after I left school, and never tied it up. Then I got dreadlocks (to the horror of my mother\*, and I am white, and was living in conservative white society in Zimbabwe) and thereafter could use one dreadlock to tie back the others, thus eliminating the need for hair elastic. But yes, pulled back is more convenient, I only untied my hair when dancing or sleeping \* my mother was a fairly conservative high school head-mistress ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/37 "2026-04-26T06:06:04Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > > _That_ is undoubtedly a style choice, made by the film’s stylist or director, and undoubtedly done because they like the look for that character. > > Hmm, to me all it communicates is someone not smart enough to keep their hair out of their eyes. Isn’t there a well established cinematic convention of “long hair hanging into the character’s field of sight” to signal “character is drunk, or mentally ill”? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/38 "2026-04-26T15:06:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That produces an effect similar to a facelift, to try to smooth out signs of aging in the face. I don’t think it works very well (nor do surgical facelifts), but that’s the intent It certainly isn’t my intent. My intent is to keep my hair out of my face; and when relevant out of whatever I’m doing. > [@Chronos](#): > > I mean, you could argue that having hair at all is dumb, and it’d be smarter for everyone of any gender to just shave it all off. But most of us keep it, because we like how it looks, even if it is sometimes inconvenient. Having to shave my head all the time would be extremely inconvenient. So would be the need for extra protection against sunburn and cold. Plus which, it’s part of me. This is what I look like. If somebody doesn’t like it, they can look somewhere else. > [@DrDeth](#): > > to me all it communicates is someone not smart enough to keep their hair out of their eyes. Some people like the feeling of loose hair. (If I don’t need to do anything, I’m one of them.) Some people like having their eyes hidden from others — you can see out through loose hair better than anyone can see in. Some people just had their hairclip fall out — they don’t stay put well in some hair textures. You most certainly can’t tell someone’s intelligence from their hairstyle. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/39 "2026-04-26T15:35:09Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > You most certainly can’t tell someone’s intelligence from their hairstyle. Of course not. Though the old punk mohawk style was sometimes a bit of a hint? Just a personal observation… don’t want to start a flamewar! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/40 "2026-04-26T15:53:38Z")
Hair shaming, just like body is not right. If you have a judgemental feeling about someones looks, the best thing you can do is what my Granny always said: “if you can’t say something nice, shut your pie hole…” I’m very sure I judge an older woman with rainbow purple hair dye.(not harshly). I think it’s silly, but hey, it’s their hair, their life. I would not dare say anything. We can talk about it here, of course. In an anonymous way. Really we just gotta let people be who they are. The school here disallows colorful hair dye for students or teachers. Hair length is not discussed. But I’m pretty sure a male teacher with extremely long hair would never be hired. Bunch of old fogeys on the school board. And I really really want Ariana Grande to take her hair down. It’s just too tight. Makes me uncomfortable to look at it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552.md?page=3)