# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/61 "2026-04-27T02:23:27Z")
There’s also the type of hairstyle which covers half the face which is apparently meant to convey things like secretiveness, shyness, seductiveness, mysteriousness, etc. Or just to cover up issues like scars or birthmarks for people not motivated by fashion. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/62 "2026-04-27T02:25:18Z")
Or a Goth look, [for certain versions of “goth.”](https://therighthairstyles.com/goth-hairstyles/) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/63 "2026-04-27T02:32:15Z")
To be a proper Goth, you need a hairstyle that looks stylish once you take off your helmet after a hard day fighting Romans. ---
**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 27, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/64 "2026-04-27T02:34:06Z")
Yeah, helmet head is bad. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2026, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/65 "2026-04-27T02:55:45Z")
A director might choose to let an actor’s hairstyle cover part of their face to appeal to old men like the OP who likes hair to be “falling naturally.” ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/66 "2026-04-27T03:11:31Z")
Hairstyle is so widely subject to taste and situational considerations. And given that it mostly grows back people are likely to “try different things”. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > and even more so games & cartoons, which are less constrained by practical considerations And how! Hairstyles are used as elements to help create an iconic image of the character. (Or to vary it - Storm of X-Men has variously been represented with long hair, short hair, Mohawks, etc. as different writers and artists have tried different takes on her.) > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Wow that’s specific.. 😀 **EddyTeddyFreddy** is a Man of Culture it would seem. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/67 "2026-04-27T03:22:42Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > **EddyTeddyFreddy** is a Man of Culture it would seem. Ahem. Culture, yes, so half correct. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/68 "2026-04-27T03:23:09Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > **EddyTeddyFreddy** is a Man of Culture it would seem. Person of Culture? (I like the trend toward gender-neutral language, and often use it even when I know - or think I know - that the poster in question is a she/her/hers rather than a he/him/his). ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/69 "2026-04-27T03:26:44Z")
Person of Culture works for me. I happen to be a crazy cat lady, and Eddy, Teddy, and Freddy were three four-month-old orange boys I adopted en masse decades ago. That’s Ed as my avatar. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/70 "2026-04-27T09:06:41Z")
Ah! Got it then! Apologies all around! ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/71 "2026-04-27T11:04:33Z")
Curly hair types, vary widely in texture and porosity and manageability so may prefer slick back styles for ease of maintenance. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/72 "2026-04-27T14:21:53Z")
I guess I don’t understand these threads because to me they always read somewhere between “why do people find some particular fashion attractive that I don’t find attractive” and “please explain the concept of ‘fashion’ and ‘style’” like the person is neurodivergent or from another planet or something where they don’t understand the core concept. I don’t know that pulling your hair back in a bun or ponytail or whatever is “popular” in that it’s considered “the style” so much as it is a particular style. But as others have pointed out, there are benefits in that it keeps long hair from flopping around your face (or getting caught in stuff) and it looks a bit more professional. > [@DrDeth](#): > > I understand why the hair is pulled back. What I dont get is people with hair bits covering the face, which gets into their eyes. I see that in film and TV a lot on women. Well, I think people let little bits of hair hang down like that to help soften the look. Having your hair pulled back can make you look too severe. ---
**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 27, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/73 "2026-04-27T15:28:06Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I think people let little bits of hair hang down like that to help soften the look Or those bits have just escaped whatever’s holding the rest back. Many people’s hair doesn’t stay put well. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/74 "2026-05-01T00:14:01Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > And how! Hairstyles are used as elements to help create an iconic image of the character. Right. If you’re creating some entertainment (movie, comic book, video game, whatever) with multiple characters, you want the characters to be identifiable at a glance, even to audiences who have only know that character for an hour. Giving different characters different hairstyles is an easy way to do that. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/75 "2026-05-01T00:35:12Z")
Excellent point. Entertainment has a logic different from ordinary people living their ordinary lives. Or even extraordinary people living their celebrity lives. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/76 "2026-05-01T03:33:07Z")
> [@Varl\_Hobe](#): > > Black women in particular are constantly getting shamed over their hair style choices. True that. I have to admit that the OP’s popping up to spontaneously express distaste for _“hair styles where the hair is strongly pulled or forced back from the forehead”_ reminded me of gratuitous complaints about [the “sleek slick back” styles often favored by Black and Latina women.](https://www.byrdie.com/slicked-back-hair) But I may be misjudging him and he’s really just a good-faith camp follower in [the race-nonspecific Slick-Back Bun War.](https://www.allure.com/story/bridesmaid-slicked-back-bun-hairstyle-weddings-tiktok-opinion) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/77 "2026-05-01T04:22:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Right. If you’re creating some entertainment (movie, comic book, video game, whatever) with multiple characters, you want the characters to be identifiable at a glance, even to audiences who have only know that character for an hour. Giving different characters different hairstyles is an easy way to do that. Also for games it’s useful for things like keeping characters easy to identify after costume changes, or when they are just a face in a status window. And is often much easier to make distinct in games that lack high resolution facial features; Cloud’s spiky blonde hair and Sephiroth’s ultralong white hair in Final Fantasy VII were easy to identify even using early 3D “LEGO people” character models. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2026, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/78 "2026-05-02T11:06:54Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > especially, on a woman as that could be a side effect during/after chemo Not quite hair related, a young woman friend of mine (when we both in early 20s) had to undergo chemo. She voluntarily shaved her head when the hair loss became obvious, and instead got a friend to draw intricate henna tattoos on her scalp, updating them from time to time. She felt like shit, but she looked beautiful throughout the course. She is in remission, and has been for about 30 years now. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/79 "2026-05-02T14:15:59Z")
I usually pull my hair back at work to keep it out of my face. I work with kids, and am moving back and forth a lot. Sometimes a kindergartener will ask me if I’m a woman or a man despite my facial hair and the fact that I introduce myself as “Mr.”. Ms. P pulls hers back when she’s working (she’s a massage therapist). My daughter’s hair is also long, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen her pull it back. ---
**Author:** ![Calder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Calder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calder)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552/80 "2026-05-04T18:40:39Z")
Shrug, I guess i am the opposite to the OP. I find it very attractive for women to have long hair and some sort of hairstyle that leaves the neck free. Ponytails, Updos, French Twists etc.. I don’t think it matters what type as long as those conditions are met. I couldn’t tell you why… Well, beyond the obvious of enjoying kissing a women there. On the other hand I don’t get that reaction to short hairstyles that leave the neck free so there has to be more to it than that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552.md?page=5)