# Who in society decided that short "clean" haircuts are the ONLY ones that look good on men? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 1, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706 "2015-08-01T04:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/41 "2015-08-02T04:54:15Z")
> [@justjake](#): > > I have long hair as a man, and to be 100% honest, it looks great. > > How it feels,how it looks, how it tastes.(kidding on that one) > > I just don’t get the whole stereotype. > > Whenever I or anyone i know grows their hair out there are always unnecessary comments like" You need to get that trimmed up a bit at least!" “Just trim the ends” > > No. I won’t trim the ends. I won’t conform to society. I won’t look like every other basic joe. Also, > > I don’t need to honestly. My hair looks great. It always has, always will, and most people like it. > > No, i don’t need to cut it. > > It’s actually not messy. It’s just slight wavy. > > It actually doesn’t need a trim. It’s a style. The style is called “long hair”. > > I actually don’t look like a girl. > > It doesn’t make me look gay, there’s a thing called hair and it grows out. It doesn’t determine anyone’s sexuality. > > It’s professionally styled as well , so it doesn’t need to be cut. It’s already cut AND styled thank you very much. Get some style points gramps. > > It’s just annoying how so many people say this to men with long hair. No one needs a trim. Never tell anyone this. I’m fucking glad i have a full set of hair. So many fat americans in this country have almost completely receded hairlines and i’m not one of them. > > I’m gunna get someone pregnant soon too. It’s gunna be a boy. > > With a wonderful hairline and hair. > > He’ll grow up to be just like daddy. With wonderful non-receded hair. > > He’ll be in a crowd full of receded hairline americans. > > Last of his kind. Too many women will want his seed. In hopes of their kids having this beautiful, luscious, hair. > > Seriously though, this has been bothering me FOREVER. Fuck you grandpa and your old-age beliefs that a man can’t have long hair and it can look good. Maybe if the guy is a complete moron and doesn’t know how to take care of it and style it. > > Welcome to the new age grandpa. It’s actually OK for me to have long hair. > > And it’s actually possible for it to look attractive. And it’s possible for me to be straight too AND have long hair. > > Shocker. That would be me. I decided. I represent the Haircutters Association, and we have a lobby group that encourages employers to demand that male workers have short hair. This is great for our industry, because it keeps more haircutters employed. During the 1960s, it was a great hardship for our industry and we don’t want to see that return. It isn’t the clothes that makes the man, it’s his hair. If you are bald, you get a pass, but if you are able to grow hair, it should be cut every 3 weeks. Thanks for your attention to this important matter. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/42 "2015-08-02T09:08:06Z")
> [@](#): > > im gonna get someone pregnant and its gonna be a boy Not sure if you are channeling Michael Jackson but I dont think that its possible. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/43 "2015-08-02T10:27:36Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > probably another one of those post-WWII US things that held on for a while. I thought it was from Roman soldiers. I don’t get how one can say that it’s a 1900-1960 or post-WWII thing. Before then, not every man wore short hair (just as not every man wore short hair from 1900 to today) but if you google 19th century picture of men, you’ll get this: [https://www.google.ca/search?biw=1199&bih=585&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=19th+century+picture+man&oq=19th+century+picture+man&gs\_l=img.3...19621.20062.0.20304.4.4.0.0.0.0.109.382.2j2.4.0....0...1c.1.64.img..3.1.102.OeKmvM4rrvw](https://www.google.ca/search?biw=1199&bih=585&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=19th+century+picture+man&oq=19th+century+picture+man&gs_l=img.3...19621.20062.0.20304.4.4.0.0.0.0.109.382.2j2.4.0....0...1c.1.64.img..3.1.102.OeKmvM4rrvw) Facial hair has changed considerably but average hair length, not so much. If you google medieval portraits of men, you’ll get this: [https://www.google.ca/search?biw=1199&bih=585&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=medieval+portraits+men&oq=medieval+portraits+men&gs\_l=img.3..0.170913.174841.0.175062.22.16.0.5.5.0.185.1995.1j15.16.0....0...1c.1.64.img..1.21.2034.vi4See77WxY](https://www.google.ca/search?biw=1199&bih=585&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=medieval+portraits+men&oq=medieval+portraits+men&gs_l=img.3..0.170913.174841.0.175062.22.16.0.5.5.0.185.1995.1j15.16.0....0...1c.1.64.img..1.21.2034.vi4See77WxY) Some more prevalence of lengthy hair (to chin or shoulder) but a lot of the men have haircuts that are about as long as today’s. > [@Tangent](#): > > You have long hair!? :eek: Man, you are SUCH a fucking rebel. I bet he even has a Chinese character tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/44 "2015-08-02T10:41:37Z")
Fabio called. He wants his hair back. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/45 "2015-08-02T12:35:00Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > The 80’s called, it wants its… Oh never mind. > [@handsomeharry](#): > > I was going to say "The 70s just called…"but, then I read \*your \*post. Thanks for nothin’. The 60s just called…oh, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/46 "2015-08-02T13:04:02Z")
I ran into a guy I’ve known awhile, but only rarely run into. He met me 10 years ago, and I had a pony tail down to my waist. Five years ago I had shaved my head smooth and he was shocked. Last weekend I had hair, semi-jokingly styled into a faux hawk. He pointed out that his hairstyle hasn’t changed since he was a little boy. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/47 "2015-08-02T14:23:50Z")
[QUOTE=justjake] So many fat americans in this country have almost completely receded hairlines and i’m not one of them. [/QUOTE] I’m glad you’re fat and have a full head of hair. And your conviction that you will never have to deal with a receding hairline is touching. In the last year I went to much shorter hair and closely trimmed beard, seeing that I did not want to look like a cross between Tad Kaczynski and Father Time. Being freed from dependence on a blow dryer was a plus. True, some older dudes [look really cool](http://media2.fdncms.com/nashville/imager/no-photoshop-could-ever-be-funnier-than-this-image/u/original/1484506/phil_spector.jpg) with long hair. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/48 "2015-08-02T18:44:40Z")
I did. I hate long hair on men. Yes, yours too. I usually dislike it on women as well. And I am the arbitrator of such things and have pushed my will down on all of you. I also hate tattoos. I’ve seen a few nice ones, but since the tacky ones outnumber them so severely, I have decreed that all tattoos are in poor taste. Fat people are ok, though. ---
**Author:** ![dirty\_hippie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@dirty\_hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirty_hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/49 "2015-08-02T18:47:21Z")
I’ve had long hair for a very long time now. It started back in senior year of high school through college, grad school, and up to now. In between I’ve had a few proper hair cuts in which I shorn my locks and went with the blended shave on the side and back with a crop of hair on top–think WWII-era hairstyle that was popular among German men. I’ve been thinking about cutting it short again for a more professional look off and on for the past months. Thing I don’t like about haircuts is that I have to visit the barber at least once a month to maintain a nice look. I hate when shaved or buzzed areas start growing out. Anyway, some ladies like long hair and some don’t. My long hair is more an extension of my musical interest more than being about fashion or a lifestyle–I’m not a drugged-out hippie! Here’s a pic of [me](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/amge55/me10-12.png) (not very recent). I’m single, ladies! ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/50 "2015-08-02T19:16:48Z")
> [@dirty\_hippie](#): > > Anyway, some ladies like long hair and some don’t. My long hair is more an extension of my musical interest more than being about fashion or a lifestyle–I’m not a drugged-out hippie! Here’s a pic of [me](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/amge55/me10-12.png) (not very recent). I’m single, ladies! But you are a dirty hippie–it’s right there in your name! 😛 How is your long hair “an extension of [your] musical interest” but not “about fashion or a lifestyle”? Seems like if you choose long hair because of the music you like, then it is very much about fashion and lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Angry\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@The\_Angry\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Angry_Badger)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/51 "2015-08-02T19:30:47Z")
I started growing my hair about 2.5 years ago; not a rebel thing, I just got bored with looking like an accountant (it doesn’t help that I actually _am_ an accountant :rolleyes: ), and with having had the same hairstyle for twenty years. So far, I’ve had no cause to regret it - my wife loves it, my friends and the people I work for are cool with it, my parents don’t mind it. The only person who doesn’t like it is my mother in law - but that’s fine, it wasn’t for her benefit anyway. I really couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks. Having said that, MIL aside, all the comments I’ve had on my hair have been positive - the girls that have commented seem to like it. In my earlier, shorter haired, days, nobody ever bothered to mention my hair. > [@silenus](#): > > Knock yourself out. I still won’t hire a hippie. That’s fine. That means I won’t end up having to work for the sort of person that a) judges a person’s work ethic and abilities by the length of their hair, and b) doesn’t actually know what a hippie is. It’s win-win, really, ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/52 "2015-08-03T02:05:32Z")
> [@dirty\_hippie](#): > > Here’s a pic of [me](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/amge55/me10-12.png) (not very recent). I’m single, ladies! I’d buy that for a dollar. No, seriously. I love long hair on guys. The fact that guys are wearing buns these days pleases me enormously. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/53 "2015-08-03T04:42:50Z")
> [@dirty\_hippie](#): > > I’ve had long hair for a very long time now. It started back in senior year of high school through college, grad school, and up to now. In between I’ve had a few proper hair cuts in which I shorn my locks and went with the blended shave on the side and back with a crop of hair on top–think WWII-era hairstyle that was popular among German men. I’ve been thinking about cutting it short again for a more professional look off and on for the past months. Thing I don’t like about haircuts is that I have to visit the barber at least once a month to maintain a nice look. I hate when shaved or buzzed areas start growing out. > > Anyway, some ladies like long hair and some don’t. My long hair is more an extension of my musical interest more than being about fashion or a lifestyle–I’m not a drugged-out hippie! Here’s a pic of [me](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/amge55/me10-12.png) (not very recent). I’m single, ladies! [Separated at birth?](http://hd-shock.com/celebrities/yoko-ono/yoko-ono-07.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/54 "2015-08-03T08:08:35Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > **justjake** and I live together. MY most prized possession is the fine gold pocket watch my grandfather left me. > > And I know JUST what to get him for Christmas this year! A handbag and matching pumps? 'Cause that would be, like, a really clever gift. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/55 "2015-08-04T04:23:42Z")
If you want your son not to have male pattern baldness, pick a woman whose father has a full head of hair. His contribution matters more than yours. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/56 "2015-08-04T15:37:24Z")
We have a trial attorney here in town who is native American and keeps his hair long. He puts it into a ponytail, rolled tightly under the elastic for court appearances, but otherwise wears it long with a headband. He is a very distinguished gentleman in every way. His long hair is appropriate to his culture, and he gives a nod to corporate sensibilities by wearing it very controlled for court appearances where it might otherwise be a distraction. I hope he never cuts it. It looks fabulous. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/57 "2015-08-04T18:27:16Z")
> [@justjake](#): > > I have long hair as a man, and to be 100% honest, it looks great. > > How it feels,how it looks, how it tastes.(kidding on that one) > [@](#): > > I won’t conform to society. I’ve had long hair most of my life, and speaking from that perspective, the former is a good reason to have long hair, the latter is not. I have long hair because I like it, I feel like it suits my personality as it’s representative of a lot of things that are important to me, and many people who know me more than just casually will say it suits me too. When I started growing it out, my father hated it and thought I was doing it to rebel, but it was something I was doing for me. When it comes to how I present myself, particularly something like my hair since it’s actually a part of me, it’s something that should be true to who I am. And I feel the same way about anything like that. Though I don’t have any piercings or tattoos, I feel the same way about those too, that you shouldn’t get them to be cool or rebel, but because they mean something to you. And, really, why the hell do stereotypes matter? I clearly take care of it, brush it daily, etc. and the idea that long hair is for hippies just doesn’t fit with the rest of me. After all, long hair is also associated with musicians, artists, technical or spiritual people, bikers, athletes (particularly wrestlers), not to mention numerous other famous or historical figures, and certain cultures too. When people give me crap about it, I let it slide because, if anything, it tells me more about them than it tells them about me. Really, if it bugs you enough that people are stereotyping you over your hair, maybe you’re not giving them enough reason to see past it and why it fits you, or you’re just taking it too seriously. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/58 "2015-08-04T18:32:58Z")
> [@justjake](#): > > I have long hair as a man, and to be 100% honest, it looks great. Photo please. We’ll be the judge of that. > [@](#): > > Fuck you grandpa and your old-age beliefs that a man can’t have long hair and it can look good. Have you ever seen pictures of men in the 1700s? ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/59 "2015-08-04T18:48:28Z")
Post ww2 jobs were run by companies with management, many of whom had fought in the war or had even been officers in that war. So there became this industry-wide “uniform”, similar to military uniforms, with a white shirt, tie, slacks, shoes similar to military shoes, and a close cut haircut. Everyone had to be clean shaven. This obviously lasted for decades - cold war probably contributed. Standards have recently relaxed - engineers and other workers were allowed to wear more casual clothing, partly because of the long hours they are expected to work. I think that’s why Steve Jobs wore the blue jeans and the turtleneck - he’s signifying by his dress that he’s a worker, not a figurehead, and that he worked to improve Apple’s designs himself, and ran a low overhead company with more teeth to tail. (more engineers vs managers) ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706/60 "2015-08-04T22:31:33Z")
I just recently cut my long hair (a bit past the shoulders) because it was bugging me a bit. Now I regret it. I have a short “generic” look that a million other guys have. Blecch! Wanna grow it back as soon as the temperature cools down a bit! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-society-decided-that-short-clean-haircuts-are-the-only-ones-that-look-good-on-men/726706.md?page=4)