# Why do men like long hair ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 17, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085 "2006-09-17T17:15:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/21 "2006-09-17T20:25:45Z")
I’ve had long hair most of my life (a few forays into shorter styles) and it is a big myth that long hair is harder to care for. Really. Short hair needs to be cut more often - if it grows out even a little bit it starts to look unkempt, it usually needs to be styled, and about the only thing I give it care-wise over long hair is it takes a shorter time to dry. I just wash and go (no hair dryer, it’s bad for hair) with my mid-back length hair. I get regular trims when I get my roots touched up (I went grey early, and hate it), but that’s about it. I find it cooler to thave long hair in the summer - I pull it up in a ponytail and get it completely off my neck. When my hair was shorter there were always strands that stuck to my neck…ugh. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/22 "2006-09-17T20:32:54Z")
I think many men from their taste for women while in their teens and young twenties. At this age, the pretty girls of similar age tend towards long hair and older woman (mother types) tend to shorter hair. Personnel esthetics plays a large part, or most men just like the look of long hair. There is also the point the long hair is eye catching for a distance. I don’t know if you ever noticed that most men are attracted to large breasts. (Not me, but I love long hair) Long shapely legs are very eye catching also. So I think men get use to features that easily identify a potentially attractive female from a distance and find these attributes more attractive. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/23 "2006-09-17T20:33:04Z")
[QUOTE=constanze] Esp. since the men asking about this are very often the macho guys with ultra-short buzz cut themselves? [/QUOTE] Yeah. The current double standard squicks me a little, eg: whenever I see some scrumptious girl-next-door type next to a guy with a haircut better suited to yelling obscenities up people’s noses. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/24 "2006-09-17T20:53:58Z")
Med to short hair is nice. Too long gives trailer parky deep country vibe or indicates there’s a faith based thing going on. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/25 "2006-09-17T20:56:51Z")
[QUOTE=astro] Med to short hair is nice. Too long gives trailer parky deep country vibe or indicates there’s a faith based thing going on. [/QUOTE] I realize that is your opinion/point of view, but I have always associated long hair more with hippies then the Religious/trailer Park. In fact, I thought the stereotypical trailer park look was a cheap beauty shop look? Jim ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/26 "2006-09-17T21:01:41Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] Right. And the question is why it “looks good and feels nice.” Restating the question is not a satisfactory answer to the question. If you don’t like when people discuss a topic, don’t read the topic. Getting resentful and pissy people other people are talking about something that doesn’t interest you is unattractive, whatever your hair may look like. [/QUOTE] Hmm. That wasn’t actually meant to be pissy. You certainly seem to have taken extreme umbrage, though. Perhaps \*your \* mood is the one that’s a bit suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/27 "2006-09-17T22:05:56Z")
I have a sword bound with human hair. Apparently it was the tradition in the area for girls to not cut their hair until they got married. When they got married they cut their hair and the hair was used to bind the swords. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/28 "2006-09-17T22:09:21Z")
[QUOTE=astro] Med to short hair is nice. Too long gives trailer parky deep country vibe or indicates there’s a faith based thing going on. [/QUOTE] What’s up with the faith based long hair, anyways? I’m a big fan of long hair on women, and I knew a girl way back in high school who had very long, dark, further than waist-length hair. I was madly in love with her… until I found out that she never cut it due to some pentecostal faith-thing. And then I never found her attractive again. I think that there’s something about the fact that a woman spends that much upkeep on something (because long hair that isn’t kept up, ahem, religiously, looks terrible) in order to look good is very appealing. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/29 "2006-09-17T22:29:31Z")
[QUOTE=Diomedes] What’s up with the faith based long hair, anyways? I’m a big fan of long hair on women, and I knew a girl way back in high school who had very long, dark, further than waist-length hair. I was madly in love with her… until I found out that she never cut it due to some pentecostal faith-thing. [/QUOTE] [This page](http://www.answerbag.com/q_view.php/29331) addresses your question. The relevant verse is from the First Book of Corinthians: > [@](#): > > But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/30 "2006-09-17T22:59:58Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] I realize that is your opinion/point of view, but I have always associated long hair more with hippies then the Religious/trailer Park. In fact, I thought the stereotypical trailer park look was a cheap beauty shop look? Jim [/QUOTE] Just to be clear I’m taking _long_ hair down the far lower back, or waist and below, not just the middle of your back. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/31 "2006-09-17T23:11:59Z")
Just to answer this as a poll-type question, personally I like short hair on women as the sexiest. (And personally have long hair (Male)) That said, it annoys the hell out of me that my mom cut her hair short and bleached it blond. But that’s an issue that she seemed to like it long, but then felt that she needed to do that to “keep looking young”, and ended up looking like a 40 year old woman (now 50) with the hair and clothing of a little girl. Letting her hair grow out and not bleaching it to hell so that it wasn’t all dry and she’d look ten years younger. So that’s just an issue of seeing someone doing all the wrong things to achieve their stated goal. If I thought she herself wanted to have shorter hair, I’d have no issue with it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/32 "2006-09-17T23:20:24Z")
[QUOTE=astro] Just to be clear I’m taking _long_ hair down the far lower back, or waist and below, not just the middle of your back. [/QUOTE] My wife and my daughter both have very long hair. I am just old enough to remember all the older teens when I was little were wearing their hair long as it was the late 60s and early 70’s. This was in the Bronx & later suburban Jersey. So for me, I associate it more with Hippies/Late Sixties. I like the middle of the back length plenty of course and I have seen very many very cute girls/women for whom short hair was well suited. I just generally prefer longish to long hair and in general most men seem to. We all know this is far from universally true. It is common for men to like “large firm racks”\*. I prefer smaller but don’t generally consider a woman’s breast a primary point of interest. I am interested about face, hair, legs and butt. That is just I. Everyone has different tastes. Jim - not my words, but a common phrase from my Navy days. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/33 "2006-09-17T23:47:05Z")
For what it’s worth, the world of classic rock weighs in in favor of long hair on women: [QUOTE=Brian Wilson/The Beach Boys] Where did that long hair go? Where is the girl I used to know? What made you lose that happy glow? -“Caroline No” [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=ZZ Top] She’s got hair down to her fanny -“Legs” [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Paul McCartney] I belong to the girl with the flashing eyes: Long haired lady. -“Long Haired Lady” [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Brian Wilson again] I wish you’d listen when I tell you now Baby let your hair grow long There’s something missing with you darling now Baby let your hair grow long -“Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long” [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Shel Talmy, as recorded by The Kinks or The Who] Well I don’t want no bald-headed woman -“Bald Headed Woman” [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/34 "2006-09-17T23:55:52Z")
The way I figure it, if my guy prefers my long hair [he’s welcome to it](http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianala/241996796/). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/35 "2006-09-18T00:28:38Z")
I just like hair. I like my own hair long, I have facial hair, I like women’s hair (don’t dislike it short, which can be perky and cute, but I appreciate long), I like women’s other-than-head hairs wherever they grow (which seems to make me an endangered species these days), hair is fun! ---
**Author:** ![gfloyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d2c977/32.png) [@gfloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gfloyd)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/36 "2006-09-18T00:43:43Z")
My boyfriend, on more than one occasion has begged me to shave my head. I think he was kidding, although he makes a point of telling me he’d like it to stay short. I have lots of fine, curly hair. It gets in the way and he feels that occasionally it’s trying to kill him. I like it shoulder length when dry: any shorter tends towards an afro, any longer it does take much more work to take care of. But I hate getting my hair cut, as no one seemes to be able to cut curly hair right, so right now, it’s partly down my back. For me, I think long hair is a turn off. Anywhere beyond midback just looks weird to me. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/37 "2006-09-18T00:59:51Z")
My hair is so long that I’m at the point of accidentally tucking it into my jeans. Mr. Rilch’s hair is down to his shoulders. We have an agreement that I will never get a soccer mom cut, and he will never go back to a flattop. Me: As I understand it, women who go for the Dorothy Hamill cut as they approach 40 are doing so in the hope that it will give their face a lift. To that I say, optical illusion can only go so far, I’ve done what I can for my face by staying out of the sun, and women with the SM cut all look like clones of each other. I always wanted Galadriel hair, and now I’m free to have it. Him: He and his mom were discussing this the last time we were at her place. She wishes he would go back to the flattop, while he insisted that, as large as he is, he needs long hair to keep his head from looking like a melon on top of a crate. I chimed in to say that the short hair = masculine is a relatively new concept, and he added that as many guys in the WWF have long hair, you can hardly say long hair is girly, if the guy wearing it has a man’s body. Never heard of faith-based long hair. The faith-based hairstyles I’m familiar with have either been the SM cut, or Og forbid, feathered hair. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/38 "2006-09-18T01:31:28Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] Never heard of faith-based long hair. The faith-based hairstyles I’m familiar with have either been the SM cut, or Og forbid, feathered hair. [/QUOTE] The long hair worn by women in conservative Christian (typically Pentacostal, if memory serves) churches tends to look particularly bad, as they forbid so much as trimming the ends, which predictably tends to result in rather nasty-looking hair. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/39 "2006-09-18T01:32:13Z")
I think short hair on women is sexy as hell, provided the woman in question has the features for it. It’s a strong preference for me. Extra long hair on woman is a turn off for me. It’s just too “Little House On The Prarie”\* \*[SIZE=1]OK, I’ve never seen that show but I think you know what I’m sayin’.[/SIZE] ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085/40 "2006-09-18T03:47:06Z")
Um…you guys are thinking too hard about it. Guys like long, well groomed hair on a woman because it simply looks sexier. It helps shape and flatter her face. Some women just don’t look that good with short or pony-tailed hair - big or oddly shaped nose, ears or chin forehead becomes more pronounced. Now some girls can get away with short hair and it looks good on them. Depends on how their head’s shaped. Another thing, I don’t like to generalize but it has been my experience that women who wear super-short hair like a “pixie” cut tend to be a bit on the wacky (IOW “insane”) side. It’s a very severe haircut that screams “LOOK AT ME!!!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-like-long-hair/373085.md?page=3)