A couple months ago I posted about how my MIL opened my eyes to the world of ‘old’ and ‘young’ haircuts. I had no idea there was even such a thing. This past weekend my MIL once again opened my eyes, this time to the notion that there are haircuts that are appropriate and inappropriate for heavy women. Our next door neighbor happens to be quite heavy and good ol’ MIL commented after seeing her that “her (short pixie cut) hair is entirely wrong for her figure.”
I was skeptical that there could be ‘old’ or ‘young’ haircuts so I suppose there’s some sort of rationale for this kind of thing too. Has anyone else heard of this?
What other conventions about women’s hairstyles are there that guys are (evidently) left in the dark about? Is there one about height maybe? Season of the year? skin tone?
I always assumed the shape of one’s face was the basis of what hairstyles were flattering or not. But in the grand scheme of things, as long as a person keeps their hair clean and critter-free, its cut, color, and style should be up to the individual. If Grandma wants purple spikes, who’s to say she can’t do that?
I was a teen in the late 60s/early 70s and the hair obsession of those days seems so silly now. It’s just hair. It will eventually grow out (usually) and unless it poses a safety hazard in a particular job (like food service or around moving machinery) it really shouldn’t be a big deal. Yes, I think some things people do with their hair can be idiotic to my eyes, but I don’t have to pay for it and even if I have to look at it, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t affect me other than offending my delicate sensibilities… Non-issue, IMHO.
Long hair can hide chin and neck rolls. I know that I personally wouldn’t get a pixie cut unless I lost some serious weight. They’re designed to show off the bone structure of the face and, well, if that bone structure isn’t showing anyway…
There’s certainly the idea that long hairstyles–meaning anything with hair that hangs–are unprofessional or don’t look as well-groomed as short ones. I think this is an old fashioned idea that’s slowly dying off. You know–from the generation that had their hair shampooed and set once a week at the beauty parlor.
All color on a person tends to fade with age, including hair color, even if the person isn’t going gray per se. So as you get older, if you dye your hair, you should lighten the shade every now and then for a more natural look.
A fringe cut straight across can make a square face look even squarer and heavier. You pretty much have to be Zooey Deschanel to pull it off.
Certainly a lot of women tend to add highlights or lowlights to their dye jobs depending on the season. Fake sunstreaks, or red tones that look good in strong sunlight, for example. And yes, you could probably find opinions about skin tones and hair colors that look most natural/flattering.
I personally don’t give a damn what people are doing with their hair (because I sure don’t do much with mine). Just providing the information you sought.
Yeah I think hair rules are a thing of the past. Women of all shapes and sizes and ages and sexual orientations are getting hair short, getting it in all sorts of colors, wearing it curly, wearing it straight, wearing it natural (a term really only pertaining to African hair).
Men like to say they like long hair on women. Old ladies like to say you need a certain hairstyle for the sort of life you lead. White people like to comment on (or, oh god, touch) black womens’ hair.
I like to think that we’re at a point where women just tell other women “Get it, girl!”
Really, the rule should be “if you tend to it and take care of it every day, you get to decide on how it looks. Everyone else can stfu.”
I have had very long, straight as a board blond (natural) hair since my teens. I am aging some so I am seeing silver streaks more and more. You would not believe the crap advice I get. Even my doctor said very long hair can cause headaches. People say to me the different things I could do with it. It is bitch to wash and dry. It gets tangles that are hard to remedy. My cats love to bat at any stray lock. And there is an ongoing battle with hair ties and scrunchies with the cats. I will never succumb to these peeps advice, I love my hair. It’s part of my person and that’s ok with me.
Certain styles are more flattering to certain attributes, that’s all. A full figured woman might look better with ‘bigger’ hair, to balance out her curves.
And, yes, your hair should coordinate with your skin tone. Women with golden tones should not go purple, it makes them look sallow.
Lighter highlights don’t work well in the winter; even if the lighting is okay, everyone knows you didn’t just get back from Cabo, you’re trying too hard.
Of course, someone is going to find a picture a fine figure of a woman of uncertain age of Mediterranean descent with a purple and gold striped buzz, because the whole point of rules is figuring out how to break them.
Me too. Except I only kind of like my hair…it’s too thin. At 61, I could use some more. My mom told me that I should get a haircut when I turned 30, because…I should. It’s more respectful or something. My hair doesn’t respect anybody, me included! Sorry Mom.
I’m a guy. Last year I had a short beard. Right now I have my Santa beard going. Years ago I had a ZZ Top beard.
A coworker (woman) has been telling me that I should trim my beard short, because I look ten years younger. So what? Why should I care if I look 59 versus 49? I really don’t get it.
I had long hair for decades, specifically because I was told that men liked it. I finally realized that none of the guys I dated ever played with my hair, or complimented me on it, or made any reference to it all, except to whine whenever I mentioned cutting it that they “liked it long.” Otherwise, all I ever heard was their complaints about how long it took for me to get ready. I honestly think it was some sort of masculine trophy thing, that they just liked for other guys to see them with a woman who had long hair.
After I finally cut it off, I realized that I’d been spending about an hour per day on my hair. Washing it, conditioning it, rinsing takes much longer than you’d think, and then drying it and curling the ends so it doesn’t look “hippie-ish.”
Then I did the math. One hour per day is two weeks every year. Two weeks I was wasting on my hair. And that doesn’t begin to address the nails, the shaving, the make-up, the shopping, the panty hose (Oh dear Og the panty hose!!). It makes me sick to think of the amount of time and money I wasted on that crap over the course of forty years.
I am big, I am pushing fifty, and I just don’t give a flying farina anymore what anybody else thinks about how I look. And any guy who is interested enough. will have to deal with the fact that my hairstyle will be just as convenient as his.
I have long, thick hair (I can almost sit on it). I just turned 56, I am not svelt. I like my long hair because I’m lazy and it’s easy - wash it, braid it, sleep on it, brush it out in the morning, braid it again. I don’t own a curling iron, my hair dryer is at least 20 years old, and I’ve never colored or permed my hair. The last time my hair was short was in 9th grade when my mom convinced me to get the new and trendy Dorothy Hamill cut. I hated it. Now I’m going grey and I’m kind of interested to see how the “highlights” will turn out!
I couldn’t give a rat’s hinderparts if my hair is age/weight/color appropriate or not. It may be just hair but it’s MY hair and I’m the one who has to deal with it.
Non-issue, IMHO.