Gender Brainwashing - Why do men in general have short hair and women have long hair?

reply to post by RedCairo


Man, those sound like some bitterly aging women, good on ya for getting the better of the situation though big respect.

folk have said so you can tell them apart etc. or it is percieved as more feminine however...

i have long hair, easily down to half of my back if not ruther, granted when working and doing Alot of stuff i tie it up, but i also have a masterful beard, something im properly proud of... i would be shocked if anyone found me feminine looking!

i love having long hair, for me, no one else i rarely "get it out" but i love knowing its there....

i think its comes and goes in waves, wars push short hair in males and females (see factory workers in WWII) social factors like music and art "liberation" allow for hair to be grown and experimented with.....


we have not really had a huge culture change or a huge war in a long time so right now we are in a miss mashed area of society...

Though everyone is unique and tend to think all lengths looks nice, I personally like long hair on both men and women equally. Long hair on a man is beautiful and sensuous. But ego is not. If he was very humble and natural, and giving/caring person, calm and good natured, able to care take and not expand into a room and one up others, then long hair is lovely. But ego to me is a huge detriment and if its just an image, then its not natural.

So the person is far more important than any trend or style, their character and nature and goodness, intelligence.

What I think aside from the military reasons for short hair, and possible historical reason with Caesar being mentioned, would also be the industrial age, that machinary required safety. Some tie it back but after a while, this coupled with military meant the trend was for shorter.

I've had waist length hair since I was six years old and you couldn't pay me to cut it. I love my long hair...it's just too pretty to part with! Gender roles or not...I just like my hair long and nothing will change my mind about it.

In spiritual terms, hair is power. In cultural terms, hair is just as much about sexuality. We react to other people's hair at a very base level...it says something to us, and most of us can't articulate it, although we all hear it. It's a very primal, physical, sexual element of who we are, and the poor girl who was tormented by older women trying to make her cut her hair mirrors my own experience.

I've always been wary of women who give me that suspicious look...if you've been unlucky enough to experience it, you'll know what I mean instantly. That look at that says "why do you still dare to have long hair at your age and who's husband are you trying to steal??!" The fact that it's still very red makes it so much worse... I've had long hair almost all my life, apart from a few short years as a teenager, and now in my late 40's it's almost to my waist, in very good condition, and there is no way in any universe I'm going to cut it. I still get regular hairstyle "suggestions" from my mum, which I dutifully ignore, and I really think this disapproval of women, especially older women, with long hair is rooted in jealousy or defensiveness of some kind of assumed sexual predatory behaviour that we may be planning. So unlikely!

Having long hair is a disadvantage as was mentioned, in case of conflict. Women having long hair makes them more vulnerable and dependant (as does high heels- they serve the same purpose as the ancient foot binding- making women handicapped and unable to defend themselves or flee effectively).

The vulnerability attracts men, and arouses their predatorial instincts.

I noticed that short hair on women is much more appreciated in France than in the US, and most women are expected to cut it shorter when married, and then much shorter after the age of 30. I was under a lot of pressure from my in laws because I kept my hair long into my forties. It was considered a sign that I was refusing to "grow up" and take on a responsible maternal-powered role in the community. Long hair is equated with the woman-child image, only acceptable in women under 30... whereas it continues to be popular in the US at all ages.

The skirt thing is easy- for urinating. In older times, women simply wore underwear that had a open crotch. These can still be found here at flea markets. That way, a woman only had to stand still, spread her legs, and urinate, without taking clothes off or having her genitals seen by others.

Men can take theirs out, without having to reveal everything, and simply turn against a wall.

-Though men tend to bring up often the easy availability for sex that a skirt offers..... which may be a component.

A funny difference I noted here in France too, on the hair question- it is SHORT hair on women that is a mark of affluence and ease of living! Because having short hair requires a trip to the hairstylist every month, which is quite expensive. An added sign of affluence and ease is having hair blond- because that too, take expensive and regular up keep.

So, many women of my age have very short bleached hair. When they don't, the associated assumption is often they are of a lower class financially, or are a divorcée struggling with trying to attract a mate, reverting to woman-child image. It is not always accurate or fair, but it is the prevaling prejudice.

reply to post by Bluesma


In America, long hair is associated with sensuality and brown hair is associated with intelligence and being sultry.

In America, short hair is generally considered to be for women who want to spend as little time on their hair as possible for convenience. Blonds are usually considered "dumb blonds" and most blonds in America are bleach blond, which is fake and considered unattractive like many other fake things (fake hair, fake nails, fake tans, fake eye color with contacts, etc). Bleach blond is considered a kind of trashy thing. Natural blond hair is considered to be beautiful...but there's still "dumb blond" stigma.

Attitudes towards hair styles and colors are pretty much diametrically opposed in America and France, LOL.

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Short hair for men is traditionally a symbol of subjugation. This goes back to ancient times, for example when the Celts captured an enemy warrior his head was shaved and he became a slave. Long hair represented freedom, individuality and status. Lots of cultures, especially those containing a 'warrior class' practiced this symbolism for both men and women, to be shorn was to be stripped of honor and title. Same goes for facial hair, a slave's face was also shaved, facial hair was a sign of maturity and strength, and again independence.

In modern times I believe that the ghost of this ideology still haunts us. It wasn't too long ago that if you were to stand any chance of getting that job you wanted you wouldn't dare show up to an interview with a ponytail and/or unshaven. It seems, in my eyes, that many employers have become more relaxed about this kind of thing in recent years, but the message is still subtly there: submit to authority.

When I was in school, (70's early 80's) long hair for boys was anathema, of course I had long hair, everywhere I went people made negative remarks or treated me with suspicion, even outright hostility and violence! For me my hair was my freedom, everyday I was reminded that I was an individual.

reply to post by Galvatron


You are incorrect. To the warrior class, individuality and status were paramount, hair on the face and head was worn as a symbol of pride, also a taunt to the enemy, thus in many cultures to take the hair, scalp or head of a vanquished foe was standard practice, a trophy that was as much given as it was taken. The hair of a warrior was a gift to his enemy, it said 'if you can beat me it is yours to take!'.

Many various warrior castes wore styles where at the front of the head the hair was short and long at the back, the Japanese Samurai or the Scottish Gallowglass are good examples, this accounts for the practicality of long hair in battle, indeed many castes used elaborate hair knots to preclude 'hair grabbing'.

Short hair or a shaven head was for children and slaves, or in the case of the samurai where an individual had given up his warrior status, shaved his head and become a monk.

This history is mostly biblical in nature. But lets just talk practicality....


.....in war, do you want long hair for your opponent to grab hold of?

....working in the fields....is long hair comfortable?


.....how about portability? Can you get up and go with long hair? Or is there a time needed to primp?

....would having your field of vision obstructed by hair benefit you in a life threatening situation like hunting or war?

reply to post by jcutler12888


Yeah, I am aware of these things (I am american, from California, natural blond ).

The idea in France is that after a certain age, a woman should ideally have discovered that she has attributes and qualities besides being sexually attractive and sensual- no longer needing to put emphasis on those.

The dumb blond stereotype exists here too, but only concerning long haired blonds.
That is the "woman-child" image I was refering to.

The very short platinum pixie that is popular amongst women after 40 is about as opposite as you can get in stereotype- because at that point, women have white hair. Going with it completely suggests she values and accepts her age and the experience that came with it.
It becomes an expression of wisdom.

But of course, we are only talking of superficial appearences and the popular associations- like I said, they can sometimes be inaccurate.
They can also be used to put forth false ideas- a woman who is not very sensual can grow her hair long to make it look so,
a woman of strong intellect can bleach her hair to look as if she is not,
a woman who is not intellectual can dye her hair to look as if she is,
a woman without much financial means can find ways to make it look as if she does,
a woman without much wisdom and experience can make her hair white to seem like she has.....

just as a sensitive and fearful guy can shave his head and look tough,
and a guy prone to brutish and selfish character can grow it long to look sensitive!

I think these tell more about what people value, ideal, and want to be, or want to emphasize in themselves, rather than the totality of what or who they are.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

Examine tribal cultures, when it comes to appearance, and especially in matters of warfare, practicality is not the predimominant sentiment.

reply to post by xavi1000


Thank you for that link. I believe there was a thread on this topic. Think that is why they have forced women to cover their heads in many countries.