I was just curious...

For as many of us who are trying to grow our hair to staggering lengths, there must be at least a few who encounter other people who oppose such ideas.

My question is, how many of you run into (or live with) people who don't support your longhaired aspirations, and how do you deal with them?

My mother is not a supporter of my long hair.  Fortunately for me, I live in Minnesota and she lives in Arizona.  I see her once or twice a year.  When I do see her, she typically makes comments about how I'm too old for hair this long and that it must be cumbersome to have hair so long.  I've learned to just tune out her comments and change the subject.  I have previously told her that I enjoy having long hair and that some day I may cut it back to pixie length, but for now, I will keep it long.

I pretty much ignore it.  One gal that I work with is very anti-long hair, and while she doesn't say anything directly, she'll get it in the conversation if she can.

But when people make comments about being too old for long hair, I speak up that I think thats non-sense.  

I agree there. Since when did long hair have an age limit??  ???

My parents have always hated my hair long because of its texture. In their eyes, fine, thin hair should always be short. Period. No exceptions.
 Of course, these are extremely narrow-minded people who have taken offense to everything I do, so I try not to listen or let their comments bother me (even though they still do).

I also draw strength from the people who do support my having long hair, like my boyfriend, my sister and my 3 young cousins. They all love running their fingers through it and telling me how soft and pretty it is. So that makes it feel more worth it to me.

Just wondered if anybody else out there shared my prob.

A couple weeks ago at work, my bun was falling apart, so I took my hair down to re-do it.  It took all of 30 seconds for everyone on my team to sit up and say 'Wow your hair is really long!' as I sat in my office chair, letting it hang down to brush the floor with my head leaned back to put it back up.  They all told me how pretty it was.  

About a minute after that, the conversation turned to 'When do you think you will cut it?'  I stared at them in shock wondering, where the hell were you a second ago when I told you I wanted to grow it to my knees?  Why ever would I cut it??  Then the man said, oh well my wife is going to cut hers off because of the baby.  

Yes, I am sure it will be much easier for her to hit the salon twice a month and spend an hour each morning doing her hair into some 'fashionable' style that requires heat setting and volatile chemicals than it would be to put it up in a bun or braid it.  /sarcasm off

I was horrified and told him so.  I could not believe them!  Having the gall to compliment my hair and then in the same breath expecting me to cut it off!!

Good thing I don't care what they think.  ;D  I would rather listen to the people who walk up and say 'ooh you have hair just like a princess in a fairy tale!'   I think that is my hair's favorite compliment. ;)

Ugh I know! Someone I know went into a cafe with me. When she saw a girl with classic length hair she said :"Thats not neccessary." Goodness...does she know classic length is my goal? And that girl had such beautiful thick asian hair...
People are so silly about hair these days. I mean there must be hair phobia now. I mean women only began to shave their legs in the 1920s. So it's all brainwashing. People see long hair and think the person is lazy and that the hair is going to attack them. Btw, heres the shaving link.  So women before shaving were masculine? People are so brainwashed. Therefore short hair can also fall into this catagory.

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_012.html

How I agree, there is no age limit for long hair, I said in another posting somewhere that I am 56 and still have waistlength hair and intend growing it to see how far it will eventually get. I often wonder if people who poo poo the idea of long hair are secretly jealous and judging by the photos of hair in such great condition I am even more sure. Yes it is hell while you are growing it out. I had layers years ago and also had a fringe which I am in the process of growing out for the first time in my life and that was, and still is to a certain extent pure hell but I am determined to grow it out. At the moment it is just below my chin, I can't believe I have had the 'strength' to get through the horrible stage of it falling my my eyes and nearly cut it more than once but am so glad I have persevered. All you out there who are having nightmares growing your hair out, keep it up, you will be so glad you did in the end. People often talk about the 'awkward' stage in growing your hair out but in my experience there are several of these awkward stages and you just have to keep strong and get through them then your hair suddenly looks great again. Good luck to all you growing your hair long keep it up and you will be so pleased. The only trouble I have with my hair now is that it is too heavy to put up as I have such thick hair and I would love to braid it but would have to have someone else to do it for me or is there a knack to doing it yourself when it is long?

Jules, congrats on getting through one of the toughest parts of growing out bangs/fringe.  Hopefully the rest of your growing will be much easier.  :D

ugh--I'm having computer problems and just lost my internet connection after I'd finished a wonderful essay on braiding >:(  I'll try to re-create it.
Karen Ribble's DVD and booklet, "Braid Your Own Hair", is a great resource for learning to braid.  The DVD is a must as I got lost trying to just do the booklet instructions.  But the book helps when I go into the bathroom where I have a mirror to check and can't take the computer with me!
Practice braiding at night if you like to put your hair up to prevent tangles.  That you don't have to worry if it doesn't look too good yet! Also another hint I got was to only try it 3 times in one session and move on to something else if it doesn't work.  No use getting too frustrated.  Try again another 3 times later.
http://www.braidedimage.com/

I don't get it. Why do people have a problem with any women with long hair, regardless of their age? It's not their hair and you're not making them do it so why do they have such a problem? Same with tattoos. If you don't like them, don't get them. Why harp on how bad they hate it and act like it's effecting them personally? Ya know?

Its quite funny how people belive hair should go shorter with age. I think long hair is very youthful. I feel sorry for all those women who crop and perm it as it seems to add 10 years to thier age. If only they new there is another way.

I was selling my crochet things and Satin Sox at a Flea Market yesterday and I had a customer with hair to her waist and we started to talk.  What struck me was that she said," We long haired people have to stick together"! How true because there were and are alot of people who either have stigmas or are ignorant of people with very long hair.  I got to see that first hand at this flea market and one of the best ways to deal with it,I find, is either don't reply to someone else's comments or "just let it go".

I feel the internet has "empowered" the long hairs of the world.  In our own little communities, we may be alone, and could become enticed to cut our hair rather than be the lone person with long hair.  But with the internet, we KNOW there are others out there that feel the same as we do about long hair.  Knowing this gives us the courage to stick to our convictions and ignore what others say.

CurlGirl - how were your sales at the flea market?

Well,it seems almost everyone wants everything for nothing!!!  So things were dismal :(,but I'm not giving up!  There is a sidewalk flea market at my own parish next month and I'll be doing that!!   I was just covering the cost of the yarn,not even the time and labor and people don't want to pay!  Oh well....there's always next month and a new crowd of people!  Don't know about where you are,but over in NJ when they have craft shows,the person in charge of it can charge upwards to $4000 for space!!!  At Flea Markets here it's around $35 a table for a 6 or 7 hours.

Hi again.  I have been sticking with growing my hair out and have now got to about 19 inches.  Now my hair is getting longer I am starting to pick up on a kind of fellowship amongst us long haired blokes - acknowledgements from other long hairs particularly older guys such as myself.

Mind you I have still had the hippy, roadie comment too! But most people seem to be getting used to the look

CurlGirl:
Sorry your sales were not better.  I too have experienced the same thing - people not even willing to pay for the materials.  That's why I stopped selling and instead make things for donations.  At least then I can write off the cost of my materials.  My labor, is a labor of love.

Redgate:
Good to see you back!  Glad you are still growing it and people are accepting you with the longer hair.

BB, I think you have a very good idea.  Why bother to have  me getting annoyed that people don't  want to pay even for the materials when I could donate and get so much more satisfaction of knowing that someone would be getting something they need and might just appreciate!   :)

wrote on Sep 12^th, 2006 at 11:46am:

BB, I think you have a very good idea.  Why bother to have  me getting annoyed that people don't  want to pay even for the materials when I could donate and get so much more satisfaction of knowing that someone would be getting something they need and might just appreciate!   :)

Now you get it!  ;D

;D