Long Hair

Exactly what constitutes long hair can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length hair in many cultures may be said to have short hair, while a man with the same length of hair in some of the same cultures would be said to have long hair. Scientists view long hair as playing a large part in any animal species' natural selection, since hair length is frequently a sign of health. Freudian psychoanalysts also see it in a sexual light, as a representation of the id's release from the suppression of the superego. Hair is signalling gender differences as well as ideological differences. Opposite sexes and opposite ideologies tend to have opposite hair, for example hair lengths.

Culturally, long hair—particularly amongst men—typically signals the individual's separation from structures., although there are exceptions, such as the Thai people.Ways of life often viewed as more rigid, such as religious cultures, often have explicit rules regarding hair length. For example, one passage in the New Testament of Christianity considers long hair shameful for men, while encouraging it for women. Also, Buddhist monks shave their heads as part of their order of worship. Even outside religious structures, cultures often associate long hair with ways of life outside of what is culturally accepted. Subservient cultures, for example, are sometimes detected[clarification needed] by their rulers through hair length, as was the case with the Irish under English rule and the Moors under Spanish rule in Medieval Spain.

During the cultural revolutions of the sixties and seventies in North America and the Western world, long hair remained a strong symbol of rebellion against the cultural norm. Again, though, there are exceptions to these rules, notably among the long-haired and religiously devoted Nazarites of the Hebrew Bible (Samson being a famous example) and among the Sikhs.

Among women, this is often reversed: Long hair (or average length hair according to current norm) becomes an acceptance of culture, while shorter hair than the norm signals a rebellion from it. Long hair is traditionally accepted as a female characteristic in western cultures, while very short female hair often is described as boyish or manish.[3] The appeal of female long hair goes far back into western mythology, to the stories of Rapunzel, Lorelei, Sif and Lady Godiva.

The feminist ideal includes, or used to include, medium to short lengths. Feminists and women's rights activists have long debated whether to advocate female long hair as a solely feminine trait, or to call for short hair in opposition to a narcissistic and non-authoritative stereotype.




1 Response to "Long Hair"

  1. khurram says:
    August 28, 2010 at 12:04 PM


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