Why do women almost always opt for shorter hair?

It’s chic. Not always easier to manage. Unfortunately I feel into this phase in the spring. I hated myself the day after I did it. I cuss myself everyday for it…
frickin frackin fuckin hair grumblegrumble….

It’s cooler in the summer.
It requires less shampoo.
Long hair does not always look good on some women.
There are lots of nice styles.
Usually easier to deal with (not necessarily).
You’re never tempted to put it up in a pony tail.

I’ve had short hair all my life. Now it is long and people keep commenting on it, telling me that it looks so nice. What, did I look bad before? Guh.

I have shortish hair (shoulder length and layered) because I think it looks better on me than long hair. That’s my main goal in a haircut. :)

I’m not sure that women do “almost always opt for shorter hair” though… I know a lot of women who would never cut their length off.

I cut my hair short once in my life. I’ll never do it again! I find it easier to manage when it is long. It’s to the middle of my back now and I’m keeping it this way. I’m going for the Jane Goodall look when I’m older.

I have no idea. I have long, curly hair and I wouldn’t cut it short.

Not all women do. Not even most women.

Cat Deeley

Miley Cyrus

Angelina Jolie

Julia Roberts

and the list goes on and on.

By women, I mean women who are getting older.

@jfos Oh, ....specifications…..

Shorter styles are often more forgiving of, um, constraints – thin hair, fine hair, hair with no body. Short styles just look better in those situations.

Long hair is so beautiful on the right woman… I absolutely love it.

@Marina For the record, were you implying that Miley Cyrus is a woman?

Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore; and Goldie Hawn are a few “older” women that look beautiful with longer hair.

Long, loose hair is a young person’s style, unless it is long enough to be put up (a very old-fashioned look, in general). Long, full, shiny, richly hued hair is one thing, and long, fine, thin, wispy gray or white hair is another. Some older women can wear long hair well, but the odds are against it just because of the physical differences.

Also there is the fact that long hair can be a very effective attractor to men, so much so that the Bible and many cultures have something to say about it (for example, that married women must cover and/or cut off their hair). It can be presumed that matrons have a reduced interest in announcing their candidacy for men’s attention.

Speaking personally, I cut my hair short for the first time ever only about 15 years ago. I thought it looked great, and it was widely complimented. But it did take a lot of fussing—much more, in fact, than when long. That is one reason why now as I am preparing to leave the work force I am going to let it grow out again. As for coolness, unless your hair is tiny short, putting it up in hot weather is cooler than any style that leaves damp, stringy wisps clinging to your neck.

I still have long hair, but as I am getting older, the ends tend to dry out and it is making me want to cut it all off!!! I first lost the blond that I have had for the last 20 years. I am trying to see if I can still stand to keep it long being brunette. My husband is very against my cutting it.

From time to time I remind myself that our hair is really nothing but specialized monkey fur. That makes me laugh out loud when I look around and see all the things we think of doing to it.

On impulse I said that to a hairdresser once who was in the act of styling my hair. She was a young woman in one of those $8 cut places (this was decades ago). She gave me such a peculiar look that I just sort of coincidentally never went back there again.

Sometimes the propensity for long hair to tie itself in massive knots is enough to make women cut it all off. And sometimes it is impractical. I typically wear my hair long, but when I worked as a dolphin trainer at Seaquarium I cut my hair short. One reason was the knots that formed. Another was that the dolphins liked to pull on it, and that hurt.

I never want to cut my hair short again, I look much better with longer hair. My husband sometimes wishes I’d cut it, but I won’t even do it for him lol. I think as women get older, shorter hair is easier to manage. I think I’ll keep mine semi long for a while. I don’t dye it and trim it once a year.

I love my hair long, but decide I want a change and usually end up cutting it. Once it is sort, the process of growing it back out is long and frustrating. You have go through several unattractive styles to get there and it takes forever.

@Darwin, lurve for having your hair pulled by dolphins. Do you think they mistook it for edible vegetation?

Perhaps the question should be , “why do men always want women to grow their hair long?”. What’s the big deal with long hair anyway?
I had long hair when I was young and my baby fine hair was always flat and stringy and would not hold a curl even when permed. As I grew older and wiser I found a nice shorter style that is far more flattering, yet husband says he misses my long hair.

I’m certainly no “woman” as you’ve defined it, @jfos. I’m a young woman. ;)
I did just have a conversation with my mom this morning though about getting our hair cut. She has pretty short hair, it’s in a bob a couple inches above her shoulders (mine is long). The first time she cut her hair that short was when she has me. Babies like to grab things, especially hair. So, my mom was just tired of having her long hair yanked by my little baby fists. (My dad was at sea when she had it cut. He walked right past her without recognizing her when he got off the submarine!)
My mom grew her hair out between her 3rd and 4th child, but once my youngest sister came along she cut it again. I was so upset that she cut it all off because I had always remembered her with long hair. Short-haired Mommy didn’t look right!

I still have long hair. I can’t talk myself into cutting it.

@Jeruba No, they were playing with me. They liked to pull me around the tank by my hair. Dolphins have a wicked sense of humor so it is fortunate for us that they don’t have hands.

You have it both ways…if you have short hair you can add on extensions and make it look longer..anytime you want…
:)

I have short hair because my hair is thin and doesn’t grow well anymore, and also because I like changing the style often. I’ve had long hair before and it wasn’t as fun. Long hair is absolutely beautiful if taken care of properly. Most women refuse to admit they need a haircut, they don’t want to look “boyish”. I don’t understand why they would rather keep that extra 7 inches when it’s all nasty scraggly and constantly in a ponytail.

I had short hair for a long, long time…easily 6 or 7 years (I’m only 20). (It was no more than 3 inches long, anywhere.)

I decided to grow it out about a year back because I was sick and tired of the puerile comments people would make about my sexuality because of the hair.

And it’s nice, too, that I can now wear a hat without looking like I’m bald and can put my hair up with a chopstick or into a ponytail.

I don’t know if I’d go back to short hair. At the moment, I’m fine with my longer hair. (And I’m unemployed, so nobody really notices!)

i have really long hair and i love it. it can be hard to maintain but i have had short hair in the past and it really doesnt suit me so i just keep it long. i can do i wider variety of styles because i have long hair. i try not to use to much heat on my hair (no hairdrying and only small amount of straughtning/curling) to keep it in good condition.