In a recent episode of the greatest show on TV (Mad Men of course), Don Draper’s daughter Sally cut her long blonde hair one night when Don had left her with a babysitter. A furious Don sacked the hapless babysitter as soon as he clapped eyes on the resulting hair atrocity. His reaction was mild compared to that of his ex-wife Betty. She slapped little Sally hard across the face when she saw the damage done to her lovely golden tresses. And the poor child had only cut it to bob-length.
When I was slightly younger than Sally (about 7 I think), I nagged my mother for months to have my long fair hair cut short. She was extremely reluctant but eventually gave in to the pestering. The poor hairdresser was similarly reluctant and kept saying what a shame it was and asking if I was really sure about taking such a drastic step. I was, and with a single snip of the scissors the ponytail finally came off. My mother has kept it to this day.
Kate rocking the short hair look
I never regretted it. Over the years I made various half-hearted attempts to grow my hair but it never got much beyond shoulder length. It was always a relief to go back to the salon and emerge with a crop of some kind. Looks I have tried include slicked back like the women in the ‘Addicted to Love’ video in the eighties, a rockabilly style quiff and a full on Sinead O’Connor-esque scalping in the early nineties. I grew it before my wedding in 1996, only to scrape it all back off my face, Eva Peron style, for the day itself. In childhood I was sometimes mistaken for a boy, and had the so-called insult of ‘lesbian’ shouted at me occasionally when I was older. I was never remotely bothered; I never felt unfeminine just because I had short hair.
On Twitter a while ago, someone was bemoaning the fact that some women give up on longer hair as soon as they have children, and that it’s all part of ‘letting themselves go’. But in my view many women cling on to their long hair when they would look infinitely better with a chic crop. I can think of many celebrity women whose finest hour came when they had a radical haircut – Victoria Beckham, Emma Watson and Carey Mulligan spring to mind. And as for style icon Kate Moss; to me she never looked better than when she had her dirty blonde locks cut into a short (and brunette!) elfin style.
It is said that most men prefer long hair, but I doubt that’s the reason women grow it long. I don’t envy the work involved in maintaining long silky tresses – the endless blowdrying, conditioning, GHD-ing – so you must be doing it because you love it. Right?
Anthea McTeirnan
Croí na Duibhlinn
Aoife Barry
Aoife McLysaght
Arlene Hunt
Attracta McCarthy-McKenna
clairehennessy
Ann Cronin
Amanda Brown
Eleanor Fitzsimons
Edel Coffey
Anna Carey
Lauren Murphy
Jennie Ridyard
Jude Leavy
Hazel Katherine Larkin
Léan Ní Chuilleanáin
Leigh
Lisa McInerney
Laura Slattery
Maman Poulet
Megan McGurk
Clare Kleinedler
Molly
Rosita Boland
Catherine Crichton
Sinéad Gleeson
sarahefranklin
siobhandowling
Susan Daly
theantiroom
Nuala Ní Chonchúir
I have long hair for the opposite reason. I can’t be arsed getting it cut regularly to maintain a short ‘do’. It’s easy to tie up too, which is pretty much my default style at home. I almost never blow dry it or straighten it – unless for a work related gig, which might be three times a year. It has a natural kink so I leave it dry wavy. Short hair seems like way more work to me.
(I had a pudding bowl haircut as a child and hated it with a passion. As soon as I was allowed to rule my own head I grew it out)
I’m with Arlene on this one; long hair cos I couldn’t be arsed… I’ve always had long hair, except for the mandatory Lady Di cut circa 1984, and that’s when I discovered short hair needs styling. Doing that flick was pure torture. I had a poodle spiral perm in the early 90s (who didn’t) and now I just leave it as nature intended. My hair is arrow straight and somewhat thin, so it’s a real wash ‘n go. Don’t use a hairdrier. I’m too lazy to even colour it. Hairdresser comes once every six weeks, trims my boy’s hair, trims mine, I pay 90 quid and off she goes.
I think short hair is gorgeous but, yup, too much work, and probably dreadful on my giant, football head.
I have never had hair longer than shoulder-length, even as a child, and while I was keen to spend a lot of time being George from the Famous Five, and being “as good as a boy”, and so happy enough with it, I also believed that my short hair meant I was ugly while my sister’s long hair meant that she was pretty – and there was pretty much no emphasis on looks in our family, so I don’t know where I dredged that one up from. I’ve had the same hairstyle my entire life, bar about two years in my twenties where I shaved it up the back and left it floppy on top, I looked a bit like Morton Harket and plastered lipstick on every day to counteract the effect.
One of the most vivid parts of Little Women for me was the bit where Jo lops off her hair for cash (“Your crowning glory!” or “Your one beauty!” or some such, Meg sobs).
Actually that reminds me of something which is off the point but would be worth investigating, which is the fact that many hair extensions are made using human hair. So, for example, here’s a salon http://www.cowboys-and-angels.ie/profile.html which uses hair from this company http://www.prostyles.com/righthair-realhair.htm It’s not stated explicitly but I understand real hair with cuticle intact to mean real hair taken out of a real human being’s head. Am I the only one who gets the creeps thinking about someone in India (premium grade hair) who has spent ten years growing their hair in order to have it plucked out strand by strand, cuticles intact, to become someone else’s crowning glory, or one beauty?
I’ve had my hair long and short – each way has its benefits and beauties. But I do think face shape has a lot to do with it – some faces look better with longer hair, mine included.
Also short hair means more trips to the hairdresser and I hate going there as much as the dentist.
I love seeing older women with long hair. My friend M is in her sixties and has waist length white hair – it is STUNNING.
When I was a little girl, my mother insisted on keeping my hair in a bob until I was finally old enough to get my hair cut my self, or not to as it so happened. I grew my hair to about bra strap level for a couple of years. It was long, but fine and flat and so I finally started getting it cut shorter and shorter until, now at 27, I’m back at bob level. It took me too many years to realise my mother was right (when isn’t she?!), that long hair simply doesn’t suit my small face. It’s not even about maintenance (as even though I have shorter hair, I still do a quick 30 second GHD on it each morning), it really is about the fact that long hair simply doesn’t suit everyone.
Interesting that some people dread the hairdresser – I really love going. I don’t spend a lot on clothes, shoes or make-up so I don’t mind paying for a really professional cut every 8 weeks. When I moved back to Dublin from London one of the people I missed most was my regular hairdresser! I tried quite a few before I found ‘Mr Right’ and would be very reluctant to let anyone else cut it.
When I was 12 yrs old I got my long hair cut and my Ma roared dementedly about losing her “Galtee Girl”. I looked like yer one on the cheese packets, apparently. I’d long hair at various times throughout my 20s – nice when I was slim – but heavy metal smurf when fat. Bobs in my 30s which bore the living jaysus out of me but what else is there to go for? I think long hair is awesome though it takes some looking after [pet pony syndrome] when really long. Ass or passed ankle length is a type of follicle mental illness, I think. Men with long hair is tolerable during the stoner years but middle-aged men with long hair is a crime against humanity and as for greasy pony-tails on men in their 60s, nothing short of the death penalty will do.
I shaved all my hair off at 16 years old. I didn’t grow it past a crew cut again for another 10 years.
As soon as it started to grow back I began to feel more feminine. Short hair never suited my clumsy gait or my broad shoulders. I certainly never looked anything like Posh Spice, Kate Moss, or the gorgeous Sinead O’Connor.
The wool rug on my head looks better in a longer length because otherwise it gets way too big. I have three pairs of tongs, two curling irons and a set of hot rollers. I don’t often get to a salon, but when I do, I love having a good blowout to make it all smooth and bouncy.
Och, Megan, and I’d love curls. They’re so wild and romantic… Well, in my head.
I had waist length hair growing up and bar one unfortunate episode around my Holy Communion when I cut most my fringe off, it was long till I reached my teens.
Always fancied short hair and lopped the whole lot off recently – a la’ Ms Mulligan. Absolutely love it and wouldn’t go back longer now.
I think men do prefer long hair, but it simply doesn’t suit me. Short and I have cheekbones where I’m certina no cheekbones used to be. All hail the crop!
The disparity in attitudes when it comes to women’s hair length is interesting: I don’t know one man (including myself) who prefers short hair (ie, shorter than a bob) on women. Not that I’m saying you should do whatever men want, of course, but the difference in opinion is stark. One comic (wish I could remember who) said that the only reason men are afraid of getting married is because women always get their hair cropped too short after they tie the knot.
Phew! I guess I’m just so lucky I managed to snare a man despite my short hair handicap.
My bloke loves short-haired elfin women. Not sure how he ended up with a strapping hippie, bless him. But the I love Brad Pitt…
hi! i just loved this post! it reminded me of way back when my daughter begged me to cut her long hair because she was tired of all the fuss it involved. she was just 9. i ignored her pleas for some time but finally relented. as i was about to cut 10 inches off, the tears were just flowing down my face! she was fine, very determined to go short. i lopped off the 10 inches, only to have her say it wasn’t short enough! she had me cut off two more! oh, it killed me, but i had to admit, the shorter hair really showed off her tiny little face. she was right after all! thanks for sharing…joanne
On Twitter a while ago, someone was bemoaning the fact that some women give up on longer hair as soon as they have children, and that it’s all part of ‘letting themselves go’.
Oh wow, what a tosser!
I have short hair at the moment- I cut it short in my mid twenties after having had long hair as a kid and teenager and shoulder length hair in my early twenties. It was short for two years, then I grew it back to shoulder length, and after a year or two of that I realised I was looking for excuses to cut it short again! So now it’s been short for six months, and I’m leeeaning towards growing it back to ear-length again.
My grandma cracked me up when I had it cut to shoulder length by sighing and saying what a shame it was, and then saying, “Still, it’s probably just as well, since you’re going to start teaching now.” Which would have made sense if I was teaching toddlers or reception or something, but I was teaching undergraduates – not necessarily known for their sticky grabby fingers!
I’ve had short hair for the last year or so. I like it, but I’m in the process of growing it out to bob-length (it’s partly an economic decision!). My hair’s quite thin, so long doesn’t suit it – I’ll probably never grow it past my shoulders again.
Ooh I do love an elfin cut. Goes so well with an elfin face – like those already mentioned – and the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Winona Ryder, Mia Farrow, the list goes on. Also, Madonna’s best ever look in my opinion was in her ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ video (showing my age). Alas, being chubbier of cheek, I keep mine longer, if not the full-on Rapunzel.
If/when I’m ready to embrace grey I’ll get it chopped. Chic grey bob – a la Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times recently (also elfin faced I note) – I could possibly do. Long grey? No. But the whole grey vs colour question is a whole other hair debate I suppose….
mines longer than it was in high school, well past the bra strap. cus, i figure while im young i should have long hair. it is a giant pain in the ass though
i remember i got my hair cut short on one side and a bob on the other. that was the worst thing my mom ever let me do. of all the things i begged her for, thats what she gives in on.
I’ve the worst long hair in the world. It just refuses to be silky and instead goes greasy at the roots and frizzy at the ends. I can’t really afford the hairdressers and get it cut once or twice a year, not that having it styled makes any difference to its (I really do think of it as having a mind of its own) contrary nature.
When we were kids my mother would cut our hair, she trained with Peter Mark as a stylist though you’d never tell by the state of us. My sister had fantastic, thick auburn locks with natural high- and low-lights but mum was so fed up of having to detangle the knots that she gave poor Aoife a real shorn-down crop. Cue months of being asked if she was a boy or girl, which really scarred her and to this day, she spends countless hours and a fortune each month cultivating her ‘crowning glory’ and ‘one true beauty’. It really does look amazing though.
Some guys like short hair on women. I’m one. Like long too.