~ Really Long Hair ~

[Jeanway 0]

I know there are people in here who have really long hair. I know there are guys in here with hair as long or longer than mine. What do you think of guys with long hair? Do you think women should grow their hair as long as they want even though some people think at a certain point it's too long?? How long is your hair?

 

This is the longest hair in the Guiness Book of World records to date. A woman in Lithuania. 2.15 meters that's almost 8 feet long:

 

<<--This WAS a picture. I don't know where it went. A trick I see to get advertising

Edited August 5, 2004 by Jeanway

[Jeanway 0]

Reactions from Others

 

They may not be what you think. Most people will, of course, not have any real reaction to you at all, any different than they would have before. But some stereotypes, mostly myths, need to be visited.

 

Will people think I'm a girl? Well, that depends on how masculine the rest of you looks. If you are big boned with a very masculine face and you are six feet seven inches (two meters) tall, no one will think that. They won't ask you either! If you are slight and effeminate in appearance, and you were counting on a masculine style of haircut before, to make you look masculine, then you might confuse some people. Hair not heavily styled is the long hair style that looks the most masculine, but unlike many male short haircuts, such long hair styles do not really carry a sex message at all. So your long hair will not provide the clues your short hair once did, and you will find yourself needing to rely on other things that people see.

 

The one way to dispel all misconceptions promptly is to grow facial hair. Head hair is not a sexual marker, but facial hair is, and in the direction you want to be read. No one will mistake you at all once you grow it, from the moment it is seen.

 

I have one friend who has long hair and is very short. He says he is occasionally hit upon from behind by straight men in dark bars. His solution is to turn around, revealing his beard and saying in his very deep voice, "I don't really think I'm your type!" He says that with a smile, and he says immediately afterward he usually shares a good laugh over the event with the unfortunate fellow who made the misreading.

 

Will people think I am gay? Only the ignorant ones. At the moment, long hair is quite rare in the gay community, and most longhairs that one sees are straight. In reality, being read as gay is seldom a problem. This is mostly a myth thrown in with the other scary "what ifs" that float through the head of a potential longhair.

 

Though the gay community nowadays is pretty international in scope, some societies are burdened with these misconceptions more than others. Those so burdened tend to be the more tropical cultures, where a hot climate makes long hair less popular with the populace at large and thus an easier target for stereotyping. Some longhairs in Hispanic and African cultures have experienced much more difficulty in this area than their brethren in cooler climes, where the practicality of long hair is more appreciated by men in the community at large.

 

Some ultra-conservative Moslem sects are under the misconception that longhairs are transgenders, and assaults and mutilations of longhairs have occurred in places they control as a result. Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia should be avoided by longhairs, as attacks have been well-documented in the media in those two places. In 2004, there have been isolated attacks in Iraq and the nation of Turkmenistan has outlawed longhairs altogether.

 

Will gay men hit on me? This is an oft cited fear and one completely unfounded. My answer from personal experience would be, "Probably less often than before." The fear is probably rooted in the misconception that gay men are looking for longhairs because they want men who look like women. In reality, most longhairs do not look like women, most gay men do not want men who look like women anyway, and long hair is out of fashion at the moment in most gay circles, anyway. So forget this one. But really, the solution if anyone should come on to you is simple, and the same as the one used to dissuade straight men who might think you are a girl. Just say, "Sorry, you're not my type." Gay men will almost invariably accept that.

 

Be aware that as a longhair you may find more women hitting on you! Some women really like men with long hair.

 

What other things will people think? Probably that you're a rock musician, that you like to do drugs, or that you ride a Harley. These three stereotypes have been thrown at us so long that they have become jokes among longhairs. But the clueless keep coming up with them over and over. Fortunately, one quickly gets used to it, and it soon becomes something to laugh about. If you like one of those stereotypes and it actually fits you, you can choose to play the part (with clothing, mannerisms, etc.). This consistency in your appearance can make things easier in one way - people will be more comfortable around you when they can rapidly pigeonhole you into one of their stereotypes.

 

Some security guards in places such as building lobbies will challenge longhairs. But since one never goes into any such place without business there in the first place, these types immediately become helpful once you tell them why you're there. They usually approach you with a "can I help you" line, so I take advantage of the situation, getting precise directions to where I am going, while all the shorthaired folk are left to fend for themselves!

 

Recognizing Slurs

As a member of a minority, you will occasionally be subjected to slurs. Until longhairs met one another on the Internet and began to discuss this, we found we were conditioned by those who would oppress us to not recognize their slurs for what they actually were.

 

The most common slur is "Get a haircut!" This is "the n-word" for us - it is what gets yelled at us from pickup trucks. You should recognize this expression carries the offensive message that you are not wanted where you are. Once you realize this is a slur and not a grooming tip, you can more properly deal with the offensive nature that the utterance entails. The appropriate response to a slur is indignation, which can be shown by returning a cold stare, dressing down the offender, or totally ignoring him thereafter.

 

Other slurs occasionally heard are that you look female or homosexual. If they say, "You look like a girl," don't believe for a minute they really believe that. People don't say that to real girls. It's a slur, dude.

 

One other slur you might get thrown your way is a comment that a particular mannerism looks feminine. Such as pushing your hair out of your face. This is hogwash. All longhairs do these things because they relate to having long hair.

 

From time to time people will combine the fact that you have long hair into some milder statement of offense. They will state that your hair makes you look too old, too young, etc. The truth is, you will look that way with or without the hair. Some balding longhairs have been told they look like "old hippies", for example, but I've been told the same thing and I have all my hair. Comments such as these are only mildly offensive and warrant a less forceful response than do full blown slurs. Deflecting the comment from your hair to addressing the underlying accusation works best, e.g., "Hey, I'll look old no matter what I do!"

[fenriz275 0]

I found this on the Guinness World Records site

 

Longest Hair

On November 21, 1997, Hoo Sateow's lengthy locks were unraveled and officially measured at a hair-raising 5.15 m (16 ft 11 in) long.His are the longest locks in the world, but Hoo only beats his brother Yee by a whisker - Yee's tremendous tresses are 16-ft long.

Aided by local villagers, the siblings wash their hair once a month with detergent and water. Hoo cut short the title for Mata Jagdamba of Ujjain, India - her hair measured 4.23 m (13 ft 10.5 in).

Hoo began nurturing his magnificent mane in 1929, when he was 18 years old. Earlier the same year he'd cut his hair and fallen sick, so vowed never to chop off his locks ever again. The medicine man, who usually wears his hair weaved into a beehive under a hat, is no stranger to attention. Over 200 people a year trek through the mountains to be healed by Hoo's special powers and potions.

 

Now that's a lot of hair.

[nik 0]

I found this on the Guinness World Records site

 

Longest Hair

On November 21, 1997, Hoo Sateow's lengthy locks were unraveled and officially measured at a hair-raising 5.15 m (16 ft 11 in) long.His are the longest locks in the world, but Hoo only beats his brother Yee by a whisker - Yee's tremendous tresses are 16-ft long.

Aided by local villagers, the siblings wash their hair once a month with detergent and water. Hoo cut short the title for Mata Jagdamba of Ujjain, India - her hair measured 4.23 m (13 ft 10.5 in).

Hoo began nurturing his magnificent mane in 1929, when he was 18 years old. Earlier the same year he'd cut his hair and fallen sick, so vowed never to chop off his locks ever again. The medicine man, who usually wears his hair weaved into a beehive under a hat, is no stranger to attention. Over 200 people a year trek through the mountains to be healed by Hoo's special powers and potions.

 

Now that's a lot of hair. 

Wow! I guess he doesn't have to buy clothes.

 

I really don't care how long a person's hair is; it's never bugged me. I have lady friends that are bald and guy friends with pony tails - not something to go to the mattresses over.

 

For the record, my hair is cropped to a very utilitarian 1/8".

[Jeanway 0]

Geeze nik, your almost a skin-head That's ok, I won't hold it against ya.

[nik 0]

Geeze nik, your almost a skin-head That's ok, I won't hold it against ya.

Indeed! One can see my scalp! However, my hair is really thick and wavy and gets really hot in the summer. I actually like the look of it. I've got a pretty thick, muscular neck and jaw, and the short hair accentuates it. Makes me look tough!

[WEAREBORG4102 0]

I have a regular hair of head. Nothing special... Black hair....

 

When I grow up I'll look like this spock smilie.

 

I don't think that I'd like to have really long hair, but I think that guys shouldn't have meter long hair. I can understand if you go for the anime look but if you don't it's kind of pointless to have long hair. If you live in Houston, it's unbearable.

 

It's more of a utilitarian not decorative purpose for me.