I was twenty-one years old on the day I decided long hair belonged on women under 30. I was also thin, fresh out of college, and known for my very good hair. It hung in waves down my back and stopped at the spot a man places his hand when ushering forward a woman he cares about through an open door. Convenient.
It took me years to get that hair. As a child I was notoriously unkempt. I would fake showers and refuse to brush my hair. I couldn’t be bothered, not when there was bike riding and swimming and, of course, books to read. One day, after finding yet another ferocious tangle of hair at the base of my neck, my mother decided that I, chubby, shy, and afraid of the limelight, should get the Dorothy Hamill. I was in the 6th grade and while she warned me it was coming, I didn’t really believe her. I have a long history of underestimating my mother.
I remember everything about the day after my haircut, the day I went back to school. I sat in the middle of the classroom and could feel every single eye on me. I was the only girl in class with short, albeit tangle-free, hair. No bows, no ribbons, no barrettes. Just wedge. My teacher, Miss Hamp, a heavy metal headbanger who never really liked me, had the audacity to call me to her desk on the pretense of picking up a graded exam. It was the longest walk of my life, and I could hear the whispers from my classmates as they analyzed my hair cap from all angles. I finally made it to the front, my thin soled Keds barely providing enough support to keep me upright, grabbed my exam and turned to leave. Miss Hamp stopped me with a hand on my shoulder and for the first and last time in our relationship smiled at me with kindness and understanding before saying, “Your hair looks very nice.”
Small praise coming from a hesher whose hair embodied the fury of a cyclone, but beggars can’t be choosers.
By 8th grade my hair was once again past my shoulders, barely. I made sure to keep it brushed.
Brushed or not, 9 months later I decided to get a stylish haircut before entering high school. In a move I can only describe as unfortunate, I decided upon an asymmetrical bob…with a perm.
Third time’s the charm. I grew my hair out for the next seven years and by my senior year in college, my ability with a set of hot rollers preceded me. I couldn’t imagine a life with short hair. But then I met Lisette, a forty year old blond with waist long hair.
She had legs like battle rams: thick, imposing, and the same size from hip to hock. I suppose her hair was an attempt at femininity, an unsuccessful ploy to bring the eyes up and away from thighs that clapped like thunder every time she crossed the room. It didn’t work, because while her hair did draw your attention, it only forced you to look into the face of a harpy clinging to her misspent youth. It was after another tantrum at work, another unwarranted attack on someone with a personality weaker than hers (her favorite), that I noticed the way she held back her over-processed hair with a ribbon the width of a shoe lace. Something about the way that little white bow on top of her head bounced to the beat of her cankles turned me away from long hair for what I believed was forever.
Bit by bit I started cutting my hair until finally, at 27, it sat about my shoulders. I haven’t let it get much longer since then. Sure, every now and then I’d be tempted. I’d see a celebrity, usually decades younger than me, toss her mane over her shoulder and remember the good old Rapunzel days. Right when I started to reconsider my under thirty rule I would bump into a Rock Star mom or see a commercial for Desperate Housewives of Orange County and jolt myself back into reality.
Under thirty. Under thirty. Under thirty.
Then I started going through old pictures I found while purging my parents’s storage unit. I really did have nice hair. A little bit past my shoulders wouldn’t hurt, I reasoned.
Or maybe my collar bones. That’s a good place to stop, I thought, while admiring the swing in my pony tail.
“You know what? Let’s just clean it up. Maybe we can cut it next time,” I told my hairdresser two weeks ago.
Suddenly, after almost twelve years and despite my misgivings, my hair is slowly inching it’s way down my back once again. That’s okay, right? I mean, just because I am turning 38 in three short weeks doesn’t mean I am no longer entitled to good hair. Adult hair doesn’t have to be short hair. It can be stylish, mature, and tasteful while grazing the top of your full coverage cup Wacoal. The way I see it, all I need to do is avoid the perky white bow and cankles. While I’m at it, I think I’ll grow out my bangs, too.
Hi Jules,
I’m loving your blog. Your hair is gorgeous! This post made me laugh- I’ve had short hair, often fiercely short, (with some funky bows) pretty much my whole life. It’s been long (just to my shoulder blades- long for me) for a few years now, and I’ve never loved it so much. (Of course, I wont be 38 til February.)
I’ve never cared much about hair- mine hasn’t particularly encouraged me to. It’s light (mouse) brown, fine and dead straight, but I’m pregnant (also have a 2-year-old) and it’s kind of shiny and nice. I guess for me it feels a little bit grown up, to have hair I can wear up to weddings, you know? I still cut the fringe myself, very much without my mother-in-law’s approval, but no longer turn my head upside down and hack the whole lot off. Though sometimes the temptation is strong. What was that you said about being a grown-up?
You look great! I hate all those rules about when you have to stop doing things just because of age…it’s just silly! I mean, okay, you don’t want to look like you’re pretending to be an adolescent, but why can’t you have long hair when you’re over thirty? Or wear miniskirts, if you have the body for it. I’ve seen some girls at 20 that look absolutely horrible with a short skirt and others way over thirty or even fourty that look fantastic. It all depends…
I think we’ve all seen these women and wondered why can’t they see it’s just not working? Your hair is beautiful and it looks very nice up too. You won’t make the same mistake cankles-white bow made. You’re smarter than that. Peace.
At 39, I can so relate to this post! I had long hair until age 5, when my older sister hacked it off in her attempt at being motherly. My hair was short and went through various stages of “style”, including the Dorothy Hamill! In the 9th grade, I too, had an asymetrical bog WITH A PERM! How funny we had similar styles growing up! After that phase, it was cut super short and I wore it that way until my early twenties when I started to grow it!
My best hair was in my late twenties until early 30s. It grazed my collar bone and the tips of my hair slightly flipped up, while the rest was pretty much all one length and a beautiful shade of blonde. Now, approaching 40 and needing to lose about 50 pounds, my new hairdresser cuts all these layers into it, which I HATE. I specifically told her, I don’t want the “newscaster” hair cut. I pay $300 every 6 weeks for this mess! From the crown to the jawline, it looks like Dana Perino’s hair cut…but then there is this four inch jagged mess extending from the jawline and laying on my shoulder. It makes me look fatter. I look in the mirror and want to take the scissors and remove the lower four inches! And because I had short hair pretty much my entire life growing up, I never learned out to “do” hair. I have never used hot rollers or a curling iron! My hair lady, who is younger than me by 6 years but looks older by 5, and has my hair, only longer…..says “what do you want me to do, make you look like a soccer mom?” Well…..yeeeesssss….that’s exactly what I want to look like. Who I am. Not someone who is trying to be something she is not. I think you can wear your hair longer at any age….but it is defined by WHO you are. Some women can do it beautifully….think Jennifer Annniston, Courtney Cox, Nicole Kidman….and other women just look….ummm….way too vain. Either way….something needs to be done with mine!
I had tight, boticelli curls all through college. I was also a theatre major, which meant I was strongly encouraged to keep my hair long for period pieces. It went down to the small of my back and it was somewhat legendary. But I’m not great with hair. Having really curly hair that I did not straighten means that I knew absolutely nothing about styling except “Condition, Condition, Condition” and “Don’t touch while drying.” If I went too long between showers (who? Me? never…) or messed with it too much, it got bushy and witchy and Hermione-ish. And with the wrong outfit, it could occasionally give a somewhat Pentecostal appearance.
When it looked good, it looked great. But when it looked bad, it was horrible.
For some reason, the curl slacked out a great deal when I started taking birth control during my senior year. It loosened up and became much more wavy. I kept the length for my wedding, right after we graduated, but cut it all off as soon as we came home from the honey moon. It’s in an angled bob at my jawline with bangs and I love it. I still wear it curly/wavy and still don’t style it much. It feels much more me than my long hair ever did, and I get compliments on it all the time. I flatter myself that it is vaguely French and vaguely pre-war.
Point being, whatever works. I think rules like that are good, but they’re not the immutable word of law. If you said “I’m going to grow it down to my butt!” I would have some trepidation. But there’s no harm in just playing around and seeing how it looks after a few months. Just don’t be my next door neighbor, who is 45 with a genuine mall mullet, complete with frosted tips, that hangs down to her rear-end. She’s obviously clinging to the hair that she had when she felt that she was her hottest. I dream of tracking down her stylist and having a sit-down…in a meat locker…
I lost track of how many times I laughed out loud reading this comment. +100 points.
Somewhat Pentecostal. Snort.
Glad you got it. :) I wasn’t sure if y’all had Pentecostals in California.
We don’t! Well, that’s probably an overstatement. How’s this for clarification– I’ve never seen a Holiness or United/Full Pentecostal out and about. I’m fascinated by different religions and their doctrines, though, so I know a little bit about most branches of Christianity and Judaism.
I am so jealous of your lovely hair! I have a bunch of fine stringy stuff that has to stay above the shoulders. But I say go for it! As long as you cut it by the time Mikey gets married, your within the realm of appropriate in my book. (Can you tell that my MIL had hair down to her rear and giant bangs at my wedding? I kid you not.)
http://40daysof.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/awkward/
I would like to see a picture of that. :)
I agree with Mother Theresa – “You look great! I hate all those rules about when you have to stop doing things just because of age๏ฟฝit๏ฟฝs just silly!”
Regardless of whether you’re 24 or 38… you can look beautiful in any ‘do! I do agree that some women just should NOT wear certain things or cut their hair a certain way… but if you miss the long hair, keep it at collarbone length! It’s mature and stylish, but fun at the same time!
Yes, and I am one of those people who should not wear short hair (short like boy hair, not bobs and stuff). I love the look. I always wanted to wear my hair in a cap–I thought it would play up my eyes and eyebrows–but my face is waaaaay too round. I’m not really complaining too much b/c it’s my round face that makes me look younger than I am, I think.
This made me smile (and cringe… I think we all have hairstyles we’d really rather forget!). An article in the NY Times recently talked about women with long hair, and while I’ve always been a short-hair girl myself, I’m finding myself continuing to put off a long-overdue haircut. So far, it’s to my shoulders, and I’ve rediscovered the wonders of the ponytail. Maybe I could be a long-hair girl after all…
I think long hair is not a matter of age. I think it depends on the hair. Too many older women have long, thin hair that is not flattering. Yours is thick and beautiful! I keep my hair short because it would look scraggly if it was long. And I did have the Dorothy Hamill cut which wasn’t as bad as the pixie cut that my mom also inflicted on me!
Your hair is so pretty I can’t even stand it! (haha!) Thick, dark and shiny, and you know what, it’s good hair! I think this long hair age thing is something you made up because I actually know a lot of woman in their 40’s with long hair. Think Courtney Cox. I think she is a good representation of a woman in her 40’s with gorgeous long hair. Hair I personally covet. IRL I know a few with long hair. Now, just make sure you cut it though by your late 50’s because I think old woman with long gray hair is kinda weird (only Miss Daisy could pull it off).
I personally have NEVER had long hair in my life, by choice. I always maintained that short hair has more “style”. This, at age almost 35, is the longest my hair has ever been, and I feel good about it. I told myself after Syd was 2 years old and I could finally start up my blow dryer again, that I would have long hair once in my life before I died. So I have been growing it out now for about a year and I am happy with my choice. I tell ya, I sort of feel more sexy with my longer hair.
Go for it Jules! With pretty hair like that you can’t go wrong!
Your way with words never ceases to amuse (amaze?) me! I cut my hair short when Haley was about 10 mos old or so and swore I’d never go back (funny aside-I went for the look of a local newscaster….ha ha!) I did the cut that’s longer in the front and goes shorter in the back. Then I went shorter! And layered. O.O!!!!! Never thought I’d go there….and swore I’d never go back to long hair (‘cept when I saw pics of me looking like an oompah loompah on our April trip to MO to see my grandparents). Then I made the fateful mistake of asking my hubby if he liked my hair long or short…….so much for swearing. Apparently he likes it long (I’ll be 35 this month). So, just like my first grade school picture (taken after recess no less), I’m back to the messy pony tail with little fly aways all around my face. I guess it works. 29 years can’t be wrong, huh?
This is the recent NY Times article about middle aged women and long hair. It spawned thousands of comments from readers. It’s funny how cutting your hair short seemed subversive at one point–like doing the opposite of what is considered feminine and attractive to men. Now it seems like being older and having long hair is akin to thumbing your nose at what society thinks is appropriate for women of a certain age.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/fashion/24Mirror.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=long%20hair&st=cse
Great article. I was bummed to see the negative comments. You really can’t win. If you have long hair, you are catering to male archetypes or clinging to your youth. If you have short hair, you’ve dropped your femininity or are conforming to group think. People, it’s hair. Let’s not make every decision we make a sociological study.
I liked this ladie’s comment “Yes, well, that’s all very nice. But the fact of the matter is that most women lose a huge percentage of their active hair follicles as they age. Short hair disguises the balding scalp many of us are dealing with. At 50, I would LOVE to wear my hair long, but my ponytail at this point is thinner than a pencil. So let’s be a little less sanctimonious, okay?”
Sorry, i still maintain that yes, it is a little strange for a woman in her lte 50’s to have long gray hair.
If you have good hair, and the cut suits your face, your personality, and your lifestyle, it can be whatever heck color and length you want, regardless of your age. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. :-)
Healthy, well-maintained hair is age proof. And anyway at 38, doll, they aren’t talking about you when they are talking about old women having long hair.
They are talking about my mom, who at 62, wears her shiny brown and silvering hair below her shoulder blades. I like the way my mom does it. She doesn’t dye it. She doesn’t make it fussy. She just keeps it well-hydrated, trimmed, and tries to move her part around because she once saw a Mennonite lady with a 1-inch part and she took it as a life lesson from God.
My mom does not look weird or as if she is trying to maintain someone else’s age. She would look too severe with shorter hair and a shoulder-length bob would look nice, but not being able to keep her hair in a ponytail while out riding her horse or bent over a craft project would drive her nuts.
And, my dad likes it. She trimmed it too short once and we thought there would be a mutiny. She could use some blush though :)
:) The Mister would never, ever, tell me how to do my hair, but I think he secretly likes that I am growing it out since he has only seen it long in pictures.
I love this! I had many unfortunate haircuts at the hands of my very unstylish mother. It’s a miracle I survived my childhood based on my hair alone.
I LOVE this:
It hung in waves down my back and stopped at the spot a man places his hand when ushering forward a woman he cares about through an open door. Convenient.
It’s my new goal for my hair! I have no problem with long hair after 30. As long as there are no bows or ribbons. Those must go away when a person turns 21!
You do have very nice hair, I’ve always thought that. I’m 32 and am currently growing out my hair (I donated 10 inches two years ago, I just chopped it all off!). I really love how short hair looks on me, but I can’t keep up with the upkeep. Going for a cut every 6 weeks is just not possible. But I do love how easy it is to wash and style my hair. When it’s long, washing, drying and styling is a pain. But I can get away with going to the salon every 3 months or so. So the cycle continues for me, I’ll grow it, then chop it, then grow it again. Maybe I’ll stop when I’m 40.
See, for me it’s the opposite. Washing, drying, and styling short hair seems harder. I feel like with long hair I have more room to make mistakes that I can then quickly hide with hairspray. :)
I’m almost 35 and my hair hangs just past my shoulder blades. I’m not even going to claim it’s great hair – I have zero skillz with hot rollers and refuse to do much more than blow dry it occasionally – but it’s working for me.
Of course, I have loved my short hair days, too (including the adorable pixie cut junior year of college. Of course, I was thinner then…).
BTW, the photos accompanying this post are totally gorgeous. I love the bitten lip in the top one, especially. Will you think I’m weird if I say it’s cute, but it’s also kinda hot? Too late, I said it.
Hah! That was actually a test shot. I was taking pictures in rapid succession and was focusing on keeping the camera steady. (And I guess I bite my lip when I am concentrating? News to me.) I thought it conveyed my trepidation over growing out my hair…but I’ll take hot. Hot trumps trepidation every time. ;)
Thirty-seven! You look so young. I just took a photo of myself and found myself wondering when did I begin to look. like. this? And I am only 36.
I have been thinking of letting my curly hair grow out a little more. Maybe after my grain and dairy-free challenge (30 days!) and days spent sweating at the gym I will look better. More youthful. Ahhh, a girl can dream.
I used to complain about my round baby face. Guys aren’t interested in dating a girl that looks like their baby sister. My mom (who has the same round face) said that it would one day work in my favor to look younger than I was. She was right! Too bad she wasn’t right about the Dorothy Hamill. {shudder}
I’m 38 and I see it this way, once I have to color my hair to cover gray I will then think about going a little shorter. 40 is the new 30 right? Grow it out baby!
Sheesh. I wish! I’ve had gray hair since I was in college. I’m pushing 75% gray now!
I’ve had long hair most of my life (I’ve only cut it 3 times and I’m 31 – not counting trims) and I’m somewhat the opposite as there’s something contrary in me that hates being told I have to do anything without a valid reason behind it. When I got married, everyone told me “Oh – you’ll have to cut your hair! All girls cut their hair when they get married!” – so of course, I set my shoulders and replied, “watch me. Not happening.” Then I got pregnant and the same comments came flooding from everyone I knew, “Oh – you’ll have to cut your hair! Babies and long hair don’t mix. All mothers end up cutting their hair!” And my contrary reply was, “well, we’ll just see about that!”
I love my hair and I’ve even tried growing it out to see how long I can get it – I wanted knee length just so I could say I could. Sadly, my hair quits mid-rear, but it doesn’t taper off into a long thin trail – it’s healthy, I take terrific care of it & I love it.
But I have been toying with the idea of sweeping bangs… but I’m a little afraid of the maintenance. How’s that for irony?
I too had the 30 year old and short hair rule but I’m 31 now and I’ve broken my own rule. My hair is almost mid-back and I rock the hot rollers. For most of my life I have been told that I have beautiful hair. I have finally realized that it’s true. My hair is very thick and naturally curly but it’s a curly that is easy to straighten and smooth. I love that I have options and let’s face it, a pony tail is a great thing when you have kids and zero time.
Your story about Lisette reminds me, sadly, of myself (minus the ribbon and domineering personality). Mostly because I have a hope in the back of my mind that people will notice my beautiful hair and not my enormous ass and thighs. I make deals with myself, “I’ll cut it after I lose 15 lbs.” or “I’ll cut it after I learn to play the guitar”, etc. I realize this is ridiculous but I can’t help it. I’ve had shorter hair, last year when I turned 30 and I was attempting to follow my rule I got a very professional looking bob (mom bob). It was cute but a bob doesn’t distract attention from the trunk and stumps like long loose curls. Maybe I’ll get it cut…after the holidays.
I say grow it out! If at some point you look in the mirror and decide you don’t like it… then get it cut. Its easier to cut long hair than to glue your hair back on later…
Of course, that reasoning leaves me with long hair that I really ought to cut off…
Ack!!! I remember when I was younger I had beautiful hair! It was long to the middle of my back and one awful day my mum thought it would be cute to cut it off into a Dorothy Hamill ‘do. {Do all mothers get a letter in the mail urging them to get this terrible ‘do?? It doesn’t look good on ANYONE!!} {It also didn’t help that my mum once was a hairstylist!} After that I grew out my hair. Until I cut in when I was in the 8th grade. I hate how my bone straight hair just hung there, so, once again, I grew it out. it was to the middle of my back, then earlier this year, after watching He’s just Not that Into You and I saw Gennifer Goodwin’s hair I went to the hairdresser to cut it. This time I also got a body wave to give my hair some type of curl and I LOVE it!!!! It has grown out a little since and It is now just above my shoulders but I have no desire to let it grow out. I love it just the way it is!!!!
I’m with you — I think long hair is easier to style, especially when you have kind of wavy, frizzy in the front hair like mine. If I could pull off a pixie, I totally would, but I have accepted that I don’t have the petite facial features or the hair type to make it work. It may take a while for me to blow it dry, but my long hair makes me feel sexy, and I enjoy feeling like Jennifer Aniston when I’m having a particularly straight and shiny hair day.
Funny, I’ve been noticing longer hair recently and thinking about it too! I’m 36 and have been thinking shorter was more mature and professional for awhile. But I’m re-thinking now!
Hey Jules!
I’m a 20 year old college student. I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, and I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy it. I’m extremely busy and can’t make the drive home very often, but your blog gives me that little touch of hominess and everyday life that I miss. Thanks for that.
Also, as far as long hair goes, grow it out! After years of long hair, I went for the ceremonial pre-college bob summer before last. Short hair has been chic and more grown up looking, but I definitely miss the fun and versatility of long hair (not to mention the luxury of throwing it up under a baseball cap for my early classes). I’m starting to grow mine out again.
You can rock almost any hairstyle you want, regardless of age. My mom has had grey hair since her teenage years and has kept it that way. She has gorgeous salt and pepper now and I adore it. My boring brown hair doesn’t look nearly as good with the grey/white bits. I’ve had long hair, with no bangs, for most of my life. Several times I would grow it out long enough to donate it to Locks of Love, but still leave enough for a ponytail. In college, I got a HORRID cut that ended at my ears. My very thick hair is wavy too and I had NO idea what I was doing with it. I grew that out as quickly as possible….and got my long hair back.
Several months ago, I was watching Amelie with my husband and we decided to go with that haircut. It was HUGE. I donated about 12 inches and loved it. Also added bangs. Now though, I can’t afford the every couple weeks trims to make it stay looking good so I’m growing it out again. That way I can just put it in a ponytail or bun in the morning and it looks fine.
I am keeping the bangs though…
I was reading this whole post on edge while thinking “please, please, please don’t tell me we’re going to get to the bottom and find out she cut all her hair off.” Whew.
Your hair is gorgeous, Jules! I am super envious of your hot roller skills.
I grow it out long and chop it all off, in a never ending cycle. Works for me.
I’m the same way. I’m sure I’ll eventually chop it all off once it gets to the length I have in my mind. :) I no longer use hot rollers, by the way. I use a curling iron. I can’t believe I finally figured out how to use one, but I did!
I have a similarly tragic forced haircut story, except mine involves an extremely persistent group of head lice and an epically failed attempt at a Meg Ryan shag. I haven’t used so many swear words in a journal entry before or since.
Needless to say, I grew it out posthaste, and kept it just past my shoulders for years. It never really looked good– my hair is very thin, very fine, and very soft, like a toddler’s hair. Cute on a 3 year old, not so much on a 17 year old. I had been so traumatized by the Meg, though, that I stubbornly refused to have it cut despite never being really happy with it.
By the time I started college, I was itching (but not literally, this time) for a change. I had felt so pigeonholed into my “smart kid” identity through junior high and high school, and I wanted to do something drastic to declare to the world that I could be whoever the hell I wanted. It took me almost a year to work up the nerve, but I finally did it– I marched into a salon and demanded to be scalped. I walked out with a super short pixie cut, and I’ve never looked back.
I guess because cutting my hair was such a conscious declaration of my new identity as an adult, I feel like my short hair is a big part of who I am. After 8 years of pixiedom, I really can’t imagine wearing it any other way. I had this hair when I met my husband. I had it when I graduated from college and later when I got married. I’ve played with the styling and color here and there, but it’s always been more or less the same cut.
I get a lot of compliments on my hair, but funnily enough, I have gotten comments sort of in the reverse of what you’re talking about– “Wow, I thought most women waited until they were older to cut all their hair off” and the like. My uncle even said something once about how women cut their hair short once they’ve given up on attracting a man (!).
And then there have been the obligatory instances of mistaken sexual preference. Sigh.
There’s always going to be a naysayer, but if you like it and it makes you feel good, I say go for it. In the immortal words of the great fashion philosopher Tim Gunn, “Make it work!”
Every time I think I’m funny, I’m followed up by comments that are far better than anything I could have ever written.
Dude, you just made my day. Thanks. :)
I had shoulder length-ish hair most of my life, so my senior year in high school I thought I’d grow it out. I was craving change, but what I got was stick straight, fine but super thick hair that gave me the worst headache if I put it in a ponytail because it was so heavy. I know that’s the style now, but in my mind long hair isn’t a style, it’s the lack of a style. Yes, you can just throw it up, but there goes the whole “long hair is sexier to men” argument. Show me one man that would vote for the suburban mom messy bun look as being hot.
Exactly.
I think it’s all about what you like. Anytime I’ve ever noticed someone’s awesome hair, it’s always been a short, edgy cut. I’ve got friends that swoon over long beautiful hair and I’m like, “huh?” I guess I just don’t get it.
I guess I should add that to the list of things I don’t understand… ;)
P.S My hubby ADORES short hair, but he’s also told me over and over that there is nothing as sexy as me being HAPPY with my hair, what ever length that may be. And really isn’t that all that matters in the end? That you feel GOOD in it? If Lisette felt confident with that….uh….”style” …than more power to her.
My great aunt, who is QUITE the lady, has a hard and fast rule about long hair and short skirts after thirty. It is best summed up in one word: NO. Well, I am 31, and last year during a visit she told me she had changed her rule because she couldn’t bear to see me cut my hair or wear skirts past my knees. My hair is past the middle of my back, auburn and wavy. And, really, it shouldn’t be cut. Rules were meant to be broken. Even the ones we foolishly impose on ourselves.
First of all, hey look at you with all this comment love! :) Second, I am loving having longer hair again. I once thought that it was weird on “older” ladies, and then I saw the most beautiful woman at the Mission Inn. She had to have been in her 70s and had amazing silver hair that came down to just above her natural waistline. It was simple and braided. I was mesmerized! Ever since then, I have wanted to take care of my hair better and grow it out until it hits the length when it just doesn’t look that great. :) I think I’m at my shoulder blades now, so we’ll see how much longer I can go!
Lady, if I had hair like yours, I probably would never have cut mine off. I cut it this short my junior year of high school — cuz you know short hair was cool in the 80s! And with the exception of one or two attempts to grow it to chin-length, it’s been like this ever since. (I rocked the Dorothy Hamill in jr. high, but never got the weird response you did!),
I’m lucky that boy-hair suits me, because when it’s long (that is, past my chin), it gets stringy and fly-away and never looks right.
However… I have a plan. As my hair gets more and more silver, it also gets more and more texture. My plan is to wait till I go completely silver/white/whatever it’s called, and THEN grow it out. Yes, I’m going to be the 80-year-old with the mane of hair down to there… my shoulders. Woohoo!
I just have to add that, because hubby cuts my hair (for fun, no training), the high maintenance costs of short hair are avoided. And he loves it super short – always wants to cut it shorter and shorter. So, even more reasons to love my super short cut!
Jules!! Long time, no comment.. . Ditto on all the hair love.
It’s funny, because I was actually thinking about this EXACT same subject the other day. How old, is too old, for a curling iron or rollers? I’m just not sure I’m willing to grow old gracefully. I mean, if someone has a really nice nose, would everyone else expect that person to defame said nose, just because she’s getting older. I think not!
I loved this post!!! I’m 38 and went through a phase where I thought women should give up their long hair after a certain age. Maybe it’s because I’m in an area where all the women are still holding on to their 1980s hair only to spend most of their time putting it in a crappy pony tail. Seriously. Ugh. I was / am determined not to be that way. I’ve had all the trendy – shorter- hairstyles. The bobs, the wedges, the shaggy flips, chunky hilights, you name it!! I’ve finally hit 38 and decided to soften it up and let it go longer. There’s so many nice longer options now too!! And 40 is the new 30, so I think we have more options too!!
I absolutely love your blog. It’s such a nice read and a great way for me to break up my day. Your posts are so enjoyable!
This post in particular has really been a great one to read. I can feel your pain. I once cut all my hair off for no good reason and probably started regretting it the day after when I just couldn’t get it to look right.
I too for a while thought, in my 30s, can I get away with long hair? I decided to grow it out for Locks of Love and I’m almost there. And I LOVE it! It’s much more *me* and now I don’t want to cut it off, but it’s for a good cause. And you know what I’ll be doing once I cut it? Yup, I’ll be growing this baby out yet again.