Why are men so turned off by women with short hair?

I must say I know what people mean re many girls now having long locks.I am 41 but at 17 I had a bob, which was quite a popular style then and I think while it isn't super short, you don't see it so much either.

Howbadis, I remember when I worked in a bar and I had short hair. Some guys came in totally hammered and gave me some serious abuse, including the predictable 'You look like a lesbian' stuff. It culminated with them smashing glasses against a mirror, quite scary and weird. So I see what you're saying. I made them really mad as I didn't fit in with 'pretty' or what they thought a woman should look like.

I was about 24 and it suited me more than it might now. I used to get some men really liking it. One once told me they really liked short hair on women as it 'made them look more determined.' I've never forgotten that comment.

Ok so long haired women can't be serious and clever, unless grey haired like Mary Beard. They are too busy twiddling around with their hair and submitting to men. Oh and if they have long, thick hair it's actually extensions/a weave. How about feminism being about freedom of choice and stop judging each other, men do that enough for whatever reason - I suspect a mix of ingrained culture and biology but we mostly can't help who we are attracted to.

I have very low maintenance long hair, haven't cut it in well over a year, wash it every other day before blasting with the hair drier or dry naturally in summer. No styling or products most of the time. I just warned a girl that short hair can actually be more of a faff than long as it can need more products and styling. I'm a bit scared of the hairdresser and have a face shape that would look terrible with short hair, I have a few styles I like but it would be awful and higher maintenance which I don't have time/energy for.

His beard is a short trimmed, "normal" one, though. Not one of those hipster creations.

I have tried very hard to have my hair long. It goes really flat and lank, never goes much past my shoulders and makes my face look really long and harsh. It won't style without industrial amounts of 'product' (as hairdressers call gel, spray, mousse etc.) as it goes flyaway and any style falls apart in ten seconds. I get greasy roots which go itchy if I don't wash daily, and long hair takes ages to shampoo and dry out. And I have a scalp that is really sensitive to pulls and tugs - the kind of tugging and handling of hair that a PP found sexy would have me screaming in pain because I have about 10 million more nerve endings in the scalp than most people do. So even a hairband in the wrong place can hurt (think bikini wax).

I went back to my usual pixie cut about 18 months ago and felt like me again. I still wonder if I'm doomed to be forever unstylish, but perhaps I should just stick a middle finger up to fashion and its diktats.

Imo beards suit some men better than going beardless. It can enhance the shape the jaw or conceal it. Dh has a fairly weak jawline (think David Mitchell) and looks like his face has been roughly shaped out of dough without a beard.

Ooh, yeah, beards are grim. I'm with Roald Dahl on that one. ( yesterday's dinner hanging about in them)

It's not something I've come across I've dated and been engaged and married whilst having short hair and long hair.

I have a big moon face and hair that goes very frizzy without weight to keep it in control (this I know from various attempts at shorter layers and badly considered fringes) - cutting my hair would require more effort (dailing straightening and lots of products) or having a head of hair that resembled pubes. (combined with the aforementioned moon-face and I fear chopping my hair would make me look like I had a testicle for a head)

But also, long hair worn down has been a sign of youth and availablilty for a long time, you can't really just blame porn - short hair has only really been socially acceptable for woman for a couple of generations - it was considered scandalous for woman to cut their hair short in the early 1920s.

(I can't stand long hair on men, nor facial hair, I know that's superficial, but I really don't find it attractive at all, regardless of fashion, am very glad the beard is apparently 'over')

I think it's just that, if you have beautiful hair, you're going to look more attractive with more of it! Many people are attracted to the beauty of healthy, shiny hair.

My hair is one of my best features so I keep it shoulder-length because it looks nice.

Of course, some people look better with shorter hair.

BTW, I know some women with long grey locks who look simply stunning, alas I would look like a badger ( and my naturally blonde ????? Mom would go into meltdown)

I have a bob after decades of having long thick curly locks.
It is quite grey but not uniformly so, makes me look haggard if I dont colour it.
I've done a stint of dating and quite a few men have asked why I don't grow my hair long.
All I can say is that long hair that is regularly coloured looses it's bounce and looks very flat and unnatural. It's very aging.
I feel a lot more comfortable with shorter hair ,that is healthy looking and doesn't scream: " mutton dressed as lamb".

"Its because men are frightened by serious clever women and need a kick in the balls and if you are faffing about with your hair you don't have time to kick them in the balls".

I was thinking that but was going to express it slightly differently.

Medium to longish (not too long, not much past your shoulder blades) hair is seen as conservative, "normal" and therefore associated with compliance to patriarchy. women who have this hair will be using their spare time to keep it nice rather than smashing women's oppression. Women who cut all their hair off are signalling that they are challenging the status quo and might not giggle self deprecatingly when patronised in public. They might also object to that being-guided-by-the-hand-in-the-small-of-the-back thing.

(Obviously I know that there are millions of women with blonde swishy shoulder length hair and ghds who are FIERCELY smashing the patriarchy, but men who are "thin slicing" - making quick subconscious judgements - will overlook or forget this fact)

Some men are really shallow. Go figure.

I think I read somewhere before that it's a primitive thing. Women with full, long hair are more likely to be more fertile. No idea if there was any proper science behind that though, I'm guessing not!

I guess all the African women will be infertile the opposite from this point of view. Common sense would have given you the answer.

"Young women didn't used to usually have long hair when I was young. Depressing to think there's now an expectation of women having long hair - requiring lots of time and conditioner"

I was thinking the same thing. The girls walking into DS's school are almost like some sort of clone army - brown/blonde, cut to below the shoulders, smooth, straightened hair. Nary a short hair cut in sight.

I have irritating hair that refuses to stay smooth not matter how much I want it to. I can have it above length and it behaves - any longer and it goes wavy and messy and I can't be doing with it. Haven;t had it longer than that for decades now. DD has just realised that and had it cut shoulder length and it suits her.

Not to mention that long hair doesn't suit everyone. If you have heavy features long hair can make them seem heavier somehow.

I have heard that 'men prefer long hair' sentiment before and I have always assumed it was linked to some ersatz view of femininity. Never heard anyone in RL say it to me though apart from my dad but he's 84.

I looked like the male in a lesbian relationship when i got my hair cropped! never again!

I have short hair. I don't have elfin features or perfect features but it suits me. I know it does, lots of people tell me it does and say I should keep it short.

However, last year I bought a wig after I got hair extensions (for some stupid reason) that looked hideous. Once I got them out I still wore the wig occasionally just to change things up. I got much more attention from men when wearing it, I have noticed men don't notice me half as much as now I have short hair.

It isn't because it looks shit.

I don't want or need attention from me, my husband loves my hair short, so does everyone I care about but I did find it very interesting.

I actually like long hair on men. DH had long hair until a few years ago. Now he is older I'm glad he has had it cut but I always prefer men to have a good length of hair, shaved heads do nothing for me, although I love females with shaved heads if it suits them.

Sorry just a Bun?..

Man bun?? Noooo!

I also has a friend who is an actor and who has been working consistently over the last 30 years or so. She has always had short hair - she just totally suits a pixie cut as she has an amazing jaw line (think Helena Bonham Carter) but 9 times out of 10 she is cast as a lesbian.

"Women in Tudor times, for example, were expected to keep their hair hidden once married. Long, free hair meant either youth and/or virginity."

There have been lots of times in history when long, flowing hair meant youth/virginity and hair held up meant matrimony/age.

What constitutes short hair?
My hair gets trimmed on the dot every 8 weeks as the style gets out of hand pretty quick.
It's just below the chin line but really short at the back hefty layers and chipped in.
Shorter is so much more practical and requires not much styling.
I have round face and no chin.

I haven't felt less men have been attracted to me through my short hair not that I have a qiue outside my door or anything.

When my hair is long it's fine and flat and boring and doesn't suit me.

In the past Iv had men bellends tell me I shouldn't cut my long hair short like they weren't giving me permission to do so.
I did it anyway, I have had men tell me that I should change my hair ie grow it out.
I told them I liked it the way it was, the last one got binned shortly after.

I am very attracted to men with long hair one had it all way down his back and current one has thick jet black curly hair to his shoulders but wears a man bun . There isn't many about though.

I do believe it is very socialised rather than primal

I didn't. I didn't use anything other than shampoo. It was long again between 35 -45 but I usually put it up - took about a minute to do.

It's a bit clichéd to assume long hair must mean more effort. Every short style I've had has involved more effort than when it was long.

Lots of women with long hair blow dry and straighten every day, lass.

I CBA, so I don't!