To think hair length does not have anything to do with age?

[Looby12]

Two colleagues at work were just talking about hair, colleague 1 (mid 20's with shoulder length hair) said she had a trim before xmas and will be keeping an eye on the length as she wouldn't want to get to "that point", colleague 2 looked confused, colleague 1 said "you know when its that length when you are too old for it and look nice from behind but turn round looking all haggard". Cue embarrassed looks as they both realised I could over hear and I have much longer hair (i'm only aged 35 by the way)

The cheeky bugger, since when can older people not have longer hair???

Would I be unreasonable to say to her its not her hair that is the problem its her face!

[ilovepowerhoop]

my hair was long (below shoulders) until last wednesday when I got it all cut off because it was annoying me rather than because I have just turned 40!

[Looby12]

I thought it wasn't me going mad, i've had my hair long, short and may lengths in between and never given it a thought. To be honest though this colleague does seem to know something about anything so my new years resolution is to just ignore her

[gotthemoononastick]

White/silver bun here.Unusual taste in clothes and silver jewellery.Have mentioned before that I have THE red apple in my little drawstring bag.Children awestruck.

If I went around with loose hair ,though ,it would be really scary.

[hootloop]

I had my hair cropped when I turned 30 because I think long hair on women passed their 20s looks ridiculous and desperate to cling to their youth, but you know each to their own.

[ouryve]

I have short hair, at 44. I had short hair at 30, too. And at 11.

Glad to not give a shit about rules that dictate how I need to wear it, for fear of disappointing some poor, sensitive soul if I turn round.

[cantthinkofagoodone]

I do know what she means but I don't think that 35 is the age to be concerned. I also think it depends on the hair length.

Demi Moore, for example would look much more age appropriate with her hair just passed her shoulders. The rat-tailed waist length hair just seems as though she is trying to stay 20 years old forever.

Generally speaking, waist length hair is for teenagers or younger.

[SmiteYouWithThunderbolts]

Meh, my MIL is 66 and has white-grey hair just past her shoulders. It looks lovely and really suits her.

[ouryve]

I wonder what the rule is for men, btw? DH's is down to his shoulderblades. Maybe I should tell him that I don't care how sexy it looks, he's too old for it, now he's 40?

[WhereDoAllTheCalculatorsGo]

I have waist length hair, I'm 43. I dont give a flying fuck what anyone else might think of it.

[PumpkinPie2013]

She's barmy! Of course older people can have long hair!

Hair length/style is down to what suits the individual (and what their preferences are).

I'm in my 20s but have short hair (concave at back and bob shape at front) because it suits me and I'm hopeless with long hair!

[Ummofumbridge]

I think it absolutely depends on the individual, their features and the quality of the hair. My Mum is 58 and has shoulder length hair which I think looks great but she thinks it should be shorter at her age and is always asking me if she's too old for it!
I think on some people shorter hair ages them.
I'm 34 and have below shoulder length hair. No chance of me going shorter and I definitely don't think it's even an issue at our age - we're still very youthful :)
I do have a friend a couple of years older than me and she has very long blonde hair. It's in crap condition but she insists on hanging on to it.
But I know it's a confidence thing for her, I just know she'd look lovely with it shoulder length.
I have massive ears so I'd look terrible with short hair! I think a bob is as short as I'll ever go.

[CMOTDibbler]

Gotthemoononastick - thats fabulous. Why do I never manage to look really witchy though? Long grey/silver hair often worn in a bun or down Predilection for black and long skirts black cat

Must be going wrong somewhere.

[JupiterGentlefly]

My hair is quite fine, looks crap short, a bob doesn't look like a bob (Too straight and won't go under even with blowdrying) so its staying long. I tend to clip it up in a pleat as leaving it down results in tangles that sometimes require cutting out. I think this look will work forever. It has to

[GhostsInSnow]

Oh your colleagues would love me...
41 this year, my hair is to my waist, thick and dark brown. I've got a ring through my lip and one through my nose. I am of the same opinion as Lurcio tbh, I'm happy in my skin, any problem people have with me is theirs alone I'm afraid.

[StillSeekingSpike]

'Demi Moore, for example would look much more age appropriate with her hair just passed her shoulders. The rat-tailed waist length hair just seems as though she is trying to stay 20 years old forever'

Yes. I would just HATE to have Demi Moore's hair

[RandyRudolf]

I have long hair. If people don't like my face that's their problem!

[WhereYouLeftIt]

So, at what age do your colleagues believe it is time to get the little-old-lady-perm then?

[bakingaddict]

No offence but I think what is ageing for older women or any woman come to that matter is waist length hair, center part and no fringe that just hangs like curtains. Think Mary Beard? the historian woman. I know she is highly academic and probably doesn't give a shit which ultimately is the right approach to have but just loping off a few inches can do wonders

You can have long hair as an older woman but just pick a flattering cut

[AnnabelleLee]

From an evolutionary psychology pov, she's dead right. Long healthy hair is an indicator of fertility, and symbols of fertility on women who are or could be postmenopausal jar the subconcious instincts of viewers.

[PipkinsPal]

I'm nearly 46 and just had my hair, which was between my shoulders and my perky boobs cut into a bob. I'm so lazy about getting my hair cut so it will be long again by the end of the year! I don't look haggard. In fact people can't believe my age when I tell them as I look so much younger . However if my hair was grey and thin then I wouldn't have it long. I knew of someone who was in her late 50's with long grey hair tied in a thin ponytail. It looked awful.

[jaggythistle]

'black beauty' FFS that sounds like something my ridiculously sexist idiot male college would come out with.

I'm 35 add week with long hair and no way am I going to start dyeing it.

[LurcioLovesFrankie]

You see, I love how Mary Beard looks - so interesting and intelligent. I don't give a shit that she doesn't conform to whatever Cosmopolitan/Vogue/The latest M&S ad aimed at the older woman think we should look like. I wish we'd judge older women the same way we judge older men on TV - in terms of how interesting and well constructed their views and the arguments they use to support those views are.

And evolutionary psych always comes across to me as a bunch of thinly disguised "just so" stories constructed after the fact to justify whatever preconceptions the researchers had (I'm allowed to say this because I'm a theoretical physicist with a seriously hard-core background in general relativity and field theory - we are the most appalling science snobs ).

[KatnipEvergreen]

My mum is 74 and has shoulder length blonde/grey hair. It suits her and she finds it easy to manage.

I'm 38 and have short pixie hair with long layers at the front, like I had when I was 23. Longer hair was easier when the kids were little as I could just tied it back and didn't have to have it cut very often. Now having hair in a proper style is a statement of a bit more freedom and time to style my hair and have it cut regularly. That's it. Nothing to do with age. Though someone did say the haircut took 20 years off me - bit of an exaggeration! But a nice compliment.

[onetiredmummy]

I've always had long hair, the shortest it's ever been was a bob and I grew it out. My nose is way too big for short hair.

It's bra strap length, coloured a red brown with a side fringe and no way would I have a layered short cut because I'm 37.

Anyone who thinks differently will be told to fuck off!

[ArtVandelay]

I love my long hair (late 30's). I dont think I'll ever get it cut. When its silver im going to dye it pale blue or pale purple like old ladies used to.

I do have awesome, thick hair but i think a lot of the reason is im always feeding it with supplements, oiling it, having it trimmed and only getting highlights not damaging it with home dyes. Its almost a hobby really. If i didnt look after it i would probably cut it off because as pps have said, stringy long hair isnt so nice.

When people go on about how a woman should look at x age, it makes me furious. Its like after a certain age you should disappear and not upset men by challenging their ideas about what being a woman is all about. God forbid some stranger should feel discombobulated by my outstanding hair and average face combo!