...or is 'No woman over 40 should have hair past her shoulders' utter bollocks?

[bringincrazyback]

It's something a friend of mine says a lot. She's in her fifties and lucky enough to suit short hair, is always badgering me (50) and another friend who's in her 40s to wear ours shorter, which I just ignore because I like my hair long and don't believe age should dictate how people wear their hair.

Just curious, though, as to whether anyone still buys into this idea that women should wear their hair shorter simply because they're approaching, or have reached, middle age? And if so... why???

YANBU. Any kind of weird age rule is unreasonable though, people should be free to wear their hair/clothes in whatever way makes them happy. I'm not 30 yet but I'm growing my hair, only get it trimmed - currently a hands width below my shoulders, my hair is already on the thin side ( thanks pcos!) but I don't see myself getting it cut short, long hair makes me happy.

Your friend is being unreasonable. I am 50 and my hair is long and fair and the ends are blue at the moment. It looks fine.
I get told I could pass for late 30s.
Four years ago I had horrible short hair dyed black and I looked old and ugly (bad short bob stupid hairdresser).
It's your hair. If you like it long keep it long.

I'm 55 with long hair, stopped dying it a few years ago as it made me look washed out, hardly any grey which i'm quite disappointed about.. Yes its thinner these days, but i have it layered to give it body.. I love being able to do different things with it, best of all i can wear it up in summer when overheating, and down to keep my neck warm in winter .. Certainly wouldnt want the 'regulation' cut everyone else my age around here has!

I know two older (sixties) women with long hair, one has hair well past her shoulders, the other almost to her waist. They both have white hair which is very wavy. They look like angels ! Really beautiful.

65 and currently growing mine.

Oh and I have three friends in their 50s with long hair, one Asian, so black hair, glossy and lovely. The other two are a blonde and a redhead. Both of them have had long hair since childhood and it still looks lovely.

I had shirt hair from 30 to 35. I started growing it around last November and it's to my collar bone now. I also had an undercut which I am growing out to so wear clip in hair extensions every day, to cover it up. I just started a new job and everyone compliments my hair, when I point out it's clip ins, people are shocked and a few have ordered their own. All over 40. I am 36.

I love my hair. With or without extensions and I won't be cutting it short again. When the undercut is long enough, I won't wear the extensions everyday. Just for special occasions.

I'm mid forties, long blond hair and considering chopping it off but still get lots of compliments so I might leave it a bit longer...

Your hair, your body, your clothes. Do and wear what you want. There is no way I am ever going to turn into someone that wears beige or grey ever !

‘And women in their 50s should have learned to keep their opinions to themselves’.

Perfect! Thank you

There's no way I'd get mine cut 'short short', so to speak, I look hideous with short hair. My face is way too round to be able to pull it off. Lots of bad memories of terrible haircuts enforced on me by my mum in my teens because she's always been convinced short hair is what suits me best... it's soooooo not true.

Furthest I might go, and only if I get sick of its current length (I agree with those who have said it can be harder to keep long hair looking good into middle age, mine isn't exactly low-maintenance) is a shoulder-length choppy bob, which I've had before and do like, but at the moment I'm loving my hair colours (note plural - my friend probably thinks that's 'mutton' as well, alongside my nose piercing, but her opinion will not be sought on either of those matters ) and the length, which is only a couple of inches past my shoulders anyway, so it's staying as it is for the foreseeable.

Entirely up to you how you have your hair. I'm early 50's and wear mine in a short, choppy bob kind of style because it's the only style that suits me. I think it's how you style it when long that makes the difference. My aunt is early 70's, has beautiful white hair, worn shoulder length and it looks lovely. My DM, her DS and also early 70's, has a chin length bob and wouldn't dream of changing it.

Whenever there are Similair threads to this there will always be tales of those who stopped doing certain things at age 30 ish because they thought they might be to old !

Jesus wept !! I only stopped getting acne , only got asked for ID every now and then rather than every time I bought booze , and managed to know how to dress / do my make up half decent by 30
fuck me old before your time or what ?!?!

My mum has always told me (from a very young age) that women over 40 shouldn’t have long hair and they look ridiculous, I am now 40 with hair below my shoulders.
I imagine she dies a little bit inside every time she sees me

I know plenty of women over 40 who look great with long hair, but if it’s all grey and very long it can look quite witchy.

A look I aspire to, except that my naturally fine hair won't grow much beyond my shoulders, no matter how much I wish I had long locks.

As for what women should and shouldn't wear beyond 40, fuck that. I'm near as damn it 40 and I have hair as long as it will grow, I wear short shorts when it's hot and any other look/hairdo/item of clothing I feel like wearing. I'm not going to slip into some crimplene slacks and a housecoat because I've left my 30s. Anyone who thinks women of [insert age here] shouldn't wear [insert item here] can fuck right off, and when they get there they can fuck off some more.

I'm 38 and have waist length auburn hair. I'm not cutting it, I don't want to.
When I was 30, I announced my first pregnancy to my mum. One of the first things she said was "So are you going to get a sensible haircut then?"
Sensible. Spending between £30 to £50 at the hairdressers every month isn't sensible in my book. My mum has had very short hair for as long as I can remember.
I had short hair in my teens and I hated it. It was too thick and needed to be wrestled into shape. Given the fashion at the time was sleek bobs, my wiry untameable mess didn't work.
I did love the 00's when messy hair was The Thing. Mine did that very well.
Mostly nowadays I do a half plait and leave it down or I twist it up in a claw clamp if I'm very busy havent been arsed to wash it
I like the choice.

i heard this when i turned 40 and have deliberately grown my hair since, i was so outraged. I'm nearly 50. fuck em, ill do what i want with my hair

45 here. Dark brown curly hair just below my shoulders. Not going short anytime soon thanks.

Am I the only one who finds the current obsession with long hair a bit depressing. Long hair seems to be the only style in town. So samey. Playing it safe. Wearing your hair short doesn’t have to mean you are embracing old age.

I had long hair in my teens and I was nicknamed Cousin Itt at school. It was so thick and it didn’t fall nicely. I looked like a haystack on legs. It suits a bob really well though.

I am 42 with waste length brown hair, its thick and curly and I get compliments on it. It gives me some confidence and keeps my neck warm in Winter 😉

Got it cut neck length in my 20s and I looked like Marge Simpsons sisters. Not a good look! The longer it is the nicer it looks and my boyfriend adores it

I've had my hair short in the past and I look shit, it hugely ages me. I can't imagine going short any time soon and I'm 49. Right now it's past my bra strap and wavey.

I’m 47 and have fine, slippery, wavy hair.

My DM has always put subtle pressure on me to keep it short. Although I do understand what a pain my hair must have been for her to look after when I was a child in the 1970s (which was why my hair was kept short) hair products have moved on since then! My hair is currently collarbone length.

Sure shorter hair would be easier to manage, but I just prefer having my hair longer than shoulder length, and always have done, and am currently prepared to spend a bit more time on it than if it was in a short easy style. That’s my choice.

I have seen two fabulous heads of hair recently - one had just below shoulder length blonde/grey with a natural looking wave, held back with combs and the other was longer, grey with subtle violet streaks through ( not an old school blue rinse ! ) . Both were in the 60-70 age range . They looked marvellous.

I’ve been growing mine out over the summer as I wanted to try an up do for an event - think I won’t go with it, but it has been great over the hot summer to just scoop it up off my neck. I was wearing it down today and one of my DDs commented that it looked very elegant, just on my shoulders. Problem is it is fine and I think it goes straggly quite quickly at this length. The lovely hair I mentioned above was thick and in lovely condition.

Ameliarose: I cut my long hair into a bob at 29. It was a bit rubbish so I was back to long hair at 30. I'm 36 now and I have a shaved undercut under the long hair now (which is the best thing ever in terms of time spent grooming and ability to drastically vary your look through the day/different situations, and I will be keeping as long as possible).

My mum is always moaning at me to get my hair cut short, it's taken me 2 years to get it down between my shoulderblades. Every time I go to see her, she has a picture of me when I was about 35 & had really short hair on the wall & she always tells me to get it cut like that again. No way, this is the first time I have had longish hair without having to pay out for extensions, I love it, I can tie it up or use a clip if it's getting in my way or needs washing.