To wonder why do few girls have short hair nowadays

[Chewystick]

That’s it really. When I was at high school (80s), half the girls had short hair. However, I can only think of one girl my DDs (who have long hair) have known through school who had short hair and she has long hair now. When did short hair fall out of favour?

I’m amazed at the number of people saying long hair is easier to look after. Doesn’t it get tangled and take ages to dry?

I have shortish hair because it suits me better, but it's absolutely miles easier having it long. When it's long all I do is wash it (every morning as I always do), comb it (takes about 15 seconds), leave to dry, which takes little time as it's very fine. Usually tie it back. When it's short it needs product, blow drying and styling.

This is so true. I have boys but I gasp at how my friends young daughters dress and pose on Facebook.

I had short hair in the 80s because my mum didn't want the hassle of sorting out long hair. I hated it, was mistaken for a boy constantly. Always envied other girls beautiful long hair. As soon as I was old enough, I grew it long.

Same here! I never feel very feminine with short hair

@TonTonMacoute

How can short hair possibly be high maintenance?

It is for some. It was for me. As @lazylinguist said, it needs blowing and styling and needs hair gel or hair lacquer to achieve - and keep the look.

When it's long (or even shoulder length/several inches below shoulder length,) it's easier to deal with as it just dries and hangs naturally. Also, it's much more versatile, with being able to have a ponytail or plait(s,) or you can stick it up with a clip and have it bunched on top, with little wisps of hair at the side.

Long hair is far easier to maintain than short hair, as well as being far more versatile.

@zandathepanda
there seem to be incredibly strict systems teenagers are self imposing on their peers.
My DD tells me this, and tbh I remember that from my own teenage years. There seemed to be an obsession with appearance, and I think it is just about being a teenager and fitting in to a social group. Defying the norm by yourself makes you the different one, but if three or four kids defy the norm in the same way, they then look like a group. It's easier to conform than to navigate the rules of differentness.

@Campervan69 but it’s also because of boy’s comments online that girls dress and pose that way. They want to be accepted as attractive in a boy’s eyes. That’s always been the case, it’s just now online. I’ve seen awful comments from boys towards girls about their looks.

You cant blame SM for everything.
The problem is society and this includes alot of parents encourage their kids to fit in rather than stand out. l agree most teenagers do look cloned, l think maybe boys arent quite as bothered with regards to personal apperance and seem alot happier for it. We need to encourage our young girls to allow themselves to be authenthic, but whilst some mothers are sticking botox in their face, and permamently whining about ageing, they dont stand a chance.

My dad was/is a bit of a rocker and has long hair. I wasn’t allowed to have my hair cut growing up. I was sitting on it. As soon as I was able, I had a short graduated bob up until about 3 years ago. It’s long now (near my bum) purely for the fact I can’t afford a haircut and covid happened x

I had my long straight hair cut off almost a year ago into a pixie cut.

For me it's so much easier as I wash it every day anyway - sometimes twice if exercise morning and evening.

I've got a small face, so luckily it seems to suit me. DH says he prefers it short.

However I've been called a lesbian at work several times and asked if I was changing my gender 🙄 it annoys me the length of my hair dictates my sexuality apparently.

The reason I first thought about having it cut was because I had chemotherapy last year. And trying to find the silver lining I said to DH "oh well I'll get to try short hair, I've never been brave enough to try before" I ended up keeping my hair but decided to try it anyway.

Because the insta girl look is: long flowing hair, plumpy lips, extreme curves but no fat somehow and long long lashes.

It's not even an insta thing though as short hair hasn't been a widespread trend since the 80s

Because forums like this sold the belief that short hair was frumpy and aging.

It's just trends, but I do remember reading about research showing an economic link - short hair trends in difficult economic climates? So maybe short hair will soon be making a comeback...
Like a few have said already, the role models for young people today (social influencers) tend to have long flowing hair. It works for Instagram posing.
I think it's possibly also down to changes in parenting. When I was young I desperately wanted long hair but my mum insisted I kept it short (a short bob) for maintenance reasons. My friends were similar.
These days parents allow their children and teens choice. You'd be considered pretty mean to chop off your daughter's hair now, because it's 'easier' rather than what she wants.

I wonder if long hair isn’t a push back against the amount hairdressers charge

Years ago your parents paid the hairdresser. Now it is so expensive can a lot of parents actually afford to take their children to the hairdressers to get the hairstyle maintained every 6-8 weeks.
At least with long hair you can do it yourself at home

I cut my own hair and when I did go to the hairdressers was complimented on whoever had cut my hair previously as it was a really good cut.
So a shout out to me and B&Q wallpaper scissors 😃

@Kennykenkencat

Just because a very tall very thin model/actress with a longish face, short to normal sized nose and incredible jaw line had their hair cut very short with a heavy fringe and looked incredible doesn’t mean to say some 5ft 2” girl with a massive fat jaw line and an equally large, fat nose is going to suddenly look as incredible as Joanna Lumley.

WTF?

Massive fat jaw line and fat nose?

This thread is going from bad to worse.

People don't feel feminine with short hair?

This thread is ridiculous.

Aunt I think you are right to an extent but what is thrown into the mix is the intricacies of how teenagers are supposed to overtly display the myriad of new sexualities and ‘genders’ through their make-up, hair and/or clothes.

BridStar

Because forums like this sold the belief that short hair was frumpy and aging

Tbh just going by friends dm that I mentioned upthread. The difference in her appearance just with growing her hair out over lockdown did really suit her and did take 15 years off her.

I know what I look like with short hair, I had to have my hair done to look like a short style for something I was doing and it did put years on me.

I think you have to have a certain look to pull off short hair anyway and age a certain way to pull it off as you get older otherwise you do run a fine line of it looking more housfrau than mature and stylish.

I've had short hair a few times in my life and it's such a faff. I thought it would be easier and it just isn't. You have to wash it more often so it doesn't stand up at weird angles. Or style it with product, which again means washing it more often. I have mid-length, layered hair now. I go to the hairdresser once every three years or so. It's really easy to maintain myself. I wash it either weekly or when I need to as I've gotten sweaty due to wearing a helmet for sports. I put a little dye in the roots every few months. Cut it myself a couple of times a year which is a hell of a lot easier than you'd think, with a little fringe trim in between cuts if needed. I brush it once a day and tie it up or leave it down depending on what I'm doing. It's just so much more low maintenance.

@Chewystick

Do you think it’s a problem?

I’m not the one that started the thread about it.

You clearly have in issue with it.

I guess this varies widely in local teen fashions, what parents will allow, and what we're counting as short. I see plenty of girls with what I would consider short hair - bottom of ear to just above shoulder length, shorter than that I would count as very short, shoulders to mid-back is medium to me, beyond that is long.

Both my daughters have gone through periods of very short hair - one even shaved hers for a few years (shortest was a number 4 all over), and now go between short and medium. They and DS1 now tend to stick to 'long enough to pull back in one ponytail' (DD2 with microbangs) because the rules in school of pulling hair back for PE and science classes (and for DS1 rules in cadets) gets annoying in that in-between short when it needs to be pulled back, but not quite long enough to pull back easily.

@CountessOlenka

Girls are much fatter these days. You need cheekbones to look good with short hair.

Jeez, say it how it is?

@Floogal

Depends how short.

If you mean as short as Naga Munchetty, then no. She rocks that hairstyle. But unfortunately, only very pretty woman can pull off short hair

What utter nonsense. Nobody says anything equivalent about men with short hair.

Because if they cut off their hair they have to deal with peers (and some adults) assuming they want to be boys. Or are trans or non-binary or whatever.

Yes, my teen son has had long hair for years and was asked whether he was confused about his identity. (Yes- she actually did the air quotes)

Definitely have noticed this and thought about it a lot lately. All the teenage/twenties girls in soaps have long hair, most of my 16 year old dd's friends have long hair! As a pp, mine is super short but I am on my fifties too!