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AIBU?

To wonder why do few girls have short hair nowadays

526 replies

Chewystick · 05/12/2021 00:52

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?

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Chewystick · 05/12/2021 01:30

Do you think it’s a problem?

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Chewystick · 05/12/2021 01:31

To the PP that asked

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Seeingadistance · 05/12/2021 01:31

It's fashion, but I think it's changing. I see more girls with short hair, only problem is that I worry that this might mean that they are trying to identify out of being female.

When you look at old Top of the Pops from the 80s it's amazing how different things were back then - Princess Di and George Michael had the same hairdo!

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EightWheelGirl · 05/12/2021 01:33

I don’t know why so many people are offended by PP pointing out that the youth are fatter now than in the 80s. It’s an indisputable fact.

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Chewystick · 05/12/2021 01:35

They did indeed. Turning that blow dry up to 11.

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BlooBagoo · 05/12/2021 01:35

Both of my teen girls have short hair. From what I've seen from their friends there's a good mix of both. I was a teen through most of the 90s and I had more friends with long hair then than my kids have now. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Chewystick · 05/12/2021 01:37

I’m not sure that the average 14 year in 1986 with short hair was giving much thought to whether they had the cheek bones to pull it off

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MrsTimRiggins · 05/12/2021 01:45

@floatinginmyhomie

Mullets are back now, I’ve seen so many people with them, boys and girls. For me (early 20s), I tried short hair for a few years but it was much more upkeep than my long hair so I grew it out. I imagine it might be the same for others

Mullets are where it’s at 👀

As for the long hair thing, its just a trend 🤷🏼‍♀️
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viques · 05/12/2021 02:07

You can’t swish short hair.

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NothingIsForever · 05/12/2021 02:08

I think children in the 80’s had less say (on average) over their haircut. Parents often got their child’s hair cut shortish for practical reasons. Nowadays children are much more likely to be able to chose what hairstyle they prefer. Most chose long hair - so it’s harder to ‘chose’ short hair without it being seems as a statement or causing you to stick out and be commented on.

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HighlandPony · 05/12/2021 02:12

Short hair is just so annoying. You have to style it. You can just plait or tie up long hair and go. Don’t even need to dry it. I’m going to be one of those old women with pigtails down their back Grin

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yaldy · 05/12/2021 02:16

My dd got a pixie cut in the summer and is growing it out because she's absolutely sick to death of people assuming she is trans (a boy transitioning into being a girl). She's 11. The 'woke' crowd constantly ask for pronouns / assume she's NB and then the opposite of the woke crowd bully her.

She's been close to tears a few times with how much she regrets it and asks me every couple of weeks if its long enough for extensions.

You have to wonder what this utter nonsense is achieving. There were two 'tomboys' in my school in the 00s with short hair and neither were bullied or repeatedly accused of having gender dysphoria...

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MyDogLovesBiscuits · 05/12/2021 02:17

@MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry

Fwiw I’ve had long hair all my life but decided to cut it all off in the summer as my hair was just so much hassle. I hated having to wash it, dry it, do anything with it and when I didn’t do anything (which was most of the time) it was just scraped back in a bobble and looked shit. So it in cut it and I love it now. It is zero maintenance. I wash and go.

Me too! It's so liberating!
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Insert1x20p · 05/12/2021 02:18

Possibly cost of maintenance as well- long hair doesn't need cutting as often. Agree with pp though that the texture of girls/women's hair means styling short hair is more of a faff than it is for men.

DD's friends mostly have long hair although one has very short hair with shaved sides (and it looks stunning, but then, so is she) and another few have very short bobs.

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stinkycheeseman · 05/12/2021 02:21

Most of my daughters circle have short hair, you would be hard pressed to find one who identifies as a girl though. ( spoiler; they are all girls )

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Kendoddsdadsdogsdadsdead · 05/12/2021 02:23

&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*

This is so true. My dd is nearly 13. Had thick luscious locks down to her bum. Decided she didn't like it when she was about 9/10 and has had short hair ever since.

She has been asked on numerous occasions if she is a boy or a girl and also asked if she had cancer.

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Stroopwaffle5000 · 05/12/2021 02:23

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Thedogscollar · 05/12/2021 02:24

There's not much individuality now. It's along wavy hair usually enhanced with extensions. They a look the same to me.

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MaskingForIt · 05/12/2021 02:28

I imagine nowadays any girls wearing short hair risk being called trans or non-binary. I had short hair when I was younger and there weren’t all these labels being bandied about.

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MaskingForIt · 05/12/2021 02:31

@EightWheelGirl

I don’t know why so many people are offended by PP pointing out that the youth are fatter now than in the 80s. It’s an indisputable fact.

It’s the truth that must not be named. They might to acknowledge that they are making bad parenting choices around food. Far better to deny it.
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Pascal80 · 05/12/2021 02:34

It's fashion. Half of them wear partial hair extensions anyway to bulk out the long hair. You couldn't do that in the 80s anyway, and no-one would be seen dead wearing someone else's hair woven into your own then - ICK.

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AdriannaP · 05/12/2021 02:34

@TurquoiseBaubles

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.

It's not just hair. I look back at my childhood photographs and all the girls had short hair, jeans, standard coats, t-shirts; pretty much exactly what their brothers wore (and in my case direct hand-me-downs from my brothers). Now even t-shirts for boys and girls are different. Jeans for girls are tight, with no pockets; tops are crop tops with short or no sleeves.

Girls are expect to fit "gender norms" in a way that we weren't back in the 70s and 80s.

Spot on. My DD had short hair and was told by a childminder that only boys have short hair. At school other children asked if she was a boy etc it gets tiring for a child.
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newtothis1990 · 05/12/2021 02:34

I sometimes see girls who have had long hair for a whileee go ahead and cut it for a cute, clean, easy short haircut. I think its just about comfort and the trends at the time.

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ThinWomansBrain · 05/12/2021 02:37

hairdressers being closed in lockdown?
less cases of nits as they weren;t in school?

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HighlandPony · 05/12/2021 02:40

It’s not just food choices. I’m old enough to be my brother in laws mum and his crowd spend more time indoors with a screen in a day than me and his brother and our group of friends did all year. We were never indoors, they never leave their rooms.

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