To not understand why people dislike buzz cuts on little boys?

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I did not realise this was a thing until I buzzed my 3 year olds hair in lockdown (had tried and failed to cut it so had to buzz).
My mother hated it, friends made comments. I then googled and people say it's trashy or something 🤷‍♀️
I thought it was cute and he is asking me to do it again because longer hair annoys him.
It was also way easier to bath/dry as he hates hair wash etc.

I want to do it again but so people thing it looks trashy/chavy whatever?

I know I shouldn't care what others think but I do 😬

@AllThatFancyPaintsAsFairallthatfancy Or maybe he isn’t so small minded and judgemental as to think people can be defined by a haircut. The world has moved on a lot in the past 40 years and I’m pretty certain stereotyping based on appearances should be a thing of the past.

It's not a style but a perfectly practical haircut. Some people are just lacking in imagination and resort to judgement and stereotypes. It's just hair. It says nothing about your child other than they like their hair short! I can't abide people who do this. Ignore them, they are stupid.

I don't think its a class thing particularly its just not wanting to symbolically brand "I am a boy and I think its very important to look like a boy" on a male child's forehead

It's not necessarily symbolic of anything, it could be practicality or simple lack of interest in hair as 'decoration'.

If you have longer hair, it needs cutting, usually at a salon/barbers, which takes time, costs money, requires the child to sit still while it's being done, requires more washing, drying and perhaps styling if wavy rather than very straight or naturally curly as if it is just left, it will stick up all over the place and look untidy.

For men who suffer from male pattern baldness, very short hair usually looks far better than a short cut, or a combover.

So a lot of (mostly) men and boys will simply decide to free themselves from all that nonsense by just trimming it all off every few weeks.

We did it once when my ds was 4 cos he had awful nits! It got rid.
He buzzed all his hair off in lockdown aged 15 and looked like he was about to enter the army or having chemo - he liked it, I hated it. It’s too harsh. He’s a good looking lad but it made him look skeletal.

I like it, much better than long hair in boys in my personal opinion.

@BarbaraofSeville

I get there are practical and financial considerations. But honestly not many 3 year olds suffer from male pattern baldness. It's possible to get a kids haircut from a barber which doesn't make the kid look like he's in prison.

Because it’s associated with thugs and it looks horrid. It’s not allowed in most schools for this reason.

Oh and I don’t associate it with black boys at all so not a race thing.

I'm shocked by the stereotyping and blatant 'chav' bashing on this thread. Nothing wrong at all with buzz cuts if that's what someone wants. When my DSs were at their very middle class, leafy primary school there was no one with buzz cuts but plenty of badly behaved, bullying floppy haired boys. Unbelievable.

I’ve never thought much about DC’s hair. I will now! I’m starting to have negative associations with boys with long hair, and “lovely curls.” I’m getting a strong picture of their mums’ attitudes from this thread.

How is that any better? It makes you just as bad.

Both sides get flack. They are the extremes of the spectrum.

Hair too short seemingly chavvy. Hair too long.. too feminine (because seemingly that’s a bad thing 🙄).

People judge regardless so why decide to be just as bad and join in with the ridiculousness?

gegs - the fact there was noone at your m/c primary school with a buzz cut does add to the idea they are associated with poorer areas... It's an association people subconsciously make. We have so many "class markers" in England that its great to pretend they don't exist but they are there. We can choose to avoid them. I am guessing there weren't many mums in pyamas or tracksuits (that weren't going to the gym) too....

I agree about the floppy haired boys though!!

@Hellocatshome

Well its nice to see how judgemental people are, my son has trichotillomania so his hair has to be cut very short (normally a 2 or 3) but he is very fair so it often looks shorter than it is. I hope he never realises the judgements grown ups are making about him based on his hair.

I'm indifferent what people do to their children's hair, but to say if you come on MN for opinion you will get one.

Sorry I think it looks chivvy.
I love long hair on everyone, including boys and men. Really not a fan of short hair, a buzz cut looks awful. Although I think women pull it off better than men, but again, not a fan.

@SmellyOldOwls

Short, neat haircuts look far nicer than straggly long hair on little boys IMO, but mumsnet is full of boys with 'long gorgeous curls'

I’ve never understood why it is considered absolutely fine for boys to defy the stereotype by wearing their hair long but absolutely not ok for girls to do so by wearing their hair short.

Everyone, male or female, should be able to wear their hair exactly how they like without others judging or making assumptions, certainly not derogatory ones such as equating short hair with thuggishness or a sign that they've been in prison.

If you have longer hair, it needs cutting, usually at a salon/barbers, which takes time, costs money, requires the child to sit still while it's being done, requires more washing, drying and perhaps styling if wavy rather than very straight or naturally curly as if it is just left, it will stick up all over the place and look untidy.

Not necessarily. To keep maintain several short hairstyles, the hair has to be cut often which would be more visits and cost. Most of the boys and men I know go to the barbers every 2-3 weeks, my boys, it’s a trim every two months because both would be crying and screaming if they had to go that many times to maintain a shorter hairstyle.

to be fair, the OP asked the question

Absolutely

To be fair i am also giving my opinion

And if you wouldn’t judge then my post isn’t aimed at you 🙂

Sorry if this post sounds snotty…honestly isn’t meant to

Or you could just do them with the trimmers at home, which is what most people do.

@OutlookStalking

gegs - the fact there was noone at your m/c primary school with a buzz cut does add to the idea they are associated with poorer areas... It's an association people subconsciously make. We have so many "class markers" in England that its great to pretend they don't exist but they are there. We can choose to avoid them. I am guessing there weren't many mums in pyamas or tracksuits (that weren't going to the gym) too....

I agree about the floppy haired boys though!!

gegs - the fact there was noone at your m/c primary school with a buzz cut does add to the idea they are associated with poorer areas... It's an association people subconsciously make. We have so many "class markers" in England that its great to pretend they don't exist but they are there. We can choose to avoid them. I am guessing there weren't many mums in pyamas or tracksuits (that weren't going to the gym) too....

I agree about the floppy haired boys though!!

Class marker yes I would agree to some extent and your right, there were no Mums with pyjamas at my boys' school. What I don't like is that it is seen as a bad thing in very young children and linked to thuggery when it's mostly the working class kids with them. It just seems unfair as for many I would guess it's a cheap haircut and merely fashion.

It’s fairly well known

Reading this thread, I am mostly just amazed at the number of grown adults who seem unaware of some very common mental associations people make with buzz cuts, and also that humans can be a bit tribal and judgemental about people's appearance choices (for themselves and for their children).

Ds1 buzzed his (and my) hair over lockdown

Didnt make him look thuggish

Just showed up the lockdown weight gain….he wasn’t happy 😀 but he hates long hair more and couldn’t get to a barber

After the school talk I've gone and checked on his schools website as he is at a private pre prep. No mention of hair in the dress code at all.
Over the last few years a few of the boys had buzz cuts (shaved heads) but I think that was due to lockdown.
Other than two brothers that go who both have that hair style, as does their dad (shaved head and a beard), both parents are university lecturers.

I suppose I was very naive in thinking it wasn't a big deal. Funnily enough I used to hate the look (before I had kids).

The point above is so true, about the shorter their hair the more regular cuts you have to go and get!

Rufus - but you say yourself, over lockdown.

I don’t think ‘I did something once in fairly exceptional circumstances because the alternatives were non existent or worse’ really works as an argument, tbh.