To think not many women have short hair

[Zoooooom]

I know there will be posters on here who have, but just thinking of people I know in real life.
Thinking of a group of 7 friends I've had since school, not one of them has above shoulder length hair. One tried a pixie about a decade ago, but grew it straight out and none have ever had anything less than a very very long bob.
I vaguely know of 2 women with buzz cuts, which suit them, they're my partner's colleagues, but otherwise I know nobody.
Working across secondary schools, it's very very rare to see girls with short hair. Maybe 2 in the whole year group.
I may be wrong but I've never seen anybody on a show like Love Island with short hair, always flowing extensions.
I have it, but sometimes wonder if I'm considered more unattractive for it, not that it matters, I do it for me.
Does anybody else notice this?

Love the idea that short hair is high maintenance! I have mine cut roughly every 8 weeks, then I wash it maybe every third day, towel it dry and that's it. run my fingers through it and I'm good to go. Haven't used a hairdryer or a brush in years.

Mid 50s and have nearly always had my hair short - long hair was not in fashion when I was at school

Internalised misogyny?

I had my hair cut short last year and it was so liberating. Saves a fortune on hair products too, less used and don't need to wash my hair nearly so often.

I think it's debatable whether women look younger with long hair. There is a fine line between looking glamourous or a tad witchy

This comment is gross. Imagine a man saying it. Hopefully she doesn’t give a fuck what others think.

It’s a really interesting question actually. I think the quick answer is what @worraliberty said - longer hair is currently mainstream fashionable, so it’s what many women adhere too, regardless of age.

But for me (mid 50s, long hair), there’s a definite association with being perceived as old. When I was young there were several generic short haircuts that all women over a certain age seemed to have - they suited very few people and gave off an air of having given up. I’m all for comfort and practicality, but most of the women I’m thinking of just seemed a bit defeated. It was like an outward sign of no longer feeling in any way vibrant or confident or desirable (post-menopause I can relate, believe me!).

And there was an expectation that after 40-ish you should cut your hair off - that to not do so was to be deluded or undignified, in a ‘mutton dressed as lamb’ kind of way. Which automatically brings out the full Fuck You in me quite honestly, and is probably why I’ve hung onto mine.

But in the last couple of years I’ve noticed a dramatic change in the quality of my hair (much dryer, knottier, less manageable), so I’ve realised that’s also a massive contributing factor in why older women might choose shorter styles. Which leaves me in a quandary because short hair looks truly dreadful on me (as I know from teen experimentation!) but I don’t want to look like the only witch in the village 🤷‍♀️

Yep, this.

I was born late 60s and when I was at primary school, many boys and girls had a similar haircut, usually cut by a parent! Very few girls had long hair, and at that time it was old-fashioned. Through secondary school and into Uni/Work, girls and women had a range of different hairstyles.

About 8 years ago I was at a big hotel very popular with families, and I noticed a girl, about 8 or 9 years old, with short hair, and to my own amazement I found myself wondering if she’d had cancer treatment and that was why her hair was short. That really brought home to me how little girls, and young women, all had uniformly long hair. It’s quite creepy, tbh. Also contributes to the idea that if a girl wants short hair that she must actually be a boy, and it’s very noticeable that hair length is major factor in “transitioning”.

A few minutes watching an old Top of the Pops from the 80s shows how things have changed.

I've had a number 1 sides, 2 top, a pixie cut and bob over the years

Now at 52 I have long blond (dyed) hair and I love it - When my hair was short I had to style it every day before work as it got bad sleep impact! I wash and style my long hair every 3-4 days and it stays looking good - so for me (thick thick hair) long is definitely easier to cope with

In my workplace, there are probably equal numbers of women with short and longer hair. We have loads of women with very short, shaved styles which in the main look wonderful. We have the "mammies " 😄, and we have the very cute butch youngsters with their sharp shaved dos. People with long hair must have it tied up, regardless of their sex, so most of us longhairs have buns, or French plaits. My face is too fat for short hair,and I like having long hair. I own a lot of clips and scrunchies!

Which is a lot of work compared to what long hair actually needs. I wash my hair weekly regardless of it's length. I towel it dry. I cut it about 3 times a year, myself, as it's actually really easy to cut into a layered style that always falls really nicely and stays looking good as it grows. It's shortish now but even when it's very long it requires the exact same level of effort.

I have short auburn hair but only because I end up looking like Frank from Shameless as soon as it reaches my shoulders! 😳🫢🤣 no flowing locks for me ☹️

I don't think it's fair to say that men aren't judged for their hair. I think the Prince William look is awful and he needs to go full Phil Mitchell! Look how men with combovers are judged as being sad and not accepting reality! DS, when he had a man bun, got some stick from people who thought he was a wanky hipster type and needed a haircut. DH has been expected to have short hair at work, as it's more corporate - when he went through a phase of having it long it was horrible there was disapproval at work.

I had mine cut 6 months ago at 50 because it was thinning and straggly and looked awful. It’s now very chic above ears cut in a silvery blonde. ( I don’t have small features I have strong features ) I can’t say I feel “sexy” with it but a dozen people have gone out their way to say how much they like it. When I was looking for a hairdresser I was very struck by the social media of various hairdressers which had the least diverse looking hairstyles I’d ever seen. No way would I let a hairdresser in their 20’s cut it unless they worked at a cooler city salon. I have seen a couple of primary school girls recently with short Asymmetric cuts which are shaved on the side- they look fantastic. I love people who swim against the tide. Short styles will come back into fashion eventually as everything does

Meant to add that a lot of women have become very uniform in their look. At DD's secondary school there's about 300 girls with long hair, middle parting! They all wear their skirts the exact same way and have the same bags and shoes. Even outside of school there seems little diversity in how they style themselves. All the older women have short, boring hair, cut to make them look invisible. I see very few really stylish looking older women and I do look because I can feel myself getting older and fatter and more invisible.

Mine is short. My sister and bf also have short. And another v good friend has a v short Bob. 1 woman on school run has short hair. None of us are English...

I am constantly surprised by this

I love my hair short. It doesn’t need styled, I cut it myself with clippers once a week. Sometimes it’s buzzed down to nothing, just now I have grown in the top so it’s a #2 on the back and sides and the top is a few inches.
But it’s not fashionable, so I suppose that’s why it’s less popular. I do think everyone should shave their head at least once! It’s fun and hair grows back again so if you don’t suit it, who cares!

I had really long hair and then got it cut off into a short pixie shaved at the back and sides.

I prefer it for every day life, I do sport everyday and it's so quick to wash and dry.

But if I'm honest I do feel less attractive now, which is stupid.

I've decided to grow my hair back which is going to be a long and annoying process.

Maybe not as long as before, but so I can tie it up for work/sport and have it down on the rare occasions I go out.

Omg this! Why are you rating your dh's friends attractiveness?! You jealous weirdo!

It’s definitely rare to see girls and young women with short hair. My teen dd cut her hair quite short but everyone thought she was a boy and she got very tired of it! In the 80s and 90s lots of girls had short hair. In fact not many had really long hair.

I mean each to their own, but what’s wrong with wanting to look nice? What’s wrong with wanting a hair style that suits you and flatters you?

Looking groomed and like I’ve made an effort is important to me. It’s important to a lot of people. It makes me feel good.

That’s because short hair is harder work and needs styling. Long hair you can just brush, straighten or tie in a pony tail. Much easier!

Surely that depends on the hair? Mine is short and I do literally nothing with it. I wash it once a week, if a bit is sticking up at other times I wet my fingers and run them through it - that's it. No combing, brushing, styling at all. I get it cut every 8 weeks - and for those who think that is such an effort, why??? I love having my hair cut, it's relaxing.

Do you understand that you're implying short hair looks bad on women with this comment? And how hideously rude that is? 🙄

In the UK.

In France it's a different story. All the women in my family (me included) have short hair. Always found the obsession for long hair quite odd in the UK.

I’m implying no such thing. I just hate how it’s like a sign of anti-feminist weakness to give a shit about what you look like. See also: ironing clothes.

I know women who look fantastic won’t short hair. I also know women who crop their hair because they’ve given up caring and it’s easier. That’s up to them but I won’t do that.

In the teen age group, and younger, I see very few with extremely short hair. My own age (approaching 40) also very few with extremely short hair, but plenty of shoulder-length or short bobbed hair. My mother's generation the majority are short pixie cuts and bobs.

I wouldn't suit short hair, though I do envy short, shiny, straight bobs (my hair is wavy). My hair recently reached waist length, so I'm aiming to grow it classic length again, and will see how practical that is. I like the versatility of hairstyles I can have with long hair.