Girls with short hair being labelled as trans

[Sittinginthesand]

Even though they just wanted short hair.

So now they’ve nearly all got long hair. And if they want a shorter style they have to decide if they mind being questioned about whether they are trans or people assuming they are. Going for a short hair cut is almost like a ‘coming out’. So we’ve ended up with less diversity, less freedom, and more pressure to conform to stereotypes.

Stereotypes have never had a stronger grip from what I can see, it's such a shame.

I definitely notice this. Such a shame.

When I was at school loads of girls had short pixie cuts, and the boys long hair.

Likewise wearing trousers instead of a skirt to school.

So we’ve ended up with less diversity, less freedom, and more pressure to conform to stereotypes
Yes - with girls behaviour being (yet again) the focus of these toxic ideas.

Christ sake, we fought for the right to wear trousers to school, now it means we were really boys?

My friend's son, looking at a pic of us in the 80s, asked why we all had short hair. Poor lad was given quite the lecture but he was certainly put right. All the girls in his school do have long, straight(ened) hair.

I don’t see many girls around with short hair anymore. This probably doesn’t help my daughter’s situation. She’s 10 years old and has short hair because it’s easier to manage for the sport she participates in. We often go to the gym together. Several times a member of staff has followed us into the changing room to tell me that my boy isn’t allowed in there. I don’t make a big deal out of it and I tell the staff she’s not a boy. It’s important that they keep the changing room single sex. And my daughter is seemingly not phased by it. But it happens frequently. A man told her not to go into the ladies toilet at the cinema and she just told him she was a lady. The person making the mistake is often pretty mortified about it.

When I was a kid in the 70s loads of little first has a pageboy or Purdie haircut - short his was pretty common. I was desperate to have my really long hair cut short - my sister was allowed by I wasn’t .

I've got short hair now and I tried to stop a group of teenage boys stealing something at work. Got called a fucking lesbian for my trouble.

Not that being called a lesbian bothers me, just the fact it's because I've got short hair they said it.

If I still had my long hair they wouldn't have said it.

I think it is part of a bigger trend. I've been a college lecturer for almost 20 years, and one thing I have really noticed is the decline in the alternative groups for those who do not fit in. There used to be the goths, the emos etc so those who felt they didn't fit in joined one of the subcultures. There used to be a lot of subcultures with different groups hanging out in different parts of the college. I'm at a different college now but I see far fewer subcultures, much more homogeneity and much greater pressure to fit in generally. But that's just my impression.

So… young women today get to choose choose between

• long straightened hair and caterpillar eyebrows with orange skin love island style,

or cropped hair: you mush be trans (blue/green optional)

Jeez - modern ‘tribes’ such eh?

Yup.

You can't just be a girl who looks how she wants, dresses how she wants, likes what she wants.... if you break the code you're identifying wrong and you're not a woman or girl. Get in some one else's box right now!

Anyone not yet convinced this is hurling equality for women and girls back decades?

My DD has just turned 13, she has had short hair since about 9. She is frequently asked if she is a boy by other pupils at school, somebody asked if she was non-binary recently. It's tedious.

I have no breasts and scarcely any hair thanks to chemo. Post menopausal so no periods. I wear track bottoms or leggings and big jumpers or baggy tshirts. Still very much a women.

@TopCatsTopHat

Stereotypes have never had a stronger grip from what I can see, it's such a shame.

I agree. We seem to be going backwards in our views of what constitutes a man or a woman. At this stage I really thought we would be accepting of a broad range of what makes a man and a woman, but any gains seem to be disappearing fast. Feminine and masculine traits are set in stone for more amd more people. It's all very scarey.

It's ridiculous isn't it. The Queen has short hair. Do people think she's trans?

@mummymei

I think it is part of a bigger trend. I've been a college lecturer for almost 20 years, and one thing I have really noticed is the decline in the alternative groups for those who do not fit in. There used to be the goths, the emos etc so those who felt they didn't fit in joined one of the subcultures. There used to be a lot of subcultures with different groups hanging out in different parts of the college. I'm at a different college now but I see far fewer subcultures, much more homogeneity and much greater pressure to fit in generally. But that's just my impression.

*sticks hand up. That was me, I was the misfit that hung out with the beautiful freaks, the goths and rockers, I didn't even like the music that much but it was somewhere I could fit in as an awkward teen.

We used to hang out in big groups, just walking around town or parks, I don't see groups like this anymore. I remember dressing up the boys with nail varnish, our clothing, most of the boys had long hair. Everyone had a piercing or a few, we definitely experimented in quite a number of ways let's say but I won't go into that!!

And yes, way more cool pixie cut girls back then.

At school I had short hair and wore trousers. I wore trousers because they were more comfortable. I was also teased mercilessly because I had dark body hair and wasn’t allowed to shave my legs (thanks mum ) and wearing trousers was a godsend. I was very uncomfortable in my body at the time. Lord knows what would of happened if I’d been at school nowadays.

@RhinestoneCowgirl

My DD has just turned 13, she has had short hair since about 9. She is frequently asked if she is a boy by other pupils at school, somebody asked if she was non-binary recently. It's tedious.

How ridiculous, and giving her pressure and stress she doesn't need. I hope she keeps her hair short! Gender stereotypes seem to have got worse.

I've seen a growing number of threads on MN about "gender disappointment", pregnant women grieving because they're having another boy.
Upset because they want to play Sylvanian families, or buy sparkly wellies.
The gender stereotypes seem to be worse than ever.

Who's labelling them as trans then ?

Hurling LGBTQ labels had a huge effect on my daughter. She does have short pink hair. Two tats and docs. She has previously claimed to be trans but over the last year since turning 18 that has abated. She has a male boyfriend and wants to be married with a family. The whole thing started when she had her hard to manage bi afro air cut short. There was so much in the news about ftm. She has been offered clinical intervention but so far has declined. Its just hair and clothes but she gets abused in the street (we live in a upmarket country town). When i was a kid I had punk hair. I now have a bob and wear pearls!

for RocketPanda.

My 13 y/o has experienced exactly this. Asked if she's trans at school just because she now has short hair.

I had short hair at the same age and in some photos I do actually 'look like a boy' but 'trans' or non binary wasn't even a thing back then and I was just allowed to get on with it. Even if I did look like Ron Weasley!

That's upsetting, @SavBbunny - your daughter doesn't conform to gender stereotypes, why should she? In a diverse society she should be able to dress and style her hair how she wants.
I've never known so much "princessing" as exists now.
Credit to your daughter for maintaining individuality!

When i was a kid I had punk hair. I now have a bob and wear pearls!

I love this 😂

My daughter had her hair cut short about 8 years ago. She looked AMAZING. She’s since grown it out to look more girly. She still looks great but she has such delicate features the short hair really highlighted it.