Gripes worthy of a post but not an entire thread.......

[MsLynn]

well i know that my hair is thinner and if i let it get too long...(usually anything past shoulder length), no matter what i do, in 5 minutes after fixing it, it'll look like i have't brushed it.. thats why mine stays shorter than it used to

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[dv8grl]

My grandmother is of that generation... that when you get married and have kids then it's time to cut your hair short because long hair is no longer needed to attract a man.

I think that is more my point., in asking that question, do women want to cut all their hair off because their is no need to attract a man anymore? Maybe they feel that need because they hormonally don't feel the need to reproduce.

There are women like Jamie Lee Curtis, who have always had short hair and still look very feminine., then their are woman like Mac's mom on It's Always Sunny ... http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...qVYxGBm2ekYttA

Again... a question is a question., the reason someone asks a question is to get answers. I don't personally know any women over the age of 40 who have short hair to ask this question., the only woman I know is my MIL and she has sholder length hair and always says she won't cut it off., that she also doesn't understand the need to look like a man.

Also., each woman is different, some may want to cut their off because its easier, some may want to keep it short because its very thin, some may want to do it because the hormonally don't want to look like a woman because they may not feel like a woman anymore., after all isn't each woman different?

[dv8grl]

Wow!


BTW, hormones play no part in a woman's choice of hairstyle, lol. If that were the case we'd have armies of closely cropped women over 40 roaming the country. Many of you know that I work in womens health care and know a quite a bit about hormones.
A lot of older women prefer a shorter style for a number of reasons including, texture changes and dryness that comes with aging. Long, dry hair just makes one look harsh.

Does dryness and such have nothing to do with the loss of estrogen?

[speedygirl]

Does dryness and such have nothing to do with the loss of estrogen?

A bit but that doesn't make the woman want to get a masculine or short cut. It's a necessity if the hair is super dry or damaged. Hormones can cause the dryness but good hair care can rectify it so it's not a permanent thing. I'm in that postmenopausal group and I keep mine shoulder length. Thank goodness It hasn't been effected by hormones and is healthy. I also think that some woman after a certain point just get tired of the upkeep, lol.

[dv8grl]

A bit but that doesn't make the woman want to get a masculine or short cut. It's a necessity if the hair is super dry or damaged. Hormones can cause the dryness but good hair care can rectify it so it's not a permanent thing. I'm in that postmenopausal group and I keep mine shoulder length. Thank goodness It hasn't been effected by hormones and is healthy. I also think that some woman after a certain point just get tired of the upkeep, lol.

Thanks.
See, I don't know these things. I was raised by my dad and have never had women of that age around me to ask.

[pepperpot]

I don't want to get in the middle of a fight...and I'm not talking 'dike spikes' here. But, I know many older women who cut their hair short because they were raised with the mentality that long hair only looks good on younger women. In fact, I was taught that once you reached a certain age (although I never heard what that age was suppose to be)...that it was more appropriate to have shorter hair. I'm 60 now and used to have hair down to my waist. I do look good in what I consider to be short hair, but right now have grown it out to a 'bob' which just hits my shoulders. When my hair is short, it is very soft and feminine though...hardly 'dike spikes'. My aunt, however, did go with that dike spike look (she is 64) because of how her hair grew out after she had chemo. She found that very short hair with lots of mousse was just easier and quicker to style. Her hair has grown out to a slightly longer, softer look and she is getting so many compliments that she asked me, "Did I look like sh&t before?"

I always heard people commenting on older women wearing long hair. The comments were, "Does she think that long hair makes her look younger?" So, I find it funny that you say women with short hair are trying to act younger when I've heard the opposite my whole life. Maybe it is the whole package though.

See, this is more along the lines of how I was brought up. When a woman ages...say 40-ish plus, she would either have a shorter hair style (not dike spikes) or if she did have longer hair, it was always in a bun. Long hair on an "older woman" (especially gray) was never loose...always in a bun.

It was never commented on, just always that way.

Personally, I do not think I would find a 60+ year old woman with hair loose and down to her butt attractive. If it were to her shoulders loose and kept nicely, I can see that. But that's JMO.

[pepperpot]

A bit but that doesn't make the woman want to get a masculine or short cut. It's a necessity if the hair is super dry or damaged. Hormones can cause the dryness but good hair care can rectify it so it's not a permanent thing. I'm in that postmenopausal group and I keep mine shoulder length. Thank goodness It hasn't been effected by hormones and is healthy. I also think that some woman after a certain point just get tired of the upkeep, lol.

Sometimes I don't think it may directly be from the hormones, but that as a woman ages she may not see herself as attractive as she used to be and says "screw it" and goes for comfort and convenience. : (i.e. short "no fuss" hair, comfortable but not necessarily flattering clothing and footware - sexy has gone out the window! comfort is in! hence more "masuline" (no frills) looking and less femminine - feminine takes time and effort)

[speedygirl]

Sometimes I don't think it may directly be from the hormones, but that as a woman ages she may not see herself as attractive as she used to be and says "screw it" and goes for comfort and convenience. : (i.e. short "no fuss" hair, comfortable but not necessarily flattering clothing and footware - sexy has gone out the window! comfort is in! hence more "masuline" (no frills) looking and less femminine - feminine takes time and effort)

I agree, that's why I mentioned women get tired of the upkeep. It also gets expensive to keep up with color! I can't drag it out to 8 weeks between colorings anymore. It's every 4 - 6 weeks. I have very little gray except for one small patch at the crown. If I let it go, I'd look like freaking Cruella DeVille. And yes, comfort is a priority! If I wear my 4" heals for more then a couple hours, I'm in pain.
Also, I find that a lot of the frilly, sexy clothes don't look age appropriate. It's like you're trying too hard to look young so I wear pretty classic clothes. I have a 23 year old that keeps me in check if something's too young, lol.

[MsLynn]

well i have to color mine every month... my hair would never keep a perm, and now it won't keep a color... and it grows so fast that its always GRAY, lmao. and if i went natural, i'd be almost completely GRAY... lol and i don't look good gray, lol.... I'M ONLY 41, lol, i should not have this much... but my sis turns 44 today and she's completely gray

[Eyore]

I'm 52 and going through menopause, I haven't colored my hair since I was 17 years old. I do have some white hair mixed in with mine and I am starting to see white hairs in my eyebrows.
But if I can help it, I don't plan on dying my hair. To me that is a PITA to do myself and I don't want to pay anyone to do it either. But I could change my mind someday about it. As far as length, I don't like short hair on myself, the shortest I will usually go is shoulder length, right now is it down to about where my bra strap would be in the back. I will be getting it cut here in the near future, shoulder length is easier to put up with than longer hair to me and it dries faster also.

[jedmatters]

My ex husband made me keep my hair short. It was his mom's idea. For 13 years, I had to keep it super short (never past my neck).

I started growing it out right before we divorced and he got very upset with me.
It is now 2 years later, and it is halfway down my back: I trim it on occassion. I have naturallt curly hair (like corkscrew curly). So if it was straight, I imagine it would add 3 inches to the length.
There are grey hairs, but I am 41, with dark brown hair: grey is bound to show up. I do not color my hair, I like the look myself.
Wish my hair was not so curly, but it has been this was all my life.