Today, again, I got into a discussion about why I have long hair. This time it was my 80+ years old parents and my 60+ years old husband.  My dad asked why I want long hair.  When I explained that I feel more feminine with long hair and I find it easier to care for, he said that was a good reason.  My mom then said how easy her very short hair was. (I didn't tell her it looked like a little boy with white hair....)

Then my husband got into the old coloring and perming discussion.  He is still carrying a 20 year old photo of me with a collar length perm.  Sure I look better, because I was 20 years younger!  But the perm was aweful! 

I love my long hair!  Why do I feel like I have to defend it to everyone?  Why can't they like it as much as I do?  Am I really so crazy to want classic length at my age?

Hang in there!  You are not alone.  My mother (85)  is always making comments for me to cut my hair.  Yes I know I can look cute with a pixie.  But I also look fine with long hair.  I tell her (and others that suggest I cut my hair), that at MY age, I'm old enough to decide what I like and want and to follow through with it.  I also recognize that If I cut my hair short now, I will most likely NEVER have long hair again.  I'm not quite ready to make that committment yet.  I'mm gonna enjoy it while I can and so should you!

I'm glad you love your long hair.

As for your husband and that OLD Kathy picture, how about finding one of those studios where the do budoir (sorry for the spelling) photos and get one with your NEW Kathy long hair.
  Wonder what he'd say then...

You want what you want.  Like BB said, you're old enough to know how you want your hair!!

Don't listen to them, you're not crazy! Long hair is so elegant on older women; one of my favourite stories when I was a little kid was about my grandmother's mother and how my mom used to sneak down early every morning to watch her comb her classic lenght hair, braid it and put it in an updo.  

It is so odd to me that other people want to have a say over what I do and do not do to my hair. This has been a life long problem. When its been short, there are people who hate that -- like my mother and when its been long I get 'why dont you do something with your hair?' granted, when my hair is long it looks very unkept because it is neither curly enough to look curly nor strait enough to look strait and I despise using a blowdryer to pull it out strait -- or chemicals such as setting jell and stuff like that. I just let it go however it wants to go - hippy style.

As for the people that always have a problem with it... well they do not have to wear it and they can go do their own hair.

BTW- I think a lot of them are just jellous!!!

RosaRL wrote on Aug 28^th, 2007 at 12:50pm:


I grew up with a gal that had hair that sounds like yours.  She was determined to have long hair like all of her cheerleader friends, but when left loose, it looked like she had just crawled out of bed and didn't own a comb or brush.  She was so frustrated!    But with time, she discovered SHE could do things with her hair that her straight haired friends could not!.  A french braid looked fantastic, a french roll was elegant; she could do a number of styles that her hair would "lock" in, where the rest of us would have hair slipping out almost instantly.  Ultimately she had her long hair and her own style for it. 

Maybe you just need to find your own style for your hair. 

oh I get this all the time and when people ask me why i want long hair, i normally say 'probably the same reason you want short hair'

I do not understand why people are so hung up on what WE want to do with our hair, its a personal thing which is ageless, theres no correct length for any age its what we like and what fits our personality what counts.

For me long hair is what makes me, when i had my waist length cut, i grieved honestly as i felt part of what made me, me disappear so now im growing it back and will be well into my forties when i get it back where i want it and i intend to keep it long for the rest of my days, regardless of other peoples opinions, i heard a really good put down on another forum which i think of and will use it one of these days and that is ' im not here to colour your world!' i think this is quite appropriate!

Like i wouldn't dream of walking up to somebody with short hair and saying ' hey dont you think your hair could do with a bit more length to it?' so what gives them the right to put me down, my mother constantly reminds me that my hair will soon have to be cut shorter??? says who is this a law thats passed me by? my father however loves my hair long and is constantly fussing over it.

you grow your hair as long as you want, your a grown woman and have earned the right to wear your hair as you please.

You tell 'em!