Readers had an attention-grabbing threadjack the opposite day about what constitutes “lengthy” hair, which made me take into consideration this previous dialogue about whether or not older ladies can have lengthy hair “and nonetheless be skilled.” (Yeah, I do know, even the query is cringe.)
However I began questioning — are any of those previous arguments related in 2023? Is there a sure magical age at which it’s important to get your hair lower to shoulder size or shorter?
(Full disclosure: I’ve at all times had my hair between shoulder size and bra-strap size, save for a cute asymmetrical haircut that was lovely other than the truth that I’d forgotten my hair has by no means been persistently straight — after which the “post-wedding chop” the place I donated 9 or 10 inches or no matter. At this level (in my mid-40s) I can’t see myself willingly having hair that’s too brief to place right into a bun.)
Why Did Folks Used to Assume That Solely Younger Girls Might Have Lengthy Hair?
So let’s go manner again to 2009 — among the reader feedback on the time on this subject (from a threadjack, in fact), concerned issues like these feedback:
Girls over 40 in legislation corporations or company observe nearly uniformly have hair above the shoulders. Something longer simply doesn’t look polished and fashionable. There’s loads of flexibility to put on your hair in a modern bob, or with unfastened or tighter curls. However hair that drags on the shoulders appears inconsistent with the basic look you see on most girls of that age in senior positions
One other commenter famous that “[u]nless it’s a shocking lower, brief hair makes you fade into the background, i.e. forgettable!” (Which is soooo attention-grabbing taken with the concept that ladies usually speak about turning into invisible on the whole as soon as they’re previous a sure age… just like the brief hair pattern is encouraging that “we worth your contributions however it will be higher when you simply blended into the background” vibe.)
Different posters famous that the rule of thumb (brief hair for older ladies) was grounded within the bodily realities of growing older — frizzy hair, jowls, crepe-y neck, and so on.
Solely Youthful Girls Might Have Lengthy Hair, Then?
The enjoyable a part of this dialogue is that no, younger ladies usually wrote in to Corporette worrying that their lengthy hair made them look too younger — and questioning whether or not they need to lower it after they received their first “Massive Woman Job,” as we phrased it again then.
Lengthy Hair and “Skilled” Appears in 2023
I’m curious to listen to what folks say right here. I might say that there are not any guidelines anymore (huzzah!)… however I might nonetheless argue that waist-length hair might be nonetheless not one thing I might advise, though I’m struggling to place my finger on why precisely.
I do assume it’s essential that no matter your coiffure is, it seems to be intentional (however, ideally, not in a manner that screams “I spent three hours on my hair this morning”).
Readers, what are your ideas? Are there any limits on lengthy hair lately for girls, younger or previous?
