ManeStreet
Well-Known Member
I always felt like bsl and below was long hair. I still feel the same.
Apl is medium length
Shoulder length & shorter is "short" to me.
Apl is medium length
Shoulder length & shorter is "short" to me.
Has the standard been raised?..
- Thread starter genesislocks
- Start date
Evolving78
Well-Known Member
for myself, MBL is considered long to me now. i feel pretty bald headed right now. i guess when i make it to MBL, i think i will be able to do more with my hair. i still feel like there are a lot of things and styles i can't do right now.
4changeisgood2
Active Member
In the online community, you haven't achieved impressive lengths until you have reached or well surpassed APL and at least reached BSL.
IRL, well in my real life anyway, while growing up I had come across few black women with shoulder length hair and longer. My experience and limited hair knowledge led me to believe those women were "special". So shoulder length was long to me and APL WAS unicorn hair status. Anything beyond that, in my mind, "couldn't be real!?!? right??" :
:
Today, my massive consumption of online haircare; videos, boards, blogs,etc., has created a slightly skewed perception of "long hair" to even me. So much so that when reaching shoulder length for the first time in my whole life this year even I was like "meh", time to join the APL challenge, never even thinking to celebrate a clear personal milestone. (Crazy)
But the truth is each milestone each of us strive to reach and surpass, simply raises the bar for all of us. Which is good thing. Online, we know what is achievble and we all strive for just that... the maximum.
My current ultimate goal is waist length... but when I get there I fully expect to be like... "meh"
Sent from my cell using LHCF
IRL, well in my real life anyway, while growing up I had come across few black women with shoulder length hair and longer. My experience and limited hair knowledge led me to believe those women were "special". So shoulder length was long to me and APL WAS unicorn hair status. Anything beyond that, in my mind, "couldn't be real!?!? right??" :
:Today, my massive consumption of online haircare; videos, boards, blogs,etc., has created a slightly skewed perception of "long hair" to even me. So much so that when reaching shoulder length for the first time in my whole life this year even I was like "meh", time to join the APL challenge, never even thinking to celebrate a clear personal milestone. (Crazy)
But the truth is each milestone each of us strive to reach and surpass, simply raises the bar for all of us. Which is good thing. Online, we know what is achievble and we all strive for just that... the maximum.
My current ultimate goal is waist length... but when I get there I fully expect to be like... "meh"
Sent from my cell using LHCF
lacreolegurl
New Member
Anything below apl is long to me
Except on myself.... I'll admire beautiful hair whether longer or shorter than mine. My perception of my own hair though is that it's never long enough. Hairoexia (sp?)
When I started here, I just wanted to get back to apl(ish). Once I got there, I thought BSL would be better. Now that I'm nearly MBL, I feel like wsl will be better. It's never enough!!
D.Lisha
New Member
pre_medicalrulz
It Always Been About Hair!
Lol, cute.
I was going to say that yes IRL the standard has been raised but then i remembered how my braiders oohd and aaahd at my hair this spring when it was still an inch from apl lol.
Online the standard has definitely been raised, it used to be that bsl was long and mbl made u a unicorn.
Bsl is the new Apl on the boards lol
Online the standard has definitely been raised, it used to be that bsl was long and mbl made u a unicorn.
Bsl is the new Apl on the boards lol
Diva_Esq
New Member
Once I saw WL hair on LHCF, I was hooked and knew that eventually, I wanted WL hair! I BC'd in April 2010 and now I am less than an inch from WL and had to trim yesterday. 
You'da thought someone shaved me bald. I agree...APL/BSL was my longest while relaxed and I was always described as "Shawnii with the really long hair" and weave checked! Now that I am scraping WL, my hair is commented on non-stop IRL, but on here, I just feel among the crowd with length still to attain. I will be happy to achieve WHIP or HL hair, but after I reach WL, I am done obsessing about it. If or when it happens, I will celebrate and maintain. Because longer than HL seems like it would be a nuisance. WL is already work! But I know that IRL, I am already the hair goddess to people, so they are going to flip out over HL!! Lol
You'da thought someone shaved me bald. I agree...APL/BSL was my longest while relaxed and I was always described as "Shawnii with the really long hair" and weave checked! Now that I am scraping WL, my hair is commented on non-stop IRL, but on here, I just feel among the crowd with length still to attain. I will be happy to achieve WHIP or HL hair, but after I reach WL, I am done obsessing about it. If or when it happens, I will celebrate and maintain. Because longer than HL seems like it would be a nuisance. WL is already work! But I know that IRL, I am already the hair goddess to people, so they are going to flip out over HL!! Lol
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janeemat
Well-Known Member
Yep everything you said. But as far as I'm concerned APL hair is long hair.....especially if you are 5'7" or taller.
janeemat
Well-Known Member
missliberia
Well-Known Member
APL hair is long to me and I've been on forums since before my transition started. Everything else is just "dang, man her hair is stupid long!" Just how I feel...
Carmelella
Well-Known Member
APL use to be long to me, I remember thinking if all my hair fell nicely below my collar bone I would be happy. Now I'm APL and I still feel bald. BSL is the new long for me. But I also think the fullness of hair plays a huge role,.. When the front , back, temples and bangs are all really close to APL then it looks long to me . I'm not there yet 
I think in real life full APL is considered long.
My goal is BSL with some major VOLUME.
I think in real life full APL is considered long. My goal is BSL with some major VOLUME.
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Angelinhell
New Member
It's different for us on here, but people irl have always made me feel like my thick, shoulder length hair was waist length
. Funny story, maybe ot, I was just in Target and this girl was staring at my HEALTHY shoulder length hair, she smirked at me, walked past me and had the NERVE to flip her waist length, kanekalon fiber sew in. Trick please.
Sorry ya'll, I had to vent lol.
. Funny story, maybe ot, I was just in Target and this girl was staring at my HEALTHY shoulder length hair, she smirked at me, walked past me and had the NERVE to flip her waist length, kanekalon fiber sew in. Trick please.Sorry ya'll, I had to vent lol.
NaturalPath
Well-Known Member
I exclude the BSL abbreviation since some people tend to wear their bra so high, it looks APL'ish. I have APL hair and I think its short. In the past I had BSB length hair and I too thought it was short.
I personally consider MBL and below "long"
I personally consider MBL and below "long"
koolkittychick
Well-Known Member
Weirdly enough, it both has and it hasn't. At APL, my hair is the longest it's ever been, but it seems short still to me. Probably because my best girlfriend has MBL hair, so that to me looks acceptibly long. I have always grown up around girls with ridiculously long hair (my neighborhood was filled with ethnically diverse people from different islands living under the "black" umbrella), so my concept of long hair has always been BSL or longer, even though most of the women in my immediate family did not have hair past APL length. If anything, LHCF has only reinforced the standards I have always had for long hair, my personal family experience notwithstanding.
The regional thing could also be at play here though. I live in Miami, and from the time my hair was shoulder length to just past my collarbone, people would ooh and aah about my long hair. Then when I hit APL, it stopped. I wondered what the heck was that about until someone explained to me that somewhere between collarbone and APL, people started assuming I was Dominican (my family is from Haiti, so I can see where that mistake can be made, considering both countries are on the same island), and APL is "short" for them. So I guess the bar has been raised for me IRL too. Go figure.
The regional thing could also be at play here though. I live in Miami, and from the time my hair was shoulder length to just past my collarbone, people would ooh and aah about my long hair. Then when I hit APL, it stopped. I wondered what the heck was that about until someone explained to me that somewhere between collarbone and APL, people started assuming I was Dominican (my family is from Haiti, so I can see where that mistake can be made, considering both countries are on the same island), and APL is "short" for them. So I guess the bar has been raised for me IRL too. Go figure.
offthechainliz
New Member
i think in a way yes. When i first started my journey I aspired to be bra strap length I fell out of the game for a few years but now that Im back, I have my sights set on waist length hair. I could be a matter of preference but it def seems to be a growing trend.
I think now that more people on the board have been on their journeys 3+ years, we're just seeing more ladies reaching the longer lengths (MBL+) than in the past. I don't know if I'd say the standard has actually changed.
I think healthy, full hair past APL has always been the zone where people's hair really starts to look long.
I think healthy, full hair past APL has always been the zone where people's hair really starts to look long.
SmilingElephant
Well-Known Member
Someone shares my vocabulary!!!
To me BSL is really long. When i FIRST started growing my hair here in 2008...BSL was my ultimate goal. Now my hair is pretty much MBL and it's not long enough...won't be happy until i hit w'hip length
But in real life APL and BSL is stupid long to me....still
I'm trying to be ridiculously long. Incredibly long would be Hip and beyond. That would just be absolutely psychotic if i grew my hair that long!
havilland
Magical Mythical Princess
It's different for us on here, but people irl have always made me feel like my thick, shoulder length hair was waist length
Sorry ya'll, I had to vent lol.
:Hilarious...... now let me go cook this turkey.....thanks for that LOL
Fine 4s
Well-Known Member
I agree with several points here:
1/ I'm also from Haiti and grew up around folks with BSL or longer so for me, I never had long hair (looking back I was usually APL). My first goal coming here was BSL.
2/ I don't get props for growing long hair as much anymore because folks simply assume that I have hair that "grows" or if they don't know me, that I'm not Black. Anything to take away from the hard work and sacrifice I'm still putting in to reach my goal.
I can't wait for my 2014 goal. By then most of my heat damage will be gone so my twist outs will be good again and I should have retained enough of my current length to make it to WL! Yessssss.....
1/ I'm also from Haiti and grew up around folks with BSL or longer so for me, I never had long hair (looking back I was usually APL). My first goal coming here was BSL.
2/ I don't get props for growing long hair as much anymore because folks simply assume that I have hair that "grows" or if they don't know me, that I'm not Black. Anything to take away from the hard work and sacrifice I'm still putting in to reach my goal.
I can't wait for my 2014 goal. By then most of my heat damage will be gone so my twist outs will be good again and I should have retained enough of my current length to make it to WL! Yessssss.....
miracles11
Member
Very true. I first started on the boards years ago and have now reached waist length and I started at collar bone. Learned a lot and kept at it. Now I get more attention than I want and prefer protective style for day to day activities. I do love what I achieved and want to keep it going to hip length then I am done. I want to inspire others. Just hang in there's and it will come!
beauti
Well-Known Member
yeah its only in the online world bc in real life apl is the sheeit! also as you achieve your goals and get longer hair, all the lengths you surpass dont seem so long to you anymore. when i was apl i dreamed of bsl, and once i reached mbl bsl wasnt such a big deal to me,but only because i surpassed it. But trust and believe i will drool over healthy shoulder length hair any day!
also as you achieve your goals and get longer hair, all the lengths you surpass dont seem so long to you anymore. when i was apl i dreamed of bsl, and once i reached mbl bsl wasnt such a big deal to me,but only because i surpassed it. But trust and believe i will drool over healthy shoulder length hair any day!
DominicanBrazilian82
Well-Known Member
sheanu said:
Hey my Miami neighbor
danysedai
Well-Known Member
Once I saw WL hair on LHCF, I was hooked and knew that eventually, I wanted WL hair! I BC'd in April 2010 and now I am less than an inch from WL and had to trim yesterday.
Girl, with that hair on your siggy, you do NOT mix among the crowd in here
There are many members with your length, but your hair's thickness is something to behold (Same with Italiano, I think) 
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