Why Can’t Middle-Aged Women Have Long Hair?

[danysedai]

I will be 40 next year and have been thinking about this and my hair journey. I would love to be MBL and when I go gray, then cut it to between APL and BSL. My mom's hair is APL and you might have seen the thread I made about her hair, it's a beautiful silver and mine is going the same way(but my cut off date for gray is 50,I'm not ready yet).
I think that it depends in the overall image. There are some ladies here at work (clear ladies) who are over 50, close to 60 and they have waist length hair, but very dry,stringy,awful hair
But if the hair is healthy, has a great cut (no split,stringy ends, faded colour) then it's going to look good. Having great skin and a youthful demeanor helps too.

Thanks Nonie, for those pictures, I was thinking of some actresses who have BSL and MBL hair and look very good.

 

[femmemuscle]

thanks Nonie for those pics. Especially with the beautiful black women.. Gorgeous. Since i've been here in New Mexico, i've seen women in their 70's and 80's who are absolutely hot. Until i asked them how old they were, i never even knew they would be that old. Why? They didn't have the "signature" grammy bob that many resort to at a "certain age"..

these ladies have smooth complexions, they work out, you see them running down the roads in their little sweats, and when they dress up, they hardly wear makeup. they pull their LONG waist length or BSL hair back into a ponytail, and make the rest of us stand back and take note.

Oh no, girlfriend.. i won't let some 20 or 30 year old person tell me how to look when i reach a "certain age".. Not after looking at these amazing and sexy inspirations..

Oh and that Native American? giirrrrl, i'd be happy to take him in my teepee - and show him a couple of wrinkles..

 

[Valerie]

It really depends on the person, however if they have long hair and they are 70 and they look good. Good, God bless them, it's their hair!

 

[niknakmac]

well if I ever actually get some long hair there is no way i will be cutting it off because society says i'm too old to have long hair.

 

[MizAvalon]

They can! Screw whoever thinks otherwise.

I'm over other people trying to lord themselves over others and their bodies. How about we all just stay in our lane and mind our business?

 

[Ladybelle]

I will be dayumed if I spend 5-7 years growing WL hair only to cut if off unless I just want to. I plan on doing what looks good & what's best for me. I don't do the "trends", I gave that up when I hit 30.

 

[LittleLuxe]

@LittleLuxe That's odd that you don't consider their hair long. Guess you've been on hair forums for a bit.

When you do a quick search for long hair, BSL and thereabouts is what comes up on Google. If you think about it, how often do you see waistlength hair unless you're visiting Asia? So what lay people, not hair or hair forum fanatics, consider long and refer to when they talk of mature women not wearing long hair is represented in the pics I posted.

From what I've seen, when people talk of older people wearing short hair, they're thinking along the lines of a chin bob or even as short as the Halle Berry do of the 90's. And if you think I'm making it up, here's what comes up when you Google this.

I did not say I considered it short, more like a happy medium. The photo the Op has in her original post had a woman pictured who's hair appeared to be longer than bsl thus I had that in mind. BSL is long...but I would never call it too long or think it would be improper on someone of any age.

Waist length, sure, BSL? I'm not sure I understand why that would be considered too long at all.

 

[kmn1980]

My mom is 52 and she just cut from BSB to SL. I don't know why.

 

[Carrie A]

I did not say I considered it short, more like a happy medium. The photo the Op has in her original post had a woman pictured who's hair appeared to be longer than bsl thus I had that in mind. BSL is long...but I would never call it too long or think it would be improper on someone of any age.

I was reading the discussion about the article on LHC. They are considering any length over shoulder to be "long" for a woman over 35. So a ear or chin length bob is what was advised in the past. BSL would be considered long for a woman in her 50s. I think longer styles look good but you have to re-evaluate your look to make sure the hair isn't weighing you down. I think layers and highlights can lighten very long hair as you get older. I plan to grow my hair through my 40's and then re-evaluate the look. So far I look better with longer styles than short.

 

[JFemme]

They can! Screw whoever thinks otherwise.

I'm over other people trying to lord themselves over others and their bodies. How about we all just stay in our lane and mind our business?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl...

 

[Nonie]

I did not say I considered it short, more like a happy medium. The photo the Op has in her original post had a woman pictured who's hair appeared to be longer than bsl thus I had that in mind. BSL is long...but I would never call it too long or think it would be improper on someone of any age.

Waist length, sure, BSL? I'm not sure I understand why that would be considered too long at all.

Like I said, your perception might be somewhat altered coz you spend time on hair forums where longer hair is on display. Otherwise, BSL is considered long by most non-hair forum folks because waist-length isn't the norm in most people's lives. The author of the article writes about her own hair as long and describes thus:

I have long hair. I’m not talking about long enough to brush gently on my shoulder — when I tilt my head. I’m not talking about being a couple of weeks late to the hairdresser. I’m talking long. [bold, mine] Long enough for a ponytail with swing to it. Long enough to sit against when I’m in a chair. Long enough to have to lift it up out of the sweater I’m pulling over my head. Long enough to braid.

And this is she:

Here's another photo of her hair from a different angle--not at all waist-length, but clearly what she had in mind when writing the article, or she wouldn't have used it as an example of "long hair":

Her hair is kind of BSL as seen in this vid.

 

[MarcustheWu]

I think part of this trope is people telling older women "Do not make us look at you!" Women become more invisible in society as they age, and if women follow advice for "looking their age," then that facilitates that. If you have long hair, or dress in a nonmatronly manner or anything else "not your age," it draws attention to you, and god forbid if that were to happen. *sucks teeth*

 

[LittleLuxe]

Like I said, your perception might be somewhat altered coz you spend time on hair forums where longer hair is on display. Otherwise, BSL is considered long by most non-hair forum folks because waist-length isn't the norm in most people's lives. The author of the article writes about her own hair as long and describes thus:

And this is she:

Here's another photo of her hair from a different angle--not at all waist-length, but clearly what she had in mind when writing the article, or she wouldn't have used it as an example of "long hair":

Her hair is kind of BSL as seen in this vid.

No, not really. I still think shoulder length hair is long, I was just under the impression this hair was too long so I was expecting something more extreme. Hair forums are the extreme (ladies growing hair to tail bone length or knee length). I've never thought of bsl length as too long. I've seen plenty of older women with that length hair that I never thought it was an issue.

I think this is where my personal confusion stemmed:

"I’m talking long. Long enough for a ponytail with swing to it. Long enough to sit against when I’m in a chair."

It's my own mistake. I read it as 'sit on it in a chair' so near the seat, not 'sit against it' near the headrest or back. That's all.

 

[SUPER SWEET]

It depends on the woman. My neighbor is 65 and looks great with APL hair.Well in the case of my nana@ 93 looks ridiculous in her long haired wig. But she always wanted BSL hair. And said now she can have it! I think by it being dark with streaks makes her look crazy...

 

[Lucia]

I think part of this trope is people telling older women "Do not make us look at you!" Women become more invisible in society as they age, and if women follow advice for "looking their age," then that facilitates that. If you have long hair, or dress in a nonmatronly manner or anything else "not your age," it draws attention to you, and god forbid if that were to happen. *sucks teeth*

ITA
If the average woman doesn't keep her same body from before the husband, 3 kids and 35 years of marriage, on top of that they want her to dress her age, loose the long hair, they want older women to disappear, so that it's much easier for men to leave them for someone ironically who is younger and has longer hair and doesn't dress like her own grandma.

So then what do you have an aging or older woman, who dresses "appropriately" read androgynous, non-threatening, totally unsexy, short boyish haircut, minimal to no make up, minimal to no jewels what do you have the worst visual any man can imagine.

It's a trap, if long hair looks good on a woman fits her style, personality, and makes her feel sexy then she should rock that, if short hair is her thing she should rock that, regardless of age.

Correct me if I missed something but aren't these the same people who say cut your hair when your younger to look older and more mature? They've got women coming and going. What it's really about is taking away a womans sensuality and sexiness if she's a certain age God forbid she remain hot and sexy. Other countries have no hang ups like this only in America. Women should be women and do what they want the whole conformity for conformities sake alone sounds worse than being lemmings it sounds like being sheeple.

Demi Moore divorced her ex Bruce Willis who's older than her, to marry Ashton Kutcher (younger than her) why cause she was hot enough to do it. Oh and she still has long hair and pushing 50.

Even Frederick Fekkai (famous French Celeb Stylist) stated that the only reason an older woman (and he meant over 55) should cut her hair short is if she hasn't been taking care of it and it looks stringy, scraggly and damaged in general and if long hair looks good on a woman and it's healthy she should keep long and that most women confused that saying, cause it only applies to unhealthy hair on a woman of a certain age, not all women of a certain age.

 

[RegaLady]

To me SL to APlish(maybe BSL) is long enough for a woman in her 40s, 50s, and 60s. Anything longer is a bit much. It does depend on the features of a woman. To me being obsessed with extremely long hair at 60 is like a woman not growing up. I mean, to me long hair is already a vanity, in and of itself. So for a 60 year old to be all caught up achieving long hair, it screams insecurity to me.