Long hair
Long hair is a
Males having short, cut hair are in many cultures viewed as being under society's control, such as while in the military or prison or as punishment for a crime. Long lustrous female hair is generally rated
Biological significance
Humans,
The ability to grow very long hair may be a result of sexual selection, since long and healthy hair is a sign of fertility.[7][need quotation to verify] An evolutionary biology explanation for this attraction is that hair length and quality can act as a cue to youth and health, signifying a woman's reproductive potential.[8] As hair grows slowly, long hair may reveal 2–3 years of a person's health status, nutrition, age and reproductive fitness. Malnutrition, and deficiencies in minerals and vitamins due to starvation, cause loss of hair or changes in hair color (e.g. dark hair turning reddish).[9]
Psychological significance
By seven to nine months, infants can tell the sexes apart based on hair length, vocal pitch, and faces.[10]
Cultural meaning
Ways of life often viewed as more rigid, such as soldiering and religious discipline, frequently have explicit rules regarding hair length. For example, Buddhist monks shave their heads as part of their order of worship.
East Asian cultures have traditionally associated unkempt hair in a woman with an irresponsible attitude, as women in East Asia were expected to tie up their hair in styles such as the ponytail, plait, or any bun, as a symbol of responsibility.[14]
Transferred meaning
The traditional connotation of "long hair" in
Hair lengths
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Finnish cello player Perttu Kivilaakso with mid-back length hair
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A Japanese woman with mid-back length hair
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An Italian woman with waist-length hair
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A Sri Lankan woman with classical length hair
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A Tibetan woman with knee-length hair
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An American woman with calf-length braided hair
Hair length is most often measured (in centimeters or inches) from the line of the scalp on the forehead up over the highest point of the skull to its termination, and sometimes from the crown, the latter resulting in 10 centimeter lower values in average.[16] In cosmetology, hair lengths are usually categorized according to the part of the body where the bulk of the longest hair terminates: chin level, shoulder length, lower shoulderblade/mid-back level, waist length, hip-length, classic length (extends to almost buttock-length, i.e. upper thigh-length, where the legs meet the buttocks), thigh-length, knee-length and ankle/floor length hair.[16][17]
Hair usually takes about two years to reach shoulder length,[18] and about seven years to reach waist-length/hip-length, including occasional trims (approximately 80–90 cm (31–35 in) from forehead for most people).[17][18]
Maximum hair length
The maximum hair length that is possible to reach is about 15 centimetres (5.9 in) for infants (below the age of 1), about 60 centimetres (24 in) for children, and generally 100 centimetres (39 in) for adults. Some individuals can reach excessive lengths. Lengths greater than 150 centimetres (59 in) are frequently observed in long hair contests.[19] Xie Qiuping had the longest documented hair in the world, measuring 5.627 metres (18 ft 5.54 in) in May 2004.[20]
The maximum
Cultural history
Europe
Ancient Greece and Rome
In ancient Greece, long male hair was a symbol of wealth and power, while a shaven head was appropriate for a slave. The ancient Greeks had several gods and heroes who wore their hair long, including Zeus, Achilles, Apollo, and Poseidon. Greek soldiers are said to have worn their hair long in battle. Such warriors considered it a sign of aristocracy and are said to have combed it openly to show off. Also, in order to keep enemies from getting hold of it in battle, they were known to cut the front short, but leave it long in the back, where it was more out of reach (mullet). A widely held alternative interpretation of the conventional belief is that they kept it long, and simply tied it back in a style known as a ponytail in order to keep it out of their enemies' reach. The ponytail method allowed warriors, who often traveled to battle with a minimal amount of equipment so that they could avoid excessively heavy loads over long marches, to keep their hair manageable with a small piece of string to hold it in place and a knife to cut the back to length with one slice. Around the 6th century, however, the Greek men shifted to shorter hairstyles, with the exception of the Spartans. Women in the culture kept the longer style, which for them showed freedom, health, and wealth, as well as good behavior.[23] With men, long hair by this time was considered a sign of false pride.[24]
Middle Ages
In the European
The Gaelic Irish (both men and women)[28] took great pride in their long hair—for example, a person could be heavily fined for cutting a man's hair short against his will.[29] When the Anglo-Normans and the English colonized Ireland, hair length came to signify one's allegiance. Irishmen who cut their hair short were deemed to be forsaking their Irish heritage. Likewise, English colonists who wore their hair long in the back were deemed to be forsaking their role as English subjects and giving in to the Irish life. Thus, hair length was one of the most common ways of judging a true Englishman in this period. Muslims in Christian areas were ordered to keep their hair short and parted, as their longer style was considered rebellious and barbaric.[30]
The long hair tradition was widespread among English and French men in the 11th and 12th centuries, although it was considered acceptable for men to have shorter hair, mainly because of the endorsement of the
In England, during the
Around this time, long hair in England also came to be associated with adventurers who traveled to America and were familiar with the native culture there, short hair was associated with less adventurous types.
Trends among women in 20th and 21st centuries
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The Seven Sutherland Sisters were singing and showing off their famous floor-length hair in a sideshow of Barnum & Bailey's from about 1882 to 1907.
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Opera singer Mary Garden in 1908 with knee-length hair
Growing and wearing long hair was common among women in the Western world until World War One.[17] Long female hair never ceased in western culture, though it was rare during the 1920s and 1930s.
In most current cultures, it is more typical for women to wear long hair than for men to do so. An American study shows significant correlation between hair length and age, which indicates that younger women tend to have longer hair than older women. A significant correlation was also found between women's hair length and hair quality. Moreover, hair quality was correlated with the women's perceived physical health. Consistent with principles of evolutionary psychology, these results indicate that hair length and quality can act as a cue to a woman's youth and health, signifying reproductive potential. The correlation between the woman's hair length and marital status, or number of children, was however not more than to be expected from the correlation between hair length and age.[8]
Trends among men in 20th and 21st centuries
During the 19th century male hair lengths in
Beat poets during the 1950s wore longer hairstyles. Aside from that, men and boys at this point had neatly groomed short hair, and having longer hair was frowned upon. By 1960, a small "
In the 1970s, the popularity of
Americas
Native Americans
Many Native American men wore long hair before the arrival of Western influences on their culture. (In Cherokee legends, for example, males said to be handsome were often described as having "long hair almost to the ground" or similar formulas.[37]) Both men and women of these cultures have frequently struggled to maintain their tradition but have faced heavy opposition. Many consider it a sign of giving in to Western influences to have their hair cut.[38][39] Early US settlers saw long-haired, native men as rebelling against their civilized society. Mountain men and trappers who adopted the customs were also considered amoral, and often identified by their long hair.[40] Since the cultural movements of the Sixties and Seventies, however, Native Americans have felt less pressure to have short hair, as different movements have defended their cultural rights.[41] For example, several states have loosened prison regulations, allowing Native Americans to wear long hair during incarceration, along with other cultural allowances.[42]
African Americans
When African slaves were freed in America, they struggled to reach the social status of whites. Many former slaves tried to conform their hairstyles as part of this struggle. Women, especially, felt pressure to make their hair straight, rather than keeping the tightly coiled style they had known.[43] However, during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, African-Americans such as Malcolm X advocated hairstyles such as Afros and dreadlocks, in order to embrace their race, and to return to West African roots.[44]
Social pressures at the time were heavily influencing these American women to have straight hair like white people did.
Contemporary North America
"She, as a veil down to the slender waist, |
– John Milton's description of Eve in Paradise Lost |
In 1972, it was estimated that 24% of American women wore shoulder length hair or longer (44% of women in ages 14 to 44), meaning slightly more than 12% of men and women altogether. Similar frequency was found in 2001, when it was estimated that about 13% of the US adult population, male as well as female, have hair shoulder-length or longer, about 2.4% have hair reaching to the bottom of the shoulder blades or longer, about 0.3% have hair waist length or longer, and only about 0.017% have hair buttocks-length or longer.[47]
By
Other data estimates that 2–3% of US men have long hair, and an additional 2% have borderline long hair, leaving 95–96% with short hair.[48] It has also been estimated that 24% of women have long hair and 43% have medium length hair, leaving 33% with short hair.[47] Given that men comprise 49.2% of the US population and women 50.8%,[49] the estimated breakup of hair length by gender among Americans is 47% men with short hair, 22% women with medium hair, 17% women with short hair, 12% women with long hair, 1% men with long hair, and 1% men with medium hair. This leaves, as a total, 64% people with short hair, 23% people with medium hair, and 13% people with long hair.
Africa
Throughout much of Africa,
In West African cultures, women with long hair were highly valued. Long, thick hair was seen as a sign of health, strength, and capability to bear many children. In keeping with this general theme, women who were too young for marriage would shave a portion of their heads to signal so. This tradition, however, did not extend to every West African culture, as several valued shorter hair.[51]
Asia
Historically, East Asian cultures viewed long hair as a sign of youth and aesthetic beauty. Long hair is associated with private life and sexuality. East Asian cultures see long, unkempt hair in a woman as a sign of sexual intent or a recent sexual encounter, as usually their hair is tied up.[14] Lay Buddhists have long hair, while Buddhist monks have shaved heads.[11]
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Japanese woman combing her long hair. (Colour woodblock print from 1920 byHashiguchi Goyō.)
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Illustration of The Tale of Genji, painted by Tosa Mitsuoki (1617–1691).
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Chinese Orthodox Christian man from 1874
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Nosu girls in China 1922.
China
In ancient China and Korea, hair was regarded as a precious legacy from parents. Most people would never cut their hair after they became adults, and cutting off one's hair was a penalty for minor crimes. Both men and women would coil up their hair and many hair-coiling styles were developed.
Beginning in 1619, the ethnic
Islamic and Christian missionaries among the Chinese were strong advocates of shorter male hair for their converts.
Also, in Chinese ancient and modern poetry, long hair is a common symbol used by poets, for example Li Bai and Li Shangyin, to express their depression and sadness.
Southeast Asia
In Southeast Asia and Indonesia, male long hair was valued until the 17th century, when the area adopted outside influences including Islam and Christianity. Invading cultures enforced shorter hairstyles on men as a sign of servitude, as well. They were also confused by the short hairstyles among women in certain areas, such as Thailand, and struggled to explain why women in the area had such short hair. They came up with several mythical stories, one of which involved a king who found a long hair in his rice and, in a rage, demanded that all women keep their hair short.[53]
South Asia
In India, especially rural parts, girls and young women generally grow their hair very long, often reaching hip- or thigh-length. Long hair in India is considered an essential part of a woman.
Japan
In medieval Japan, Heian period men were not very interested in a woman's physical beauty and rarely had an opportunity to see it. The only physical attribute of interest was a woman's hair, which had to be thick and longer than she was tall.[citation needed]
In religion
Judaism
In the
Strict Orthodox Judaism forbids men from cutting their sidelocks, but other hair may be kept as desired. Hair is not cut during a time of mourning. The Torah in Deuteronomy 14:1 prohibits removing hair in mourning for the dead.
Islam
In the past, Bedouin Muslims often wore their hair in long braids, but influences from the Western world have caused a change in attitudes. Bedouins are now less likely to have long hair.
Muslims regard the
With regards to women, neither Qur'an nor Sunnah explicitly state that women cannot cut their hair. Hadith does mention that women should not imitate men, and vice versa, and hence many scholars on this assumption, decree that women should let their hair grow longer than the hair of Muhammad, reaching beyond their shoulders, as hadith mentions that Muhammad had his hair between his shoulder and his earlobes. (He described Jesus's hair, which hung to his earlobes, as long.[62])
However, according to some hadiths regarding the rules of
Some Muslims are also opposed to men having long hair as it is also important in Islam to have clear differences (in appearance) between sexes. Generally these cultures encourage women to have long hair and men to have short hair.
Sikhism
For Sikhs, Kesh is the practice of allowing one's hair to grow naturally as long hair is considered a hukam/command of Satguru/Saint.[13]
See also
- List of hairstyles
- Dreadlocks
- Grooming
- Haircut
- Hair extensions
- Hair stick
- Lady Godiva
- Locks of Love – charity that provides custom-made hair prosthetics from donated hair
- Long hair fetishism, a form of Trichophilia
- Rapunzel
- Beard and haircut laws by country
- Let's trim our hair in accordance with the socialist lifestyle
- Long hair in Singapore
Images
- Female long hair in art (Gallery at Wikimedia commons)
- Female long hair photos (Gallery at Wikimedia commons)
- Male long hair in art (Gallery at Wikimedia commons)
- Male long hair photos (Gallery at Wikimedia commons)
References
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- ^ a b c Clarence Robbins and Marjorie Gene Robbins, "Scalp hair length. II. Estimating the percentages of adults in the USA and larger populations by hari length." Archived 17 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Journal of cosmetic science 54.4 (2003): 367–378.
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- Sahih Al-BukhariVolume 7 Book 72 Number 788: "Narrated Al-Bara': I did not see anybody in a red cloak looking more handsome than the Prophet Narrated Malik: The hair of the Prophet used to hang near his shoulders. Narrated Shu'ba: The hair of the Prophet used to hang down to the earlobes."
- ^ Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 9 Book 87 Number 128 : Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar: Allah's Apostle said, "I saw myself (in a dream) near the Ka'ba last night, and I saw a man with whitish red complexion, the best you may see amongst men of that complexion having long hair reaching his earlobes which was the best hair of its sort, and he had combed his hair and water was dropping from it, and he was performing the Tawaf around the Ka'ba while he was leaning on two men or on the shoulders of two men. I asked, 'Who is this man?' Somebody replied, '(He is) Messiah, son of Mary.' Then I saw another man with very curly hair, blind in the right eye which looked like a protruding out grape. I asked, 'Who is this?' Somebody replied, '(He is) Messiah, Ad-Dajjal.'"
- ^ Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 9 Book 87 Number 128
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- ^ Wong, Edward (22 August 2005). "Iraq's Sufis attacked as strife widens". The New York Times.
Bibliography
- Byrd, Ayana; Tharps, Lori (2002). Hair Story. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-28322-9.