at what point would you SAY SOMEONE HAS LONG HAIR?

[lovedone_24]

For a black woman I would say APL is definitely long. Yes, many of us have long hair but the majority? However, for an East Indian woman I would consider APL "short".

 

[priceless2608]

IMO, anything past bra-strap length is long. APL is medium length, and SL is short, no matter who the person is.

 

[glamazon386]

I need to read the rest of the thread, I only answered the OP last night.

Miz and Glam, maybe it depends on what you see growing up? My mom sees long as BSL/MBL from her family but my father thought that long was WL and longer because of my paternal grandmother & aunts.

I feel that if you want 'long' hair and your length is satisfying to you then all is well?

My mother's side of the family has BSL/WSL hair and I still thought APL was long. But I see what you're saying. If all the black women somebody knew or encountered had neck length or shorter hair then I can see why they would think SL is long. Why are we sugar coating it though? It doesn't matter what you grew up with/saw whatever. The fact of the matter is most black women have short hair -- shorter than SL and not by choice. And many of them believe their hair (or AA hair in general) does not grow. Isn't that why we're on this site in the first place? This site can put blinders on people....

 

[glamazon386]

Just because a group of people believe something doesn't make it right or true.

Reality is, shoulder length hair isn't long, despite the fact that so many black people have convinced themselves that it is.

I never said it was right or wrong. I just said that was the consensus. It's all relative.

 

[SoSweet08]

bsl and longer

It's funny because I use to think anything pass shoulder length was long.

 

[JustKiya]

My mother's side of the family has BSL/WSL hair and I still thought APL was long. But I see what you're saying. If all the black women somebody knew or encountered had neck length or shorter hair then I can see why they would think SL is long. Why are we sugar coating it though? It doesn't matter what you grew up with/saw whatever. The fact of the matter is most black women have short hair -- shorter than SL and not by choice. And many of them believe their hair (or AA hair in general) does not grow. Isn't that why we're on this site in the first place? This site can put blinders on people....

I never said it was right or wrong. I just said that was the consensus. It's all relative.

In total agreement - I was trying to say the bolded, but you expressed it better.

 

[rhapsdyblu]

I agree with the Full SL-APL.

I always wish with these type of threads people would answer their view of long hair for us/black people BEFORE comming to LHCF because we all know that once you know you can acheive more, and your hair grows longer and you see all the long hair of LHCF than your view on whats long is probally going to change.

But for me, In real life and what i see everyday

Full shoulderlength--A good accomplishment, is medium long to long but attainable

APL- Long, she must have pretty good hair practices

BSL-- Amazing

ITA. First, I have opted to keep my natural hair short when I wore it out. While I was in braids or weaves it usually got to just above APL because I wasn't messing with it. When I wore it out, I didn't want to be bothered, so I usually wore it in a short style that I could WNG.

I had long believed our hair basically wouldn't grow, & for those who did have hair that could grow, it was due to genetics. In some families I saw long hair = SL & longer and in some families I saw short hair. So I realize now that probably in the families with long hair, they had good hair practices & in the others, they did what most did & that was fried, dyed, chemed & all done incorrectly.

So to be honest, my view of what is long has changed radically since joining this board since I see how many have accomplished APL & BSL & beyond. I am in awe when I see folks upset 'cause their hair is not long enough & they got so much hair. I think it is like when I was nearly 400 lbs & people needed to lose 5- 10- 15 -25 - 30 pounds, I envied them.

So, since, I have a TWA, to me, really, no lie EVERYTHING IS LONG TO ME RIGHT NOW. If I could just get to shoulder length, shoot. collar bone, hell just a bigger fro & not a TWA I would be a happy camper. I know, it's like being too thin or too rich, no such thing, So I will probably never get it long enough.

 

[Simply_Kelz]

I never said it was right or wrong. I just said that was the consensus. It's all relative.

ITA.

 

[DragonPearl]

white woman: armpit- ok she may have cut it.
black woman armpit- ok she grew it.

ya know what i mean? I mean it's all perspective.

not everyday you see an african american woman with armpit hair and you think she cut it from waistlength.

In my opinion armpit is considered long for our hair.

By the way I have heard many times that my hair was long and it's not quite armpit yet.

ok stone me. lol

I won't stone you for telling the truth.

 

[DragonPearl]

I agree with the Full SL-APL.

I always wish with these type of threads people would answer their view of long hair for us/black people BEFORE comming to LHCF because we all know that once you know you can acheive more, and your hair grows longer and you see all the long hair of LHCF than your view on whats long is probally going to change.

But for me, In real life and what i see everyday

Full shoulderlength--A good accomplishment, is medium long to long but attainable

APL- Long, she must have pretty good hair practices

BSL-- Amazing

That's what I saw when I lived in NY, and practically everywhere else I have been in the US. Now, if there is a particular area where the Black women that are going around with BSL are like a dime a dozen and it's not a weave, please point it out to me.

 

[Hair Iam]

In Canada APL hair is the exception for black females , we are also far less people compared to the USA. So our perspective will be different from the the US . When I'm in the US BSl is far more common ...here in Canada Full shoulder would be considered long on the average black female. The question i s a loaded one , because there are so many factors , location, surroundings, perspective, influences, basis. Just my 2 cents

 

[MizAvalon]

Miz and Glam, maybe it depends on what you see growing up?

I think this is true. Also what you see around you on a regular basis contributes as well. Our opinions are shaped by our experiences so I guess that's why we're all answering the way we are.

 

[NigerianGirl]

anything that is BSL and beyond is considered long to me and my peers.........

 

[BillsBackerz67]

bsl and beyond

 

[LongCurlyLocks]

I said BSL. That used to be me!! Waaa......

 

[metro_qt]

In Canada APL hair is the exception for black females , we are also far less people compared to the USA. So our perspective will be different from the the US . When I'm in the US BSl is far more common ...here in Canada Full shoulder would be considered long on the average black female. The question i s a loaded one , because there are so many factors , location, surroundings, perspective, influences, basis. Just my 2 cents

Are you kidding?
I would say that maybe in Toronto, Shoulder is common,

but even here i know and see too many people regularly with brastrap hair or longer, just hang out in the salons on Eglinton West...

In other cities that i've lived, Brastrap is the norm, especially with all the genetic mixings of people, girls are walking around with some crazy long hair.


???Shoulder length?... Canada?

 

[SouthernDimps]

BSL or longer....in high school, I literally had the longest hair in school at MBL. the closest length was APL, and only a few girls had APL

...oh, and my high school of about 1600 students was 95% black, 4% hispanic, 1% other lol

 

[Hair Iam]

Are you kidding?
I would say that maybe in Toronto, Shoulder is common,

but even here i know and see too many people regularly with brastrap hair or longer, just hang out in the salons on Eglinton West...

In other cities that I've lived, Brastrap is the norm, especially with all the genetic mixings of people, girls are walking around with some crazy long hair.


???Shoulder length?... Canada?

• Like I stated in my synopsis ...its all subjective to your surroundings, I work with the City of Toronto and meet 1-2 thousand people per year on a one to one basis ... on average 500-800 being black women " I'm not addressing mixed women " from the pool of women I meet , the average "black" woman has neck to shoulder length hair. I'm also affiliated with the 2nd larges black Church "congregation" in Peel" Kingdom Covenant Center" a membership of over 3000 people ...the average "black" woman's hair is shoulder length. I don't think a Salon is a large enough pool to take an average considering the average woman probably visits 1-2 times per month.

 

[rhapsdyblu]

Since I started reading this thread, I have been paying more and more attention to hair length and I have come to realize that when I see someone whose hair is APL or shorter, I don't think of it as long any more. Interesting.

 

[facets]

My mother's side of the family has BSL/WSL hair and I still thought APL was long. But I see what you're saying. If all the black women somebody knew or encountered had neck length or shorter hair then I can see why they would think SL is long. Why are we sugar coating it though? It doesn't matter what you grew up with/saw whatever. The fact of the matter is most black women have short hair -- shorter than SL and not by choice. And many of them believe their hair (or AA hair in general) does not grow. Isn't that why we're on this site in the first place? This site can put blinders on people....

I'm just nosy and crazy. The hair health tips are a bonus.

I see a mix of everything here in the Bay Area. In general, the AA/Afro-Somethin' hair is much better styled, longer and healthier-looking than in Europe. ...Just a GENERALIZATION. ...Plz don't blast me if you're living there.

It's also better than I remember it here in the 80s. I think it's definitely improving.

Also I believe that there are lots of black women that do maintain haircuts because they prefer shorter styles.

 

[facets]

ok - I may get stoned for this.

But with all of the challenges we face with our hair between relaxing, blowfrying, dying, and flat ironing all in one day( just kiddin), reaching anything below the shoulder is a freaking milestone.

with other races of women when I see armpit, I may not think her hair is long because it is so common to see women of other races with longer hair. Although with our hair it is becoming more common to see longer lengths after years of the halle berry phase. It's like:

white woman: armpit- ok she may have cut it.
black woman armpit- ok she grew it.

ya know what i mean? I mean it's all perspective.

not everyday you see an african american woman with armpit hair and you think she cut it from waistlength.

In my opinion armpit is considered long for our hair.

By the way I have heard many times that my hair was long and it's not quite armpit yet.

ok stone me. lol

No stones. BUT I don't assume that a non-black woman's APL is cut from waist. Or that the black women struggled to grow hers.

What hits me the most is usually the condition of the hair.

If it's beautiful to the ends then I think it's been cut but if it's scraggly then maybe I feel the person is hanging on to every inch. I've seen the latter on all sorts of ppl.

****

The other thing that makes this tricky to judge for me is that often women with the longest hair are wearing buns & even scarves. So some of the length isn't even for public viewing and abuse from the elements.

 

[princessdi]

I vote APL.

 

[PerplexingComplex]

My mother's side of the family has BSL/WSL hair and I still thought APL was long. But I see what you're saying. If all the black women somebody knew or encountered had neck length or shorter hair then I can see why they would think SL is long. Why are we sugar coating it though? It doesn't matter what you grew up with/saw whatever. The fact of the matter is most black women have short hair -- shorter than SL and not by choice. And many of them believe their hair (or AA hair in general) does not grow. Isn't that why we're on this site in the first place? This site can put blinders on people....

I knew nothing of the bolded part until I went to college. I lived in 3 different places and the majority of black females had either full shoulder length or longer, unless the person cut it. When I went to college I started hearing about people's hair who just grazed their shoulders as being long, people thinking it was weave, and if you had short hair that obviously means your hair can't grow. The majority of the comments came from people who lived around the same area. With the italized, i'm just nosey and heard about the site on another i'm on. Besides long hair doesn't always mean the hair is healthy and i think hair care is important.

 

[so1913]

I consider APL to be long...

 

[silvergirl]

past brastrap length

 

[MsJellie]

My vote was for APL. The last time my hair was that long was when I was a kid.

 

[kbfluff]

I voted BSL although some ladies with APL hair looks long too. I guess it kinda depends on the length of the neck.

I totally agree with this. It all depends on your neck and your height as well. I mean I've seen alot of shorter women (4 feet to 5 feet 4inches tall) that may have WSL hair and I consider it long, but not that much of a milestone IN MY OPINION.
Now when I see a woman who is (5 feet 9 or taller) like me... and has WSL length hair I know that hair is super long! My 16 inches of hair on a person with a shorter neck would probably be pretty long on someone elses body.
To sum it up for a tall gall like me I will say MY OWN HAIR IS LONG when it is BSL.

 

[ebonimama]

Let's all remember that our answers are our opinions, and we're all entitled to them.

IMO Long is relative. On lhcf an average of the women have apl hair. So on lhcf bsl would be the standard for long.

IRL an average of aa women will have sl hair. So, irl long to me is anything that is a thick, even, healthy apl. Two strands touching apl does not count.

 

[Toy]

I would say apl is long

 

[ajacks]

Before LHCF my perception was that full SL was long, now I think that APL is long. Heck I am barely skimming SL (and only in the back) and someone had the nerve to tell me my hair is getting long. I was like "OK" It's all perception and what you are accustomed to having/seeing.