Is Shorter Hair Really Better on Older Woman?

[Country gal]

Why do older woman always get their hair cut? I think it is a myth that older women look old with longer hair. I have seen some nice, young looking older woman with long hair. I feel that older woman are automatically displaying their age when they rush off to get a hair cut. A colleague and I were discussing this the other day. She mentioned that anchor woman always keep their hair short so not to look older.

 

[HoneyDew]

I actually think most older women look younger and sexier with longer hair, depending on how they wear it.

 

[MissYocairis]

I actually think most older women look younger and sexier with longer hair, depending on how they wear it.

I agree and I never understood where this "rule" came from. It's obvious, as CountryGal said, that she's getting it cut because of her age. I think the longer hair makes her look more vibrant and healthy. The shorter hair makes her look like a "Jazzy Grandma".

 

[Neroli]

I read somewhere that this "rule" is based on the notion that long hair causes the eyes to move "downward" (in the direction of the long hair) and that as we age and wrinkles set in and skin gets looser and kinda saggie, you really want to defy gravity, so to speak and cause the eyes to move "upward" thus giving a more youthful impression. I think it kinda makes since but I never understood why not just wear long hair up. Plus, if a woman has a young looking face with few wrinkles than this rule just doesn't apply (like my mother and all her lovely sisters!). I will say that I have seen some ladies with long long hair down their backs that really DID make them look a little haggish because their face had some deep wrinkles and combined with the long hair was simply not good and I can see how if they cut their hair, would really make them look better. I think this "rule" like most, really depends on the individual . . .

 

[sareca]

I wondered the same thing, but I decided it's more about managing grays. It's easier to hide gray hair in shorter, lighter colored hair. That's why women go shorter and lighter as they grow older.

 

[MizAvalon]

I think it depends on the woman's face. If she has a bunch of wrinkles and a saggy face then long hair will make her look older. Her face will look even more pulled down with longer hair. Also, like Sareca mentioned, it's easier to hide grays if your hair is shorter.

Now I've haven't seen too many black women with wrinkles unless they were MUCH older. But then again I'm not even sure if this rule about cutting your hair shorter would apply to black women since most already have "short-ish" hair anyway? IDK.

 

[Trini"T"]

I forgot where I heard this from but someone said it could also deceive others For example if you are seeing a woman with long hair from the back, you would think she's young and then when she turns around it's like, "Whoa" (old face)...you didn't see it coming

 

[Legend]

I think hair length and style and length is best based on face shape, body shape, and level of patience rather than age. For example, you can’t tell Dyan Cannon she doesn’t look great with long hair because she’s got that angular face and good figure to pull off a full-bodied long-hair look. And ya’ll know Diana Ross can still rock a long style, and she ain’t no spring chicken. Then there’s ladies like Dionne Warwick or Nancy Regan look great with shorter styles. So, it just depends really on what looks best on you...no matter what your age. Just my $.02

 

[Candy_C]

I think hair length and style and length is best based on face shape, body shape, and level of patience rather than age. For example, you can’t tell Dyan Cannon she doesn’t look great with long hair because she’s got that angular face and good figure to pull off a full-bodied long-hair look. And ya’ll know Diana Ross can still rock a long style, and she ain’t no spring chicken. Then there’s ladies like Dionne Warwick or Nancy Regan look great with shorter styles. So, it just depends really on what looks best on you...no matter what your age. Just my $.02

ITA with everything you just said...
Age can be decieving anyway, esp with black peeps

 

[Radianthealth]

Lucky for us, AA women tend to age very very gracefully. Most shouldn't have to worry. You know what they say "Black don't crack"

 

[Country gal]

I forgot where I heard this from but someone said it could also deceive others For example if you are seeing a woman with long hair from the back, you would think she's young and then when she turns around it's like, "Whoa" (old face)...you didn't see it coming

 

[tenderheaded]

What you do with your hair is extremely personal. We have all seen awful short cuts and bad dye jobs, with all sorts of fake hair done to a turn. It is possible to have long glorious hair into your sizzling sixties and soaring seventies - my mom and both grandmothers did

 

[MissJ]

I think it's because older women tend to have thinning hair. They cut it short and tease it to cover the thinning areas.

 

[blackbarbie]

CG,
I have heard the same myth as well, however, Oprah had some women on her show once and the topic was something about women aging well and there were sisters as well as white women that were anywhere from 40ish to 80ish that looked phenomenal for their age! They all say that they had never had plastic surgery and gave their health secrets. (eating natural foods, getting enough sleep, exercising, yoga, working out, etc.)

Some of them had short hair (mostly the white women). A few of the black women had short styles, but a few of them had nice long healthy hair and were very much up in age. That did it for me in dispelling that myth, b/c there was one woman in her 60's w/long hair that looked better than some 30 y/olds!!

I just think it depends on quite a few factors that some of the other ladies mentioned. (facial shape, bone structure, STATE OF MIND, etc.)

 

[curlilocs]

I was just thinking about this last week. I always envisioned myself with a short cute crop a la Camille Cosby when I'm older. I don't know, I think short hair looks so chic and sophisticated on older women, and I'm sure I'll have even less patience than I do know and won't feel like fooling up with a bunch of hair. However, overall, I think it's more of a personal preference.

 

[Isis]

I feel it depends. Women of color look the best and even younger and exotic with long, healthy, flowing hair. Caucasian women sometimes look older with long hair, perhaps because their faces show their age earlier. Women of all races and nationalities can carry long hair off if they keep themselves in good health - body, mind and spirit - as they get older.

 

[tthreat08]

I think that as you get older, it's okay to have long hair. What looks a bit odd to me is when it's in youthful styles.....like flat ironed straight. (of course there are exceptions). I think that older women should wear their hair with some volume (not huge mind you), but some nice curls...volume. I prefer volume in my hair even now. I look at Iman (she's getting older). She looks good with long hair AND shorter hair. I look at Lyn Whitfield, looks good wit long hair (with volume). Sophisticated, but stylish. At least that's what I'ma do.

Thank you.

 

[MJ]

No.

Some older women looks fabulous with long hair it gives them a look of wisdom, beauty, grace, and sexuality that is amazing and makes me dream of the day I get older and look like that. Some older women have the same effect with short hair.

But the general rule is that as a woman gets older she should cut off her hair and wear it in some awful style, whether it really suits her or not. Western societes (not the same for Indians) tells women that long hair is only for the young (childhood through late twenties, for the most part). (Women in corporate cultures are told the same thing.) Long hair is associated with youth and female sexuality and the lush female energy. Very long hair, especially on older women, is also seem as mysterious and pagan, and therefore threatening. (Witches are often portrayed older women with very long hair.) And although women's sexuality increases as they get older -- yes this is true -- while men's wane; women are taught that as they age they become less attractive and need to adapt shorter hairstyles to compensate. Absolute bull!!!

I've seen beautiful older women with some of the most awful haircuts -- hacked off to unnattractive masculine styles, styled in a stiff blah fashions, permed and fried, dyed some unnatural color that doesn't suit them -- that do nothing for them, only proclaimed that they are old and make them unattractive (for the most part); and un-sexy. Ugh! This is a sore issue for me.

I want to see more long hair grandmas, with grey hair too!