Why is short hair on girls still so unacceptable by today's beauty norms?

Question

I think there are plenty of girls who look just gorgeous with short hair. I cut my hair two years back and nothing has felt that liberating and my confidence soared. But I still have to deal with people seeing old photos of me and saying "wow, you  were  so pretty," as if I'm not anymore. That doesn't bother me much anymore since I'm comfortable in my skin, but it's still crazy how few girls there are out there with short hair. Anyways I'm rambling, I just wanted to hear what you guys have to say :)

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Well if I see an ugly pair of shoes I’m not going to lie and say I like them. If someone makes an alteration to the shoe and then I suddenly begin to like it, I’ll also say it. Why lie? Same goes for hair or anything else in the world for that matter.
personally dislike the boy haircut on women. Some girls look very pretty with it, sure, That’s usually because the person IS that attractive, not so much the hair.. a person with a good body can make ugly clothes look good, the clothes are still ugly in and of themselves, yet I’m sure there are some who actually like those clothes and don’t think they’re ugly... just like the boy Hair, there are people like you who like it.. so accept that there are people who don’t find it attractive in and of itself..

shirt hair in general ages any woman. This message goes to anyone: If you want to look old, cut your hair like a boy. (Especially older women) if you want to keep looking nice and youthful, take care of your long hair:))!

my mother for example looks wayyyyyy younger than all her sisters and cousins... all the sisters and cousins have cut their hair like men. 🤦🏼‍♀️! And then they wonder how my mom looks so much younger lol.. sometimes I feel like telling them why.. but i feel they’d feel offended. So I just keep quiet. In the end everyone should look how they aim to look... boy cut makes Women look older than they are.

Sbgirl · Accepted Answer

I wouldn't say it is necessarily unacceptable, but certainly not seen as the most desirable. Personally, I like the look of longer hair and it's the way I choose to wear mine. However, I have a couple of friends who went for the pixie cut. I am not generally a fan of boy-short hair on women, so when I first saw the haircuts I thought 'How could they do that to their hair?' However, as time went on I really thought it suited them better than their longer hair did. But I think this was a mixture of factors - their confidence with the cut, their face and facial features, how they dressed and did their make-up. They could rock it, but I know I would never be able to (or really want to for that matter).

I think that goes for everyone; not everyone suits the same hairstyle. I know a girl with a bob (not as frowned upon as the pixie, but still shorter than 'long hair') and she looks stunning with it because she has the face shape and smooth thinner hair for it to work. I've seen older pictures of her with longer hair and she looks nowhere near as good as she does now because her hair looked dull when it was long, so it all depends. My hair is thick, so long is always what has suited me.

HawkPerception · Accepted Answer

The thing that our generation both benefits and has a disadvantage from is media. We are probabaly the most fashionable generation to date because of the media and it shows basically every type of fashion style to even people who aren't looking for it. It's so easy to come across that by the time we hit about 18, our perspective on what beauty is, is most likely made and not easily skewed. There's a reason most people find certain features attractive and why some people are considered attractive by most. It's because those are the physical traits that we are drawn to. Long hair on girls is more attractive than short hair for most guys. I doubt that fact will change anytime soon. You can do what you want and be proud of who you are, but attraction standards will remain the same.

Massageman · Accepted Answer

Norms? Who said that? Short hair, long hair, no hair- if a gal can "wear it well", it's a go for me! Here are five that look great, regardless of follicular fullness.  I always liked Rigby's pixie cut - - - -  - - - and Halle Berry is no slouch in her tousled pixie either - - - Yes, there ARE sexy Latinas in short cuts, too! She wears her LONG hair well, too! - - and this young cancer survivor looks awesome as well!

Unit1 · Answer

To put it into women's perspective - Women with short hair (much less than shoulder length) are to us as unattractive as the neckbeard nerds wearing weird clothes and huge "smartass" glasses.

bet someone like him doesn't get a girlfriend with this everyday "style"

There's a reason why there's a not so popular statement "half of women's beauty lies in her hair alone".
Take this for example

Why is short hair on girls still so unacceptable by today's beauty norms?

Eyes are not excited. Eyes are not pleased. Pupils don't expand. Heart doesn't beat faster/harder. Dick doesn't get hard.

Braids are nice however 😍

That's more like it.

ChicagoDerek7 · Answer

Like some of the others here have noted, short hair on women isn't explicitly frowned upon, and in fact, on some women, it looks great. I'm not sure if societally we've just become more accustomed to seeing women with longer hair and thus associate it with what we would now consider attractive/standard beauty, or if indeed longer hair is just more attractive. It's probably the former. If women had historically or always had shorter hair, we'd probably consider that today to be the more classic form of beauty, but alas, that is not how history played out.
For me personally, I almost always find women more attractive with long hair. and I would venture to guess that I am in the majority on that one. Obviously different strokes for different folks, but I'd be shocked if most men didn't hold the same opinion. Does that make short hair on a woman right or wrong or really anyone else's business but hers? No, of course not. If any individual woman feels more beautiful or more confident or for any reason with shorter hair, then obviously that is her prerogative, and anyone that has an issue with it can pound sand. Me personally and perhaps even a lot of guys may not be interested dating her or find her as attractive, but then again, other than in specific forum where you actually did ask, she also didn't ask for our opinion on the topic, so our opinion doesn't really matter. You do you and love the you that you are; that's really all that matters.

serious · Answer

@nadia533 Well, unfortunately many people today like to see women have long hair only. Unfortunately many men like women with long hair only. I think it is a very old existing social norm. However, as a man I only find women with short, BOY CUT hairstyle appealing and attractive. Only is the keyword here, I find any other hairstyle on women as repulsive and unattractive to my eyes. Yes but then men with my thinking are very rare indeed. Very few men will have the same thinking like mine. I don't know why it is like this but unfortunately it is. That being said, yes there are many women who look absolutely gorgeous with short hair be it any variant of short hair.

Levin · Answer

People can only see things in terms of this and that. ie they see genders as overtly masculine, or overtly feminine, and one should have no aspect of either in each, and no aspect of subtlety and nuance.

Personally, I have known women who have cut their hair very short. And while maybe it did affect that very primal sexual attraction a little, it in no way affected their overall attractiveness. I can't believe cutting some strands of hair really has that effect. Is a person's attractiveness really so tissue thin shaky that changing one's hair has that effect? Surely people look at more than that. Face, energy, etc?

Personally, I think your hair is awesome. Keep it.

Daniela1982 · Answer

To be honest I do think some girls look a lot better with longer hair. Short hair makes them look "Butchy" to some people. I like longer hair on myself and have seen actresses with short vs. long hair and they always seem to look better with long hair.

Michelle Williams

Shailene Woodley

Loved her before look

BCA6010 · Answer

Because the only way to get away with short hair is to have not just a pretty face, but an exceptionally pretty face, and at the end of the day, a woman with a pretty face is still going to look a lot better with longer, attractive hair. A woman who maintains attractive hair puts off the impression of being more proud of herself than the (lazy) short hair. Short hair also tends to look more masculine, and straight guys generally don't like physically masculine women.

Personally, I have not EVER seen a woman who looks better with short hair than she did with long hair, and while I know a few guys who do find some shirt-haired girls attractive, I don't know ANY who actually prefer it, and for good reason.

AmandaYVR · Answer

Straight humans have evolved to desire what they do not have, thus the more different the other is, often the more magnetic and attraction. Of course beyond that we also need compatibility of personality and character, and those should and often do trump physical appearance. But it begins with biology.

From behind, guys with long hair and girls with short hair can start looking like the opposite sex, and that does not sit right with many.

And the shorter the hair, the more pronounced one's face and facial features appear. And there is typically more self-expression in women's fashion and styling, so they are more apt to want more options in styling their hair, even if it means a lot more time in maintenance.

So look beyond societal standards. That's a small part of it, but not even close to being the whole story.

Quackthulu · Answer

It’s more about knowing how to work with what you have. Some girls can pull off the pixie cut absolutely beautifully. Others can’t so much. hair type, facial structure, how you carry yourself, or do your makeup can all have an impact on how well short hair works.

Thatsamazing · Answer

It's not "unacceptable." What are you talking about? It's not as sought-after by both males and females because it simply doesn't look as good. You might as well be asking why slim people are more attractive than fat people-- because they are. That's why.

Longer hair (to a point) on a girl is simply desired more. It has nothing to do with "beauty norms," sis. Where do we think those "norms" came from? Aliens? Faeries? Random chance? No, they are the way they are *because that's what people want.*

Myviews · Answer

I don’t know but I had a pixie cut and a lot of people would hate on me oh you lol like a boy why did you do that oh who do you think you are. People would call me trans and talk behind my back. It’s hair it grows back. I can’t deny I felt regret and reject coming from these people. But partly I enjoyed it seeing my face more. Having a quick hair routine. More fast and simple. I think it looked good on me. But I guess I don’t have the guts to rock it.

Aislin9 · Answer

People grow up with dolls, Disney princesses and images of what pretty women should look like, they all have long hair. It's really dumb. Personally I think some women look better with short hair. My mom is one of those women. When she grows out her hair, it just looks weird to me. She looks a lot better with short hair as do many other women.

I-am-a-nobody · Answer

I love short hair.
I still remember the Dorothy Hamill look.
Toni Tennille rocked the short hair look, too in the mid 70s.
About a generation before was Leslie Caron.
I married a girl with shorter hair.
Short hair is great.
(Less hair gets in the way.)

itsjustlew · Answer

That happened when I cut my hair really short into a pixie cut. People kept saying I was so pretty with long hair and they missed me having long hair. My hairs longer now, more medium length because my hair is naturally curly. They also used to say it looked better straight until curly hair got popular and now they all want my hair 🙄

Ruom-ran · Answer

Beauty comes in all different types.

I will never forget this girl in College who had short hair not unsimilar to the pic in the OG post tag.

She was soooooo beautiful regards to her facial features, and I love the fact she had short hair. Seeing the entirety of her face, jaw line, even her head was perfect. Incredible.

However, generally I'm not a fan so it does depend!

Answer: it's completely acceptable!!!

bluetoblack99 · Answer

Well you are a teenager so maybe you are dealing with some extremely shallow school girl friends.

But personally as a man I don’t care. I only care what looks best on the lady and that’s usually but not always long hair. But I’ve seen some helluva cute short hair girls.

GoodGuyBreakingBad · Answer

It wouldn't matter to me, I have grown up since I was in my 20's
back in my 20's, I would have to date a girl with long hair but since
then I have changed and yes I would date and even marry a girl who
wishes to wear short hair so you see people change.. I believe we all
go through stages in life where we don't know what we want :)

Anonymous · Answer

I had very short hair a year ago. About two or three inches long. But I loved it, I'd wanted hair that short for as long as I can remember. Though I want it long again now, I'm glad I got the chance to do what I loved. I often got mistaken for a boy, but it didn't really offend me unless someone could tell I was a woman but assumed I was transgender. I didn't mind being androgynous but if you can tell I'm a woman then please refer to me like that.

Anonymous · Answer

I think it suits every girl differently. Some look better with short hair and some look better with long hair. I got a pixie cut about a year ago and my boyfriend really likes the short hair on me, he thinks short hair suits me better and I agree. I’ve kept it short ever since

Barry88 · Answer

Everyone should do what they feel what's best for them. But short hair on girls... it's just not for me. I don't like it. It doesn't need to be super long, chin length or shoulder length is fine. But something like a pixie cut is too short. Even though it's a feminine style, I don't find that attractive on a girl.

Hazelstar · Answer

Maybe it's society that condition us that women should have long hairs and their beauty rely in their hair. I myself have shaved my head and I feel so liberated but when I said to my dad that I want to shave my head again. He says not to do it again.

Truthatanycost · Answer

Some women look great with short hair, but they rarely look better compared to when they had long hair. It's a feminine thing.

''Men in the military are required to have short haircuts as they are low maintenance, practical and clean. They also create a professional and unified image. Likewise, the hair won't get caught in helmets, weapons or an enemy's hands.''

Anonymous · Answer

People have preferences of course, but its not a turn off for me. I notice her face more. My mother lost the ability to grow long hair because of steroids she took for her sickness. I still like long hair, but most the women in my life have short hair. So its a look I'm used to.

CubsterShura · Answer

People simply consider it less feminine. Even though unisex clothing and shoes have become popular, somehow long hair (hair extensions, wig etc) crap loads of makeup and big flashy accessories have all taken over.

yrdady · Answer

cut your hair. shave your hair. Just do what you want. I prefer tall women with long hair, who are accomplished and smart and mild introverts. Cut your hair though. Do it today. Don't hem and haw.

ThiccNigro · Answer

It's not "unacceptable" most people just find long hair more attractive. The same goes for dudes. Well not like, the dudes with super long hair but think about the guys that have their hair long up top, gelled and short on the sides vs guys with buzzcuts. Same deal. Society just happens to agree for the most part that one is better looking than the other

FilfeeAnimal · Answer

i never said its unnaceptable, i jus think its unnatractive, im not attracted to boys... and girls with short hair look like boys.. so its logical that im not attracted to them,

but have that by all means if thats what u want, no one really cares

Anonymous · Answer

Short hair on girls is hot as hell!. I even like the real short hair styles like flat tops on girls. I have a lady friend with a shaved, bald and tattooed head, she is very attractive. The only thing about a girl with a short hair style, is she needs to be real feminine and have the right shaped face for it.

winterfox10 · Answer

As with most things in fashion; it started on the battlefield. Men cut their hair short for hygiene reasons. It helps to protect from Lice and other such things. Long hair provides a nice visual flow on a woman's body. There's a reason that beauty standards are the way they are: it looks good to the greatest number of eyes..

I guess it's a question of how short, but most people view short hair as reminiscent of fighting wars.

Aakash_Hangargi · Answer

It actually depends on the facial structure short hairs are easily managable I get it, but women having long hairs is like more feminine it's not wrong but it's the preset in mentality nothing else even bald women look beautiful but would look more feminine with long hairs and thats just to it.

OfDeath · Answer

I don't know if it is what you become used to seeing over time, whether there is even a Darwinian explanation for it or if long hair on women just is plainly more attractive. What I do know, is I definitely find the same woman with long hair better looking than if her hair was cut short. I assume most of society agrees with me without being certain of the reason why.

Alice2398 · Answer

Its not. Its been in trend for years and many fashion and Hollywood icons have had short hair and made it their staple.

ariadneR · Answer

I love it when my hair is short. It's so much easier to handle.

LeroyJenkins · Answer

I don't know what are you talking about, short is cute so is long hair if it's styled right

AD240pCharlie · Answer

Why does it matter to you if some random people don't find you attractive or beautiful? People think differently. Some of them are gonna think your short hair looks amazing, others are gonna think it's the worst-looking rodent they've ever seen.
Just focus on the ones who like it, and the ones who don't but choose to stay silent.

Aiko_E_Lara · Answer

I don't really mind but still in my personal opinion, I still like long hair on girls way better. Call me a hypocrite because I have long hair myself but I don't care if girls prefer short hair. After all long hair is more natural that short hair and we all started with long hair.

CupcakeKiller · Answer

I fucking WISH I could pull off a pixie. My cheeks are too fat. They look so chic though. 😍😍

gotc147 · Answer

Personal preference, but few women can actually pull off the short hair look. That said, I was with a girl who always had a pixie cut and she rocked it.

As for acceptablness, a lot of people just feel a strong need to air their own opinions.

rflulling · Answer

I agree. I think hair style shoumd be up to the individual. I also think the stigma may be in the popularity of short hair with feminists and lesbians. It also goes against conservative ideals of what a proper woman should look like.

0112358 · Answer

Since we are mainly raised around women with longer hair and men with shorter most people end up viewing long hair as feminine.

women often seem surprised how much most men care about hair but we do. Not just length, color as well.

Anonymous · Answer

i think girls can look good with short hair! if you like how it looks, it probably looks good. (you can't account for bad taste; that's why the president is a fat, racist moron.) you be you!

ItsTheNephilim · Answer

It's not unacceptable to me. It's the fact that many women can't pull it off and it looks attractive in general. But everyone has a choice to do whatever the hell they like. Not everyone's opinions matter but yours when it comes to how you should be.

Hermes-Paris · Answer

Short hair with a soft feminine way of dressing is... 👌

Anonymous · Answer

Because pretty much all girls look more attractive to most people with longer hair. It's possible to have a girl so hot that she can look good EVEN WITH short hair, but even in that case it's almost always true that she was EVEN HOTTER with longer hair.

WalkingCorpse · Answer

Personaly for me it depends. Yess i have seen girls with short hair that are atractive butnot every girl can pull it of so in my case its as long as they can pull it of

YHL6965 · Answer

Well, you don't have to conform or even care about the norms. Just be yourself. Honestly, some pixie cuts and other short hair styles look absolutely gorgeous.

MysteriesStranger · Answer

I think because in some cases it confuses a guy and they're insecure about their sexuality. Past that I don't know. I've always liked short hair on girls tbh.

Agape93 · Answer

I love it honestly. My girl has a pixie cut and my hair is a little under 2 inches at the moment

archiz · Answer

I agree with you.  Some people are just used to a certain look

slatyb · Answer

Short, long, it's all good if cut well and maintained. Of course long hair is a lot more work.

MountAverage · Answer

I think it can look very sexy if it fits her. But not every woman can pull it off. I think you need the face for it.

Shamalien · Answer

Its cause of the evil patriarchy RISE UP LIONESSES  Lol get a life! U probably were prettier with long hair but have fun being a ‘rebel’ or whatever sort of brave rule breaker u think u are hahaha

godfatherfan · Answer

Very few women can pull off short hair well. Personally, I am not attracted to a woman with short hair.

Apope16 · Answer

I prefer women with long hair. Period. But I do honestly date women who have short hair and I am a bit turned on by them if they have an otherwise feminine and girly style.

confusedgamer · Answer

Short Hair can look great on a woman, if it fits her. Though same goes for long hair, if it doesn't fit you, it looks not too good.

elisa_0 · Answer

Some hairstyles fit some women better than others. Same for guys. Some guys can get away with long hair (depending on the style). I don’t think it’s because you’re a woman... at least that’s now how I’d perceive it

brianre · Answer

I have long hair, and many boys say the same "hahaha you look like a lady" ignore them, girls with short hair and guys with long hair look good

FatCat2021 · Answer

Because as long as they aren't a lesbian they usually can still be attractive with short hair.

Barbaric · Answer

It just doesn't look feminine, and it says a lot about the mentality of the girl anyway a lot of the time.

helva · Answer

Maybe in some countrys it's inacceptable, but not where I do live. (Belgium). I've seen however that is Spain and in Italy much more girls than here have long hair.

Adam1978 · Answer

It's not as attractive but that doesn't mean it's a no go. At least have some length and don't shave it all or one of those short military trims.

Why is short hair on girls still so unacceptable by today's beauty norms?

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