The Meaning Behind Having Long Hair Throughout History

31.03.2021
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The Meaning Behind Having Long Hair Throughout History

Having long hair is part of many people’s lives all over the world. It is mostly associated with women and feminity, but it actually has always been admired and even represented in art throughout history for many, many years.

Some people let it grow just about a few inches under their shoulder, while others prefer to completely go all the way with it and even reach their knees or ankles. Others like to share their personal tips on how to take care of it and help it grow faster, or just help it look beautiful and healthy.

Cultural Meaning

In some cultures, when men have short hair and they have it cut, they are seen as being under society’s control; such as while in the military or prison or as punishment for a crime. Long hair in women is generally rated attractive by both men and women across cultures.

Some anthropologists have questioned the reason why we have a very similar reaction to long hair no matter the culture were in; one of their theories is that we associate having lustrous hair with being healthy, but this can change because in other groups the opposite is (having short hair) considered to be so.

For a long time, religious men were associated with having long hair, for example, Nazarites of the Hebrew Bible (Samson being a famous example, who lost his powers after Delilah cut his hair) and the Sikhs.

Subservient cultures may view male long hair negatively because sometimes they are classified by their rulers based on their hair length, as was the case with the Gaelic Irish under English rule and the Moors under Spanish rule in Medieval Spain.

In the English language, having “long hair” was associated with people who considered themselves as knowledgeable, wise, or inclined to admire and being sensitive to beauty.

History

In ancient Greece, men with long hair were considered to be powerful and wealthy, opposed to the ones who had their heads shaved, they were seen as slaves. Some of their most important gods had long hair, such as Apollo, Achilles, Zeus, and Poseidon.

Their soldiers also were seen with long hair during their battles; these soldiers were considered to be part of the aristocracy.

In the European middle ages, shorter hair often signified servitude and the peasantry, while long hair was often attributed to freemen, as was the case with the Germanic Goths and Merovingians.

Growing and wearing long hair was very common among women in the Western world until World War One. Long hair in women never ceased in western culture, it is still popular today, though it was rare during the 1920s and 1930s. (The Powerful Women in Byzantine: Theodora)

In most current cultures, it is more typical for women to wear long hair than for men to do so. An American study shows a significant correlation between hair length and age, which indicates that younger women tend to have longer hair than older women.

What do you prefer? Do you consider long hair to be a beauty attribute for both men and women? Hopefully, this helps you to understand a little bit about the world and the meaning behind many people’s practices and traditions.

Sources:

WIKIPEDIA | LONG HAIR

TIME MAGAZINE | Now You Know: How Did Long Hair Become a Thing for Women?

AUTHOR INFO
Dennise Chávez
My name is Dennise Chávez. I enjoy reading, writing and indulging on art. I'm also very passionate about history, semiotics and anthropology. I hope you enjoy reading my content, thank you for your attention!
COMMENTS
  1. Nisa says:

    I really liked the article, looking forward to your new writings! Good luck!