When Coco Chanel said her infamous quote “a woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life,” she really meant it. That’s because most often than not, women who get a haircut or set an appointment out of the blue, are either suffering from a heartbreak or would like to make a brand new start. Incidentally, the end result will either be a pixie cut, a bob, or God forbid, a shaved head.
While there is no explanation as to why women make their worst hairstyle choices during a time that is supposedly the biggest change of their lives, a theory that can be the possible answer is, women cut their hair to represent freedom from a toxic relationship. Maybe they have felt tied down for so long, cutting their hair short is the only way to feel themselves again.
Why Men Prefer Long Hair over Short Hair for Women
Women try hard to look sexy when they are in a relationship because they want their men to notice them and to want them. Long hair has always been attributed to princesses, divas and queens because it represents beauty. Short hair, on the other hand, makes a woman look strong and powerful, to the point that men find it too masculine to be attracted to.
Case in point, a survey discovered that almost 80 percent of men prefer their ladies to have long, beach waves or straight, sleek hair. One respondent, a 30-year-old male journalist, commented that when he sees a woman sporting a pixie cut, he gets turned off. He feels that certain woman is sending a silent message that she’s strong and doesn’t need to do what everyone else is doing.
Professor of psychology, Dr. Tamas Bereczkei, from the University of Pecs shares that the men’s reaction is common because based on her study, women with longer hair have a positive effect on the attractiveness of women. She tested this on images of various females, adding varying lengths of hair and showing these images to men.
Men also believes that long hair gives a perception of better genes. Author of the book “Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?” Jena Pincott affirms this perception by explaining that hair gives out a good health record because growing it to look thick and gorgeous takes years to achieve.
How Women React to Short Hair
Ironically, while men find women with short hair unattractive, other women find it daring and admirable. This is probably why single women have a set of strong-willed women as best friends, just take a look at Taylor Swift before she met Calvin Harris. She has surrounded herself with beautiful women and although they might look like the clique of popular girls in high school, people look at them collectively and say, “Wow, that’s one girl power!”
Speaking of high school, another proof that men like long-haired chicks better is how the jocks always date the cheerleaders or the popular, Mean Girl-ish girls. Why, even in chick flicks, popular girls are depicted as blonde, long shiny hair and beautiful. And, for the record, whenever the less popular, main character goes out to have a makeover, she ends up sporting sleek hair or bouncy curls, never a pixie cut.
Patti Stranger, the host of “The Millionaire Matchmaker” knows exactly the prejudice of having short hair because she deals with at work on a daily basis. She shares how millionaires prefer the same type of women when it comes to the beauty category – she needs to have long hair.
Her explanation, though slightly twisted, is men want women that way because that’s what they learned growing up. As little boys, they were surrounded with fairy tale characters with long, flowing hair. Rapunzel and Princess Aurora did not have bobs nor pixie cuts back in the day.
With this is mind, one might think, “Okay, I’m not getting that edgy bob. Instead, I’ll ask my stylist from Cost Cutters to make it look like Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde!” but really, it doesn’t matter at all. Haircuts should make people feel good about themselves, that’s why women spend almost the entire day in a salon. It’s about being beautiful, whether their hair is short, medium, or long.
Real men are now scarce anyway, so why bother listening to what they want? If they truly want to be with a woman and they truly like that woman, her hairstyle will not matter. Men need to understand that women are not just trophies that they can show their friends.
Besides, if worst comes to worst and the man of your dreams happens to be think like most men, you can always buy hair extensions or clip ons to put on your hair for your first date. That would be enough to impress him and if it does not work, then you’re better off without him.