Most guys I know prefer long hair on girls. Some even go so far as to say they think girls look masculine. I don't get it. I'm a girl, and I have short hair. I know several girls who have short hair and they look very feminine (some even look more feminine and better all-around, as I've heard about myself). Do guys really prefer long hair on girls just because they think it looks better/more feminine/more youthful? Why? That seems a bit shallow. Is there another reason or is this just an incorrect generalization?

On the flip side, girls, what do you think about short hair on your fellow females? I've heard that some girls think that a girl with short hair is praised because she's not competition. I think some girls really do look better with short hair. I think it looks healthier and suits their face and/or personality better.

Also, why do people think a girl is trying to look like an anime character when she cuts her hair and dyes it a darker shade? I don't see it and I think that point is silly.

Any thoughts? I definitely want to read them. :)

I would say that's an incorrect generalization ^_^
There are guys out there who perfer girls with long hair, there are guys out there who prefer girls with short hair. It all depends on their personal preference. Sometimes, girls with short hair have hairstyles that really do look masculine, but this kind of hairstyle can also be flattering for them, there's no way to give a definite answer about that. I suppose some guys don't like it when a girl looks like she could possibly be a guy, or if a girl's short hairstyle just doesn't suit them in some way (say, for example, it was too 'flipped out' if you know what I mean).

I'd say guys think girls with long hair believe it makes the girls look more feminine, for sure. However, it might not necessarily make them look youthful, if the hairstyle is done incorrectly or in a weird way. (Think old wrinkly witch with long hair O_O). Hair, just like curves and a healthy body, are indicators of fertility and health, which appeals to guys because they technically are subconsiously choosing their future 'mates' based upon how well the guys think they can rear children. So long hair can suggest that the female has enough nutrition to grow her hair so long, so that might be a reason why it appeals to guys (on a psychological level). I would also blame media, since long hairstyles (such as the flipped out bangs and wavy hair combination) are made very popular by celebrities. Guys may be influenced by the media, and thus, they may think that long hair is what they prefer, but it may not be the case at all!

Since I'm a girl myself, I can offer my opinion on your question :D
I think girls with short hair are very brave and are unafraid to stand out! If it looks well on them, than that's even better! I don't agree with how short hair equals less competition for long-haired girls, because again, there are many guys out there who love short hairstyles since it projects confidence, which is a huge plus. Definitely, short hair may suit some people due to bone structure or whatnot, but sometimes it doesn't suit them, and that's very unfortunate. I still like long hair better because I think you can do more with it style-wise. (You can put it up, put it in a bun, put it in long braids, curl it into long curls, wave it...the list goes on).

Well it depends on how the person has cut their hair to look like an anime character, right? If they dyed their hair darker (do you mean brown, or black, or some other color?) I don't really think they're trying to look like an anime character. Unless the girl copies an anime character's hairstyle+color exactly, I don't think it can be called 'copying', exactly. However, it is true that girls who dye their hair that characteristic brown color and curl/wave/straighten it are mostly trying to look like famous asian celebrities, and that could be related to trying to look like an anime character. Of course, sometimes girls don't dye+cut hair to look like someone, they merely do it to be different, and that should be praised; but we can't judge someone without knowing all the details, right?

Hehe, sorry about that, I blabbed on for quite a bit ^.^;;
Hope it makes sense somehow :P

I think the main reason why girls try to keep their hair reasonably short is because if it gets too long it starts to become a problem of taking care of it. You have to wash it more thoroughly, it takes longer to dry it, you have to comb it etc. I know when my hair starts to get long it starts to get a bit annoying so I go for a haircut.

In anime, I think girls look great with long hair. Many of my favorite female anime characters have long hair, though there are also ones I like that have short hair. The percentage of real girls in real life that have long hair pale in comparison to girls in anime who have long hair.

As to what people prefer, it's all down to personal taste.

Nice blab hikarichan. I agree with you.

I'm a guy and I like both. I don't have a preference, some girls look good in short and others in long.
But damn one friend of mine had awesome long hair. You could say it was her pride and joy.

WHAM! then she cut it off i was like HOLY SHiiiiii
but she looked good as hell with short hair.

I haven't seen anyone go from short to long so I can't really tell the other side of the story but i think the fact that it was new and fresh was what made her short hair appealing + it was done perfectly, not some birds nest lol

Well I can only speak for myself but I like short hair with glasses most. Throw in a dash of modest clothing (as in not flashing or revealing) with a mix of nerd and hard working college girl and I'm pretty much falling all over myself for these girls. I'm not impressed by good looks, but modesty and hard work on the other hand I am.

Short hair For The Win!

While I cannot speak for all males, or any really, I can speak for my ex and one of my best friends. Both of them hated short hair. When I was with my ex, I cut my hair once, and he was like- uhh- I can't believe I'm going out with a boy. My best friend would also be like- man- you cut your hair and you look like a boy- and then he tried to make it better by saying, not just you- all chicks- but the damage was done.

Nickname3girl, a lot of the guys that I've met are like that as well- but like Longbow said, long hair takes a lot of time to take care of. I have naturally nappy hair- for those of you who don't know what it's like- let's just say- it fights back. I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there that are into chicks with short hair. Apparently none of them live within a 20 mile radius of me.

Depends on the girl, but most of the time, long hair looks better, in my opinion. I've only seen a few girls that look better with short hair. Same goes for blonds. I've heard a lot people say that all guys like blonds, well I say bullshit. I not only don't like blonds, I tend to stay away from anything blond. There are some exceptions of course.

I don't know how short hair you have, I am a girl too and the shortest haircut I've had was to my throat and perhaps a bit shorter, and that was because my mom so much enjoyed to see me with short hair... anyways, since then I have disliked short hair (on myself that is) and prefer to have long hair. BUT, that doesn't change my opinion about how other girls have their hairstyles, because I think that there are girls that are very beautiful with short haircuts, the same attractive and everything else. I don't know but maybe someday I will change my mind and cut my hair short, because I like to try new hairstyles, is that going to make guys think I am awful? in that case, they don't know what it means to want someone, to judge by the looks isn't to want someone, it's to enjoy the looks, and I don't want a guy to solely want me for my looks. If I want to have a short haircut then it's up to me, do I like it?

I can't speak for the guys I know, but I think short hair on a girl can look very attractive. Though, I don't think it's a style meant for all girls.

Depending on the cut it can look very cute, or even devilishly seductive. It was always my impression, for example, that the turn of the century flapper hairdo carried a sort of noir-ish charm to it. Or even, I found the distinguished French actress Audrey Tatou's short cut in her film "Amelie" to be very charming and captivating. From a more topical perspective, Rei Ayanami from Evangelion has short hair and is practically an idol. There are a plethora of examples where short hair is considered attractive.

Of course, this really depends on what type of a short cut we're talking about. Bald cuts, bowler, or super-short can tend towards looking rather butchy. This can turn away even the most understanding guys (ambiguity, for many men I imagine, is not a very appealing trait).

Though, all things considered it's really a matter of cultural perspective, isn't it? There was even a time in our history when the prevailing perspective was that overweight women were considered particularly effeminate, even desirable, whereas nowadays it's considered to be rather off-putting. That said, it would be very interesting indeed to meet someone capable of standing beyond their life conditioning and perceiving the world on its fundamental merits... as they say, beauty is only skin deep.

On a final note... I believe (from personal experience) that it's probably a lot more convenient for a girl to have a short haircut. I was adventurous once and sported a long hair-style, and can attest to how annoying it can be to keep clean. It can also be aggravating when you're exercising or doing a variety of commonplace activities.

I suppose ultimately it's a matter of taste and convenience.

Well in some cases as some of you already mentioned it depends on the type of lady. But in general we males prefer women with longer hair, simply because long hair makes the women look more feminine and sexier.

I wouldn't for example consider chin height hair length short hair...

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long hair makes the women look more feminine and sexier

I think exactly the same.

I think it depends on what you define as short or long.

For me I consider Hair noticeably longer than shoulder length as long. I don't mind, but I don't particularly go for it. I consider Hair between earlobe and shoulder length as medium length. This seems to be my preference. Somewhere between there is really nice on a girl I think(actually guys can really look good with hair that length too). Short hair is hair that I can easily tell is shorter than ear length. Frankly, I don't find that hair length as suiting to most girls. However, I still refuse to discount it out right. I may not yet have seen such a style that I thought was gorgeous on a girl, but then again I don't see many 'short' haired girls and many of them that I have known admit to doing to look 'tougher' or 'butch'. Thus, I don't think it would be fair to grade all short hair on my impressions on them.

Of course my length classifications may be different than that of a girls(I am a guy after all). And since we have others posting their hair lengths. Currently my hair stretches beyond my shoulders so I have long hair(took forever to grow out, I figured I would try long hair styles while I can, my family balds very early... I'll be lucky if I have all my hair in my early 30's). Not really difficult for me to take care of, but then again I don't bother keeping it 'perfect'. I can brush it while doing stuff that I normally need to do(thus I don't take any longer getting ready than usual), and in the shower I was never one much for shampoo(I already have dander issues, and the barber told me I shouldn't use Shampoo unless really needed since it will exasperate the issue... I even needed medicated shampoo at one point :().

And I should end my ramble :/.

I think that generalisation is incorrect nowadays. Formerly, long hair may have been praised as a very feminine attribute in Western societies, but there were many either cultures that valued long hair for different reasons (eg. it was a proxy for a person's health, wisdom and/or longevity).

Long hair makes your face look longer and thinner, and the converse applies for short hair. Depending on the shape of a girl's face, short hair might really suit her.

Also, you'll find that most girls that had really short hair when they were young, will probably opt for longer hair when they become young adults and then a bit shorter when they reach middle-age (busy mothering = less time to manage/deal with longer hair). Conversly, girls that had long hair when they were younger tend to have shorter hair when they get older.

I tend to like long hair over short. It depends on the girl tho; a girl w/ a round face looks typically better w/ short hair. Long hair is great if it's soft ^^ Short hair looks cute, long hair is beautiful; I like both.

Nature dictates no woman is hotter than those with a long ponytail

my opinion > your argument in detail.

if you don't agree you clearly do not value the fragrance, texture, feel of long hair, and especially from a distance. Hence your argument is invalid.