Long Hair Over 40

It doesn't matter where I look or what I read.  It seems that just about everyone in the world of fashion and the professional hair styling pundits seem to agree that women over the age of 35 or 40 should not have hair any longer than shoulder length. 

Well, I'm not buying it.  Undoubtedly, there are many women who for a variety of their own reasons like to keep shorter hair and of course, many look lovely.  But there are still others who want to wear their hair long and get it cut because they think they "should".  So they end up getting "mom" cuts that they don't really like, but that makes them feel as though they are part of the crowd.

It is those women to whom I write today.

Do you feel more age appropriate with shorter hair, or do you just feel old?  I know myself that when I had hair above the shoulder, I felt more matronly, and it just didn't feel like me.  Do I want to be younger than I am?  No.  But I do want to be myself, and being myself means having longer hair.  I just feel happier with it.  And I really believe that being happy with oneself is a truly important thing.

Of course, one might find that it's not appropriate to wear one's hair loose in a business environment, but there are a wealth of hairstyles that are both business-like and attractive.  Wearing hair up doesn't have to mean a severe updo.  There are plenty of styles that are serious and at the same time flattering.  It might take a few experiments to find just the right style, but I guarantee that there is a hairstyle that is both attractive and businesslike for everyone.

Also, is it really so terrible to still feel feminine and sensual after the age of 35 or 40?  These days, women live much longer, and 40 is not what it was 50 years ago.

I look at some lovely older women such as Faye Dunaway and Meryl Streep.  Both of them wear hair longer than shoulder length and in my opinion, they look lovely, and yes, sexy.  Is that a crime?

I think that in 2010, we women can feel confident in being ourselves whether that means wearing shorter hair or longer hair.  We can define what it means to be a woman of a certain age.  We don't need to listen to the so-called experts.  While there are some who say that an older woman with long hair is just trying to relive her youth, I don't agree.  I think it's all about looking the way we want to look and feeling comfortable in our own skin.  To me, that's what  being a woman is all about, whatever the age.

Here is a photo of me with short hair when I was 37 and below a photo of me with longer hair at 48.  Yes, I clearly look older at 48, because I am, but I look the way I want to look; not the way an "expert" or society at large tells me.  It makes me happy and I like how I feel. And I'm good with that.