You Should Cut Your Hair

I met a fellow from the Czech Republic at a bar in a mountainous town over a few cold ones. As often happens, the topic of long hair came up. After some light hair talk and telling him about The Longhairs, he looked at me directly across the table and flatly said, "you should cut your hair."

Dead serious.

Did you not hear that part about the hair ties, and the whole community for guys growing their hair?

I was a little stunned, like, that’s the most preposterous thing you could possibly say to me. But beyond the shocking absurdity of his recommendation, it wasn’t that he was trying to be a jerk. Rather he was interested in my well-being, and believed life would be better for me with a high & tight haircut.

He kept taking his hat off and showing me his super short hair, rubbing it to apparently demonstrate how nice it felt, how easy to deal with and how great it looked. So great, in fact, that I should cut mine off too.

Perhaps sensing I wasn’t fully on board with his proposal, he asked me, “why have long hair?”

Just as I prepared to launch into a full-blown dissertation, we were interrupted and pulled away. I eventually drifted to the other side of the saloon, we never resumed our little chat, and I never saw him again.

Having missed the opportunity in person, I've taken the liberty of organizing my thoughts on the matter.

So, friend, here is my response...to you and to everyone who says "you should cut your hair."

Maybe I should. There are some compelling arguments for why you should cut your hair.

Long hair is a pain. You do learn to deal with it, after a while you almost forget about it, but there are regular reminders.

Like working out, playing sports, being outdoors, eating, sleeping, dressing for any occasion, riding roller coasters, making out, brushing your teeth and virtually every activity of daily life.

There’s having to shampoo and condition, blowdry, brush it, tie it up, and generally deal with it, rather than simply waking up and walking out the door.

Also it costs some money. Whether it’s shampoo or hair ties, you’re compelled to spend a little money on it which you wouldn’t have to spend otherwise.

Finally there’s all the shit you have to deal with from other people. Which has become meaningless to me, but it wasn't always.

I get it. The idea that you should cut your hair can sound appealing.

Let’s pretend we weren’t operating a community based on the premise of long hair, and that my livelihood wasn’t literally connected to my long locks. Let’s say I was just a regular guy letting the long hair flag fly, and that I would entertain the notion of cutting my hair off.

Having considered the benefits of short hair, the answer to the question of “why grow it long,” falls into several categories.

Long hair is an instant differentiator. Walk into a room with a hundred guys, five or 10 at most are gonna have flow, depending on where you pull your sample.

Granted, it’s not always good to be different, but I think of it (ironically) like a job application: you immediately want to set yourself apart and be memorable. Like it or don’t like it, long hair does that.

And while there are plenty of other ways to be different, none are quite so obvious or instantaneous as a streaming mane cascading down your shoulders.

Along with being different comes a certain required self-confidence. It takes a little bit of “I don’t care what other people think.” It’s not easy being different, and as we’ve seen more and more often, that’s especially apparent for little guys with long hair.

With confidence comes self-respect, self-esteem, and belief in your powers and abilities. If you ask me, those things are important. Maybe the most important.

That’s not to be confused with overconfidence or arrogance, because at the end of the day you gotta back it up. But if having long hair can help build and develop those self affirmations, then hell yes let it ride.

For me long hair symbolizes independence. It means I’m not in a position where someone else decides how long my hair should be, and that’s good because I prefer being the person who decides.

This is mostly with regard to employment. There are a lot of excellent and highly respected jobs and careers where you’re compelled to keep it short, and with respect for those positions, they simply aren’t for me.

The idea of someone telling me I have to cut my hair to work for them, choosing between a job or these golden tresses, is ridiculous. And lucky me, not everyone has that luxury, but it basically means I’m the master of my own fate and I hope to keep it that way.

Another reason I choose long hair is it’s all natural. It’s a sign of health, vigor and vitality. It’s a natural biological function, we only get short hair by augmenting that.

Not to say we should all grow out all the hair on our body, ok, but you get the idea. The hair grows for a reason. And there’s a lot of people who can’t grow it out, so why not take advantage of our follicle freedom while we have it?

There’s also a cultural aspect. Long hair in Native American culture, for example, is a spiritual artifact and for some tribes represents a connectedness with the earth.

I’m not Native American, but I can respect and appreciate their beliefs, and I do believe long hair creates a certain connectedness to our environment.

Beside the historical cultures of ancient tribes and people, long hair is a culture in itself.

We have a community, and beliefs and customs. We do #HairWhipWednesdays and celebrate our locks. Even guys who have never heard of The Longhairs know when they see other guys with long hair, it’s appropriate to respond with a subtle nod of understanding.

Lastly, it’s just badass. There are limitless long hairstyles to learn and experiment with. I can wear it with a hat or a beanie, tied up, straight or wavy.

Not to mention I can rip off a hailstorm of hair whips at any given moment, twist up a sick braid or choke someone out with it if needed. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but in any case the locks are just sick and I love having them.

The bottom line is, long hair makes me different. It’s unconventional. It makes people guess, keep ‘em wondering, “is this guy some kind of loose cannon?” or make their own assumptions.

Deep down, it forces people to recognize it’s not a person’s outward appearance, but the quality of their character and depth of their purpose. Which in itself is a greater platform for equality for everyone who’s different.

Thanks for the kind suggestion, but I’m going to keep lettin it ride.

I’m not going to insist you should grow your hair long, I think you should wear it however you like. But consider this: I had short hair for 30 years. I’m quite familiar with what it’s like, and so have the good fortune of experiencing both sides.

You didn’t mention if you’ve ever grown it out, but if you haven’t, maybe give it a try? Then you can fairly and objectively decide your preference.

And if that continues to be short, then you should cut your hair! In the meantime I'm going to keep lettin it ride.

Did we miss anything? Any other reasons why we should cut it...or why we should keep lettin' it ride? Why not share in the comments?