I like it.

Thanks. I just have to fit it somewhere, probably a city.

Hey, I like that idea just fine; I'm all for everyone going bald! My dad would like it too.

eru

Well I wouldn't, for one. I quite like my hair. (even if it is wild and untamable...)

*laughs* This is a thread for short hair on men, so you're ok, BushMaid.

*headdesk*

I think you're good, Bush.

I'm trying to decide whether y'all are off-topic or not.

Bald is short.

*laughs* They're on topic, but it's a stretch...

Ha! Hahaha! Funniest thing I've read all day.

Y'all talking about whether we are off topic or not is more off topic then we were.

We are off topic. Most definitely. Let's quit putting the spotlight on my horrendous blunder now, shall we?

And that was most off-topic...

*cough*

Well... I make my guy characters however I draw them. If I draw them with kinda long hair - I never draw lower than the shoulders - that is how they look in writing. - and they usually end up looking like my brother Gabe.*LOL*
My latest drawing of a guy looked SO much like him I thought of naming the character Gabe. (his slightly curved grin was an almost perfect replica!)
But-ahem- if I draw them with shortish hair they have short hair.

That's cool that you draw your characters! I want to work up the skill to do that.

I like this thread.

Some people seem to think of hairstyles as merely decorative. But, at least when it comes to cutting hair, letting it grow long, or shaving it, God has shown a different kind of interest in hair than those kinds of people might expect.

Of course the hair is part of the human body, so it would seem reasonable for God to be concerned about how we treat the image of God. So, though it is not nearly as serious, God is probably concerned about how we treat our hair for the same reason he is concerned about murder.

The old testament priests were not allowed to shave their hair off or let it grow. Paul said it is a shame for a man to have long hair, or for a woman to have short hair. But part of the vows of a Nazarite was not to cut the hair at all, and then to shave it all off when the time of the vow was over. Believe it or not it was part of the law that if some one wanted to marry a woman that was part of the loot of a city, she must shave her head and pare her nails.

In Fantasy, I do not believe I would mind men or women that shaved their head, as long as it had some profound significance (preferably based on the cobha of an Otherworld), and I would say the same for men with long hair.

I think it would be good to introduce shorter hairstyles to Fantasy, as long as it was connected to some Fantasy culture. I think it would seem authentic. Longer hair need not be discarded though, as long as it was also connected to a culture.

I do not think some ones hair can really be called long unless it falls past the shoulders when the person is looking forward. I think it is a good point that when women cut their hair short men are usually forced to cut their hair even shorter to be considered masculine.

In the Familiar world I believe that long hair is a shame for a man, a glory for a woman, unless you are a modern day Nazarite (if there is such a thing), or human plunder. I think shaving is ridiculous, but there are very short hairstyles that I like, which are little longer than stubble.

That was a wonderful post, Tsahraf! Thanks so much for sharing.

*Agrees* Very good post, Tsahraf! Thanks.

You're welcome. What do you think?

One thing I keep seeing y'all say is that your roving characters let their hair grow because they're always on the move and haircuts would be an inconvenience. The thing is that long hair would be even more inconvenient.(Keep in mind that I am a guy intentionally growing my hair out for charity so this isn't a point of convictions for me as much a statement of reality.) Especially if you consider that a razor to the hair every week or so would mean a lot less inconvenience than risking leaving hair that could be traced and infestation by lice, fleas, and other parasites. Not to mention when you're trekking through the forests, long hair is a lot easier to get tangled in trees than short hair. Also, with long hair you sweat more than you do with short hair, which would be a big deal if you did a lot of walking/running on a regular basis. True, in winter the extra insulation would be helpful, so it would possibly make sense for them to grow it out during the fall and winter and then cut it during spring and summer; but to assume that rover-type figures would let their hair go out of neglect might not actually be a very logical conclusion.

Obviously not my entire view on the topic, but I figured I'd address that point if nothing else

Good thoughts, Seer! Thanks for sharing.

I agree with that Seer.

Maybe there should be an article written about ancient hair-cutting.

I think it's safe to assume a lot of people would be interested in an article on the aforementioned.

Good thoughts Seer - I've missed your posts.

eru

Good thoughts there Seer.
Just to take it the other way a bit, cutting your hair whilst you're on the move or living in the woods would be way down on your priority list. Also, has anyone here ever tried to cut hair with a knife? Very painful even if it is really sharp. Plus if you're by yourself and cut your hair on your own, it could make for some interesting looks next time you made it into civilization.

Very astute observations, Jem.

My Dad can cut his own hair, and it looks like the barber did it. It's not that hard (says the girl who would never dream of cutting her own hair). At least Daddy says it isn’t. Especially when you consider a majority of people cut their own hair back then. There wasn't a convenient local barber around.

I'd like to add something here. Cutting your own hair with the available materials is a skill. Like anything, it takes practice. If you're used to it, it seems easy to you and you can get a good cut. If you're not used to it, and you find yourself in a position needing to do it... it might not go so well the first few times.

All of this is information we should use when building cultures and characters. Where did your character come from? How did that culture treat hair? Is he used to adventuring in the woods, or is this a new experience for him? All of these factors will play into how your character handles his hair, so use them to your advantage to give your character the hairstyle that fits your story and convictions.

And remember - this is fantasy. Characters aren't limited to the traditional historical tools. If you want to make it easy for people to cut their hair, invent something! Have a kid from our world visit and give them all a shave. Or for what it's worth, design a fantasy race who's hair grows to a certain length and not a mite longer for the rest of their life. (Now that'd be interesting...)

You're a writer. You can write your convictions into your book. Realism need not stop you; in fact, it works for you when you design the rules of your fantasy cultures. If you want a character to maintain a short hairstyle while he's trekking around in the woods, write it that way.

Well said, Aubrey. *resists instinctive urge to call her Phili*

Thank you, sir. (And you needn't resist on my account.)

I certainly don't, even though I told her I thought she made a wise move.

Why Phili, Seer? Is she a colt or something? Aubrey, have you been hiding something? *gives Aubrey a piercing glare*

*confused smile* Um, what?

*bursts out laughing*

Aubrey used to be Philadelphia, which is a long name to type. So, we shrank it to Phili.

Correction: Airianna coined the diminutive form "Philli," which also appears as "Phili" or "Philly" depending on your HW dialect.

*still doesn't understand what Ethrae meant*

Okay. I wasn't sure who coined it.

*stops to avoid being farther off-topic*

*giggles at Philli and loves her *

No one else got Nirra's joke? I thought it was kinda obvious...

I'm kinda dense this week. That happens when your brain is overloaded and going at 100 mph.

A filly is a young female horse.

And we are way off topic.

Aww sorry I didn't look back at this for so long
Ok...
A Philly - or however you spell that - is a female colt.
No offense Aubrey

Back on topic, please, y'all.

whah???

She means we need to stop chattering about horses and stick to the topic of short hair. Thanks for explaining, though. I feel idiotic now, in a good way.

oops, sorry
Yeah... * picks up a trumpet *
Back to topic!!!!
* blows trumpet *
wait... I should have blown the trumpet first, then announced that, right?
Oh well

Ooh I didn't realise you were talking to me here, Tsahraf, I only just thought.

Anyhow, I think I have, somewhere on the thread. *Goes to search out my post*

Ok, I thought I had posted my thoughts.....but it seems that I haven't. So here goes.

I don't know a whole lot about fantasy, but I do think that if you have a lot of different cultures in your fantasy world, it's good to have them all different. I think in some ways hair styles/lengths and so on can be connected to culture.

Personally I prefer men to have short hair, because I think a man with long hair can look womanly, and I believe it's the women who should have the longer hair.

However, I don't believe my writing should just mirror my preferences and likes and dislikes. They should be in some ways, realistic. So for instance, I might have a people in my world, and the men may have longer hair, and another race whose men have short hair. Just because I prefer men to have short hair, that doesn't mean all the guys in my book should have short hair.

I have to go now, but I might come back later with more thoughts.

Good thoughts, Elanor. Thanks for sharing. I agree that the culture in our books doesn't (and, perhaps, shouldn't) always reflect our beliefs and preferences. In fact, if the culture in your book went against your beliefs, and your main character adhered your standards in spite of it, that would make an even stronger statement. The culture we live in doesn't share our beliefs, but we make a statement by adhering to our beliefs even if they aren't "trendy" or "standard." It all depends on your purpose for the book, however.

Mmm, mmm.
*Agrees with both Elanor and Aubrey*