A couple of conversations with men in the past two days have raised significant variations on the mutton question.
One points out that forty-something men do not think about, let alone obsess about or wish to wear what men in their twenties do, having (with the usual Rod Stewart exceptions) accepted that they are no longer gilded youth.
Another questions whether it is acceptable for a man in his fifties to have long hair.
Perhaps some male readers would like to contribute to this question.
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Mutton, or do I mean ram?
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6 comments:
My personal preference is for short hair on men, regardless of age. (I think the "high and tight" is the key to explaining why every single US Marine is ridiculously good looking.)
That said, I think many older men go for longer hair as proof of continued virility. We've all seen guys who are losing their hair on top and leaving it long everywhere else. It's self-deluding, and rather sad. My dad went bald in his late 20s and rocks his chrome dome! Just cut it off, guys!
As a man who used to have long hair, I can say that men should have long hair only on the following conditions:
They are Japanese.
They play lead guitar.
They are playing a viking warrior in a movie.
They cannot cut it for religious reasons.
But really, other than for the last reason, the answer is never.
This is probably seriously off the point, but I tend to obsess about men in their twenties who dress as though they were still wearing their father's cast-offs or, even better, Sunday best. One of the reasons men in, say, Istanbul are so much more attractive is that their idea of looking smart or dressing well has nothing at all do with a commercial image of sexiness. They don't, in other words, need to wear skin-tight tee-shirts and display bum cleavage to attract attention. They don't need to; it's automatic. (Obviously, this may not be a good thing from other angles.) Oh yes, and they always have short hair. A marketed (and entirely self-conscious) version of this look is Justin Timberlake on his last tour, with three piece suit and tie.
I wonder if any straight men will contribute to this post. If they do, I wonder what they'll say.
PS Thanks for the link!
Although men who are balding and have a ponytail are pathetic, I very much dislike the fascistic aesthetic, US Marine or other. Marines, SS, etc, make me want to vomit.
Some stray curls and locks are nice, even on the no longer young.
Hell will have a special corner occupied by elderly bald men with ponytails. They will be attended on by men of much the same age with scalps polished to billiard ball brightness.
A genius-style wind-blown mess or a crisp close cut are the main alternatives.
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