Roland98

From another Christian forum (but not the Christian forum):

1) Huh? As if guy's hair naturally trims itself?
2) When the hell did the equation of feminity with long hair come into play? And short hair for men?

Is this Biblical? I know there are several verses about head coverings, and women not dressing like men, etc. I should re-read Genesis but I'm too lazy--but I don't recall "and He maketh Eve with long, flowing hair, and Adam shall come forth with a military buzz cut."

So wtf?

(Personally, I'm a female with long hair, but it has nothing to do with "because God said so;" rather, it's curly and length helps combat the frizz factor. )

notMichaelJackson

Haven't your read the OT? Men's hair gives them strength, not beauty.

Godless Wonder

1 Corinthians:011:014 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

So why is it all the Jesus pictures show a long haired hippy dude?

Kthulhu

Maybe that verse refers to braidable pubic hair, GW?

~The Thing That Should Not Be

Doctor X

What . . . you do not have self-trimming pubic hair?

Heathen!!

--J.D.

fried beef sandwich

Because that verse in Corinthians refers to corn rows, specifically, saith the Christian grasping at straws.

Roland98

Hmm, yeah, forgot about that one--I'll have to go re-read the story. But IIRC that still doesn't explain why for women, long hair=good. Are there provisions (in Leviticus or somewhere?) that prevent women from cutting their hair?

andy_d

It's not religious at all. Short hair for men came through simple practicality in warfare.

Short hair is easier and more hygienic to wear under a helmet. Hygiene was incredibly important to ancient armies, they used to lose more men to disease than enemy action. It's also more "uniform", which for highly disciplined (ie: highly effective) armies was important.

That's not to say that all soldiers have always been short haired (Spartans, anyone?) but just that it was found to be a good practice over time. By the time of Jesus we had the Roman Legions as the ultimate blueprint for military efficiency (and masculinity?), a blueprint which lasts to this day.

Incidentally, simple military pragmatism is the reason for many other habits, such as the long-standing persecution of left-handedness that only ended within the last couple of generations.

I guess the women=long hair thing came about because the women didn't want to look like soldiers. And i'll bet the men didn't want them to, either

Kintaro

Men only started to have short hair in the roman empire, mainly because they were so disgusted to losing so often to the Gaul that when they finally did win , they cut their long hair to shame/tame them. Empires rise and fall, and some places returned to their ways, some stuck with the Roman way of doing things. (Note it is only in the new Testament that such anti-hair propaganda exists) Times changed, so did politicking and coercion of the masses, therefore long hair was sometimes related to being detached from reality for men in this last century. (And sad to say it, Woodstock furthered this premise...)

But now, it's coming back among many people because they reject authority from their government/clergy/workplace (mostly workplace nowadays since they have authority on your paycheck)

Because that is what short hair used to mean. And for some it still means as such. For those who haven't, they're just like sheep following the masses. (Most, not all of course)

I myself have 19-inch hair (i think, take a standard keyboard, the one you might be typing on, add 3 inches.) and I'm not cutting it for nobody. It's not hatred of the bible's anti-hair statements, hatred of the military, hatred of the corporate culture, but of a hatred of bullshit that encompasses all them and more.

(P.S. I am not a hippie. Peace and Love are a hunk of shit.)

Magus55

European ideals and assumptions. Jesus was not a white, European with long hair and soft features.