Long hair on boys still polarizing

[Rhonda Jean]

Got my hair done this morning and the subject of long hair on boys turned into a salon-wide debate. I'm not sure if my presence there intensified or moderated the dabate, but either way it was an earfull. Those in favor and those against were probably split about 50/50, but the negatives were much more forceful. I sort of got the idea that they were using me as an example of what can happen if you let a boy have long hair, although I was never singled out. For that matter no one let on that they could tell I wasn't a woman, but I'm sure that everyone could.

The loudest of the negatives was a woman whose grandson had to have his hair cut before he could start school, and she was so glad that happened! Another hoped her grandson would have to.

The reasons were the usual... Head lice, hair in the eyes so they can't see, dangerous on the playground, lazy (?). I think the only one that came close to the real reason was, "makes him look like a girl."

I don't know where these grandkids live, but it's obviously not an enforced public school rule around here. I see a lot of boys with long hair. I remember one from this year out of Texas where the parents of a 4 year old were fighting the ruling prohibiting their kid from attending what must have been preschool.

I started to school in 1963 in a less-than-urban school district. There were definitely rules against boys having long hair. My mother was called to the principles office as soon as school started. I don't know exactly what transpired, but I didn't have to cut my hair. Happened again with a new principle in 3rd or 4th grade, same result. I dont remember being really hassled about it. Comments, yes. Ridiculed? If it happened it was insignificant enough that I don't remember it. Most of the comments from other boys were that they wished their parents would let them have long hair.

Anyway, now it's 2010, and the same old issue with the same old bogus reasoning is still going on, and it's still a part of the enforced dress code in many school districts. It is incredible to me that as PC as schools are required to be with everything else that the length of a boys hair is even on the radar. Since it is, I wish they'd be upfront and honest about the reason why. The real reason, of course, is that it is FEMININE. End of story. Head lice, can't see, blah blah blah.... BS! If those were legitimate reasons, they obviously wouldn't let girls have long hair either!

Another thing is what is considered long hair on boys. Touching the shirt collar is long? Covering their ears is long? Oh, come on! What possible bearing could the length of a boy's hair have on his getting an education?

To me this is a separate debate from adult work palce rules. Largely, those rules are at the whim of the owners, and as an adult you can either choose to abide or go elsewhere. It isn't that easy for a kid in a public school. This is entirely a choice that should be left up to the parents, and their motivations for allowing it or encouraging it are immaterial.

I am absolutely certain that if I were engaged in such a debate and those opposed where honest, they'd point at me and say, "That's the reason boys shouldn't have long hair!" I'd prefer that to having them say it's because it gets in their eyes. Give me a break!

If that were the partent's reason, fine. I may not agree with it, but I'm not the parent. It's their perogative. But it's not the parent's! It's a school board or some government entity that deems that boys hair must be kept short so that they can see the board. Girls, it seems, are smart enough to push their hair out of their eyes if it bothers them. I suppose it is known that boys just sit there unaware that their vision is blocked. Perhaps it should be added to the health class curriculum... if you're having difficulty seeing beyond your hair, try pushing your hair to the side. God forbid using a headband, a barette, or a bobby pin.


OK, I'm stepping down from the soapbox!

[JohnH]

Rhonda,

I really don't know where to start about the really disgusting double standards imposed on men vs. women as far as grooming and clothing.

If I read that there is a dress code that forbids boys to have long hair in my school district rest assured I will raise hell.

I for one have natural long hair - longer than my wife's. Fortunately in my case the criticisms have been almost non-existent since enough men wear long hair in the Dallas, TX area.

It seems men simply do not have the intestinal fortitude to go beyond the narrow straitjacket of what is acceptable for them. I read an article in Fox News about how physicists wonder how women can walk in high heels. Instead of simply buying the shoes and walking around in them, they act sort of like medieval natural philosophers discussing Aristotle instead of using the experimental method. I responded about how I as a man can walk around just fine with 4 inch heels and I can walk with a normal stride with 2.75 inch heels. Some male with a fragile ego wrote that there might be a problem with my gender identity.

[DonnaT]

I am absolutely certain that if I were engaged in such a debate and those opposed where honest, they'd point at me and say, "That's the reason boys shouldn't have long hair!"
The problem with that argument, many of us didn't have long hair. Mine was kept in a buzz cut.

A friend of mine was an excellent baseball pitcher, but chose not to play high school ball because the coach wanted him to cut his hair. The school's loss.

[Jorja]

Whoa, Time Warp!!!!!! 9 February 1964 The Ed Sullivan Show, watched by approximately 74 million viewers—over 40 percent of the American population. Everyone over the age of 25 all said…… OMG, look at their long hair!!!!! They look like a bunch of girls!!!!! This was the start of a revolution. From this day forward long hair was the devils work.

[Jonianne]

I didn't have long hair back then, but by 1972 in my high school, there were guys with very long hair and in all the public high schools I have seen since then, there hasn't been any public school opposition to it, except maybe in the sports area. Now though, look at all the football players with extremely long hair, even in high schools. Even in this super conservative military area of Tidewater, Virginia, I don't often get a second glance with my femme style long hair. I think things have changed quite a bit even since the early seventies.

Most guys with long hair don't even do the care for it like we do, so I think society should think it's even better that we do wash and condition and style it at least every other day and not let it just be a stringy pony tail. So society should have less complaints toward us, if we treat our hair, like women have always had to do.

[Pythos]

Sexism. Pure and simple. Any kind of one sided rule about how a can dress or groom themselves is based soley on sexism. These old bats in that hair salon should really know better.

[Danni Bear]

A lot of the time I don't really think it is so much about the length of a boys or mens hair as it is about the way it is cut or styled. There are still a considerable number of men and women who feel that there should be different styles and cuts for men and women. Ever so slowly the inhibations and societal standards are changing. As with any change it takes time and seeing those changes before it is accepted. As a young crossdresser in the 60's it was almost unseen to find a young man with long hair before 64 and the BEATLES and then the "hippe" of the mid 60's. Why this crazy obcession with men having short hair ever came about is lost in history, even as late as the early 20'th century men regularly had longer hair, though that may be because of America being a more rural country and having fewer barbers or TONSORIAL PARLOURS as they were known.

Danni

[JohnH]

I decided that I could have long hair when I saw a number of women that had hair shorter than I use to wear before I let my hair grow out. As it is my hair is longer than more than half of the women in the church choir who are older.

I see short hair more with women in their 50's and 60's than with younger women, which is curious because one would think they were the ones to make sure there's a distinction between men's hair and women's hair.

I'm glad to see football players have long hair. I may sort of look like a girl even in drab, but I sure do not sound like a girl with my deep voice.

[Rhonda Jean]

Whoa, Time Warp!!!!!! 9 February 1964 The Ed Sullivan Show, watched by approximately 74 million viewers—over 40 percent of the American population. Everyone over the age of 25 all said…… OMG, look at their long hair!!!!! They look like a bunch of girls!!!!! This was the start of a revolution. From this day forward long hair was the devils work.

Oh yea, that was some LONG hair! Almost covered their ears, as I recall.


That was 46 years ago. Through all the changes in popular fashion (clothing and hair), the visibility of long hair in athletics, film, music, academia, everyday life, everywhere... that people can still become so agitated over long hair on a boy. Besides that, the very people who grew up in the 60's, 70's, and 80's are the people making the rules now, yet the school dress codes prohibiting long hair on boys still exist.

I can't remeber their names right now, but there are a couple of actresses who have boys with long hair and they get all kinds of grief over it. It is beyond me why people even care. Just another of the many things I don't get.

[Jorja]

There is a reason poor as it may be. I am sure you have heard the debate over school uniforms. If we make them all look alike and dress alike nobody is better than the next. Look at the military for an example. The same applies to boys hair length.

[Jay Cee]

There is only one justifiable reason I can think of to enforce a long hair ban, and that has to do with safety around equipment (ie: power tools like a drill press). Like others have mentioned, that ban should be extended to girls as well.

Then again, maybe they should conform. That way, they will be better prepared for a lifetime of following the rules, wearing proper business attire, etc,. etc :rolleyes:

[Patty B.]

Started k in 1956 no such thing as a guy with long hair in our surburban town. Guess it didn't make a difference as far as I was concerned.

[Olivia2]

Rhonda,

Interesting that before I saw your post I was talking with a genetic woman friend of mine about my own long hair. I present as male but for some reason lately have been very reluctant to cut my hair. Been debating about getting a gender neutral cut or even a woman's cut just to see what it looks like and then cutting/styling it in a more traditionally/culturally sanctioned male way.

Anyway, I was telling this woman who knows nothing of my CDing side that I know I'll have to get a hair cut soon as I'm expecting to be interviewing for a new job (my current employer is very flexible regarding hairstyles, etc.) and as your observations show, longer hair on men is likely to have a negative impression and possibly hinder my desire to make a positive impression. I was telling her that the first thing one thinks of when seeing long hair on a man is that he is either a musician, artistic, unemployed, or marginally homeless. Interestingly, she said she liked it and even suggested I could slick it back on an interview.

My point is that even I without thinking have a narrow opinion of long hair on men, although feminine is not what came to my mind. Now you are talking about boys also, and the labels I have used would not apply to them, except artistic/musician. Some guys with long hair wear it rather messily and in an unkempt manner and I believe that is to avoid appearing feminine in their look.

In a recent post on the media forum, I linked an article where a genetic male football player got kicked off his team for wearing pink cleats. No doubt that was for the appearance of being feminine. I doubt most other colors would have caused that kind of negative response from his coach.

[juno]

The reasons were the usual... Head lice, hair in the eyes so they can't see, dangerous on the playground, lazy (?).
Those reasons are totally irrational. How can anyone cay that seriously and not apply it to girls?? For much of my childhood, my dad had long hair and so did I. (My dad is an artist, and was dressing hippie with bandana style.) My school didn't have specific male hair rules, even when I was in Catholic grade school. Maybe it was more liberal than most due to being near the San Francisco, CA area? I was the only boy in clas with really long hair. I don't remember it ever being a problem for anyone. I was also an altar boy for a while, and still no male hair restrictions.

[Alice Torn]

Long hair surely has not hurt Tim Lincecum , star pitcher of the San Fransisco Giants. He is awesome! But, he is really rare in baseball, with such long hair.

[Frédérique]

Anyway, now it's 2010, and the same old issue with the same old bogus reasoning is still going on, and it's still a part of the enforced dress code in many school districts. It is incredible to me that as PC as schools are required to be with everything else that the length of a boys hair is even on the radar. Since it is, I wish they'd be upfront and honest about the reason why. The real reason, of course, is that it is FEMININE.

I remember a time when long hair was the norm – what happened? Everybody is so serious about things these days. Let’s see if I can talk around this issue without derailing the thread…

We live in US vs. THEM times, and certain individuals have been placed on a pedestal to be honored repeatedly, regardless of whether or not anything has been accomplished. Guess what? These heroic individuals all have short hair, or shaved heads, a pre-requisite for group-think and pack mentality exercises. Enter a boy who wishes to be more…sensitive. He wants to keep his long hair, but everybody else (his family, his peers, and other influential adults) want him to conform and be like everyone else – he’s being groomed (literally) to fulfill the expectations of those around him. In the underdeveloped minds of the status quo, long hair is the first symptom of sensitivity, girly-ness, or…gasp…gay proclivities. The boy is happy, and he wants to remain happy, but that will not be allowed, not here, not now, in 2010. Cut the hair, wipe that smile off your face, and toss that innocent, charming personality in the dumpster. We have a special prize for all boys who conform – it’s called P.T.S.D.


I am absolutely certain that if I were engaged in such a debate and those opposed where honest, they'd point at me and say, "That's the reason boys shouldn't have long hair!"

Of course, and why is a feminine boy such a bad thing? During puberty you’re faced with many choices, and many different paths to take in life. Nobody wants a boy to choose the path where he’s stepping out of his assigned gender for pleasure or necessity – imagine being forced to “tuck away” everything you hold dear, just to fulfill some assigned role in society. Meanwhile, you’re told that you can do anything, or be anyone you wish to be, as long as it is pre-approved by those you need to impress…

Louise beat me to it, but I was watching the World Series a couple of weeks ago, and my sister kept mentioning Giant’s pitcher Tim Lincecum”s long hair, saying “isn’t that awful” every time she saw him. Really? I liked him immediately, because he was different from all the others – he shaves, too!
:eek:


Those reasons are totally irrational. How can anyone cay that seriously and not apply it to girls??

Exactly! :doh:

[Chiana]

The reasons were the usual... Head lice, hair in the eyes so they can't see, dangerous on the playground, lazy (?).

Two points: When I was younger and had hair, my long hair got snagged in a boring machine and it slammed my head into the stock of the boring bar and it pulled out a patch of hair. Men or women who work around machinery need to restrain their hair. It never occurred to me before that. Second: When I went into the service and they were giving us all our customary buzz cuts, I was amazed and appalled at how scroungy some of the guys scalps were. It was really disgusting. I am pretty sure any girl’s hygiene habits are much better than many of those guys.

[Jenny Gurl]

When they shave the guys heads in basic training for the military they told us it was for lice, I told the guy behind me that " I guess the female recruits are immune to lice" If they want to play the lice card, make sure everyone shaves their bodies too:heehee: It is a matter of trying to force children to adhere to a stereotype and accept discipline without question, a tactic I don't care for. The news story in question was a Catholic school which is a private school so they can set the rules. I would never send my kid to one of those type schools as I don't want them to fear authority to the point of not being themselves. Here is a link to the story in question.

http://www.sodahead.com/living/should-boy-have-been-booted-from-school-over-long-hair/question-1311693/?page=15

He was growing it to donate for cancer survivors to honor his grandfather who died of cancer.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39952369/

[Angie G]

It just shouldn't even be an issue. If it;s not there boy get over it.I've hAde long hair offand on for most of my life And got some S^*t about it here and there. Why do they care. Or is it just something to bich about.:hugs:
Angie

[LynnInDenver]

My parents stopped making nearly the noise about it once I donated a whole 12" last year for cancer wigs. One of my aunts made some noise recently when she saw a photo of me.

Oddly, I don't get any real comment at work from customers about it, and my coworkers certainly haven't.

[Marissa]

Rhonda,
Anyway, I was telling this woman who knows nothing of my CDing side that I know I'll have to get a hair cut soon as I'm expecting to be interviewing for a new job (my current employer is very flexible regarding hairstyles, etc.) and as your observations show, longer hair on men is likely to have a negative impression and possibly hinder my desire to make a positive impression.

Rhonda, my thoughts are the same in reference to needing a hair cut before applying for employment and doing an interview. Takes that to get in the door and in some cases, you can let it grow from there.

I recently retired from military so having to be within regs for so many years, I decided to let my hair grow. I had to chuckle on my reaction when it finally started touching my ear more, I would swat at the tickle thinking it was a nat or misquito :) Its now particially halfway down the BIG ears :) and alittle over 2 inches in the back. I so want to keep the length and will do what I can to keep it, but can forsee giving into cutting the sides until employment is found. I want the length to go until I can put in ponytail, longer if I can get away with it.

I went to visit my last place of duty in Waco, doing the whole 'request to come aboard' (its done to teach tradition to young Sailors), flashing my new retire i.d. well many did double takes or later said I was viewed as just another civilian until they got a better look. I found only a hand full that their expression said it all, that they did not agree with the 'hippy' look. While others were envious.. course I had to smile when most of the females between 20-30 were pleased with the new look and thought I should let it grow. A few ran their hands through it as the softness had returned.

I say 'returned' because in the early 80's for my first 3 yrs of enlistment, I pushed the edge on wearing my military cut. Yes it was short in the back and sides, but the front top was long enough to come down to my chin, so I had to slick it back :) Instead of the barbar, I would go next door to the hair salon to have a shampoo/cut. The women would love to run thier hands through my hair just to feel how soft it was. Always brightened my day :)

And until 2003, I had my hair parted down the middle..here is another view of being a 'druggy' that I heard many times. I have even toyed with the idea of going back to a partial part in the middle. Its to the side now and I don't really like it, never had.

I was at Chilis the other night, taking the time to look at the various men's hairstyles. I notice a few more had their hair somewhat parted in the middle and almost feathered back like the '80's, not overly long in the back but a bit past the collar.

So yes, long hair is looked negative if not well kept but the reaction is not as pronounce as years gone by. Well in most areas.. :)

I did have to laugh that just as my military career comes to an end, that short 'military' hair styles are in..go figure.

Hugs,
Marissa

[juno]

... The news story in question was a Catholic school which is a private school so they can set the rules. I would never send my kid to one of those type schools as I don't want them to fear authority to the point of not being themselves
As I said in my previous post, I went to Catholic for about 6 years. I had long hair, to my shoulders, and it was never an issue. So, it depends on the specific school. I also didn't fear authority, or of being myself. I lived in Richmond, CA, near San Francisco, which may be why it was more liberal than most Catholic schools.

While in Catholic grade school, we had some elective classes. I made a leather belt covered in red roses, and sewed stuffed animals. I even convinced some of the other boys to do the stuffed animal crafts. In a way, I "came out" as a feminine boy. I never perceived it as wrong, just different.

[Samantha B L]

Long hair isn't exclusively feminine. I remember in my town a lot of macho types and greasers had grown long hair and mustaches and beards by 1968. But I think we'll all find that the old Long hair vs. short hair on young guys debate didn't end in the sixties and in a way it's good for our society that the counterculture didn't exactly die out. It goes under the name of the "stoners" or "generation Y" nowadays. It was called "generation X" in the nineties.

[Nicole Erin]

People sure are strange about having long hair, especially in the back.
My hair in the back is short like a man's, doesn't it look so manly?
In the front, once again we see a man's man hairstyle. Yeah right

When someone antagonizes you with rules, just find a way around it.

Now long or short hair is not the issue, the issue is - does it look like a man's or woman's haircut?

[ChristiesGurl]

Well, I'm a product of the 80's and have long lamented that there are no long haired boys anymore. I don't think it should be an issue. American society is so homophobic and wrapped up in doing everything one can to define your male gender, you'd think we'd never gotten over women wearing pants!!

[Bobbi Lynn]

I wish I had hair! On my head, I would have it as long as possible.

[Sarah Doepner]

Mandatory short hair was less about boys being feminine than the imposition of authority over the young men and the need to make them think they are not individuals. Regardless of how the individuality plays out, as feminine or as a 'stoner' or as a rebel, it made it difficult to standardize the training and experience.

The only thing we ever told our boys was if they were going to grow their hair out long, they needed to keep it clean and not let it become a distraction.

[Samantha B L]

I could be wrong yet I always thought short hair in the military primarily came about because of sanitation reasons and because long hair is a possible hindrance in hand to hand combat. Orderlyness and de-individualisation may have been concerns but I don't like the idea that you're a man if you're in vitalis,brylcream or crewcuts and you're a nogoodnik if you've got long hair.

[Jilmac]

Rhonda, It looks like the old double standard applies to hair as well as a persons choice of clothes. I think most schools nowadays have more important issues then dictating the length of ones hair. But I still question why it's ok for girls to wear thier hair as short as a boy's. Shouldn't they be called to task for that as well?

When I was in school, the hair issue was about sideburns, the school administrators didn't want the boys looking like Elvis Presley, James Dean, or Marlon Brando in The Wild Ones. Back then even facial hair was taboo. When my brother (who is eight years younger) was in school he sported a moustache and many of his classmates wore their hair Beatle length or longer. When my own kids were in school many of the boys wore hair shoulder length or longer.

In the workplace hair length was treated as a safety issue for both male and female employees and I believe it was a legitemate issue. The main safety concern was that long hair could get caught up in moving machinery. We were all required to wear hardhats but long hair had to be tucked into the hardhat or worn in a pony tail. Welders were especially at risk of fire from sparks.

Back to the issue of hair length in school, I don't see how the length of a boy's hair affects his education and education should be the primary focus of any school.

[Stitch]

The long hair lice thing is a load of bull. It doesn't matter how long your hair is in a primary school your bound to get nits/lice at least once. We have an epidemic at least twice a year where I work. Long hair on children shouldn't be an issue at all. Boys girls, it doesn't matter. If some kid is a hair puller then he/she needs to be dealt with, not the victim with the long hair. Same applies for verbal bulling.

As you reach adulthood I can understand why it would become more of an issue. There are lots of jobs that require hair to be short or at least pulled back. Sadly there are also levels of professionalism which needs to be upheld. I for one would adore bright pink hair but my boss would go postal.

As for long hair on men? I adore it. Long and well kept hair is sexy as hell. Sadly the majority of men who wear it long don't keep it as well as they could. Thankfully long hair in my generation hasn't been as frowned on as it was in the past. Times are changing. I now see lots of men around with long hair. That being said I do live in a surfing community and seaside resort so that may be why it is more accepted around here.

[Rhonda Jean]

As I've read these responses and thought about my original post (along with some Googling of the subject) I guess it's not that there hasn't been any progress, it's spotty existence/enforcement of the "boy's hair" dress code that is surprising. It may in fact be that because it is so much more accepted than it used to be that makes these incidents where kids were expelled/disciplined stand out. I know that in my own smallish town there is no enfjorcement of such a thing. There are a lot of boys with long hair around here. Even the emo kids with the long black hair, makeup, and black nailpolish don't make a big splash. Girl's jeans are common. There's a high schoole age boy in my neighborhood who (the few times I've seen him) always wears very girly clothes. I saw him last year walking from school wearing a sweater dress over jeans. I thought at the time that we've really come a long way, then at the salon the other day it remined me that we really haven't, at least not everywhere. And it doesn't seem like it's the smallerm more rural towns that are the biggest offenders.

40 years ago it wouldn't have made news that a boy was kicked out of school for having long hair. Maybe the progress is exemplified now by the fact that it is. It sure is a slow moving process, though.

[Lyric]

I think the reason the media jumps on these occasional stories of school administration discrimination regarding boy's hair length is because it is not the norm. I live in Texas and I see boys with below-shoulders hair around here all the time. I think long hair is really fairly widely accepted these days. No one ever seems to take notice about mine, for sure (even when presenting as male). I've worn long hair on and off since the '70s and I've see a steady change in public attitude. Back then I got lots of looks (though my andro dressing often allowed me pass for female from a distance).

The only real problem I think boys have is in the grooming department. Not enough males with long hair seem to go to the trouble of getting a good cut/trim and doing the conditioning/styling thing as well as women do. Surprising as it sounds, I've always found that people are much more accepting of a male with long hair if it's in good condition and he wears it in a commonly accepted style-- even if it's a style normally worn by women.

Lyric

[Frédérique]

Mandatory short hair was less about boys being feminine than the imposition of authority over the young men and the need to make them think they are not individuals. Regardless of how the individuality plays out, as feminine or as a 'stoner' or as a rebel, it made it difficult to standardize the training and experience.

OK – I have a simple question. Why would anyone willingly surrender their individuality? What is to be gained by this? I mean, in the long run. It seems to me that every advance, every welcome discovery in human history has been the result of some individual blazing a new trail on his or her own, going against societal norms. Personally, I feel that individuality needs to be encouraged and cultivated, and long hair on boys (in this era of short hair) is a small step, announcing this ongoing process to the world at large…

[RebeccaLynne]

Men and boys are expected to keep their hair short in order to conform to the dictates of society.

And that reason alone is enough for me to never cut mine.

Polarizing? Damn, I hope so!

[JohnH]

Men and boys are expected to keep their hair short in order to conform to the dictates of society.

And that reason alone is enough for me to never cut mine.

Polarizing? Damn, I hope so!
Kind of reminds me of some men in SkirtCafe.org who wear skirts all the time, even when the weather is cold, unless there is some rare occasion that they must wear pants!

[shannonFL]

I...cut my hair after about ten months, i never before ignored the haircut ritual.....reached one of life's road forks which made short hair no longer a requirement. It required a
a lot more time to manage...but, the reactions....friends and family.. just became...way too much, astonishing...our lives seem to be the property of others.

[Sarah Doepner]

OK – I have a simple question. Why would anyone willingly surrender their individuality? What is to be gained by this? I mean, in the long run. It seems to me that every advance, every welcome discovery in human history has been the result of some individual blazing a new trail on his or her own, going against societal norms. Personally, I feel that individuality needs to be encouraged and cultivated, and long hair on boys (in this era of short hair) is a small step, announcing this ongoing process to the world at large…

Freddy, I agree with you. Most of us find more comfort in being individuals than totally conforming, but there are a lot of exceptions none-the-less. Back when rocks were soft, we watched TV by candlelight and I was in High School, the DRESS CODE had the same status as the Law. All the students complained, boys about having to get hair cuts and girls about having to wear skirts or dresses even in the coldest part of winter. We all wanted to be individuals, but we were up against a long tradition. It was an easy transition from there into either the military, corporate America or to start raising a family. It was all falling apart outside school, but the institution had a lot of inertia.

And it's not just long hair on boys. Dress codes are still in place, particularly where there are standard packets of information or skills that need to be delivered as part of training. The military is the best example. If the team is to succeed, all members need to be an interchangable part of the team, no questions. Individuals in that environment slow the machinery and can be as dangerous as hostile opposition. It was similar, though not as deadly in other areas. I can remember when IBM required their male employees to wear a white dress shirt and tie, never any color allowed for 'Big Blue'. Uniforms are still out there where standardized delivery of a product or service is expected. Honestly, I'd hate to look through a milling crowd guessing who to ask if I was trying to find a cop when I needed one. But why is it necessary for office workers who never come in contact with the public to meet a rigid dress and grooming code? Other than to provide the manager one more seemingly random tool to use in controlling their staff, I'm not sure. Those are still out there as well. I don't know if it's polarizing, but it's expected and causes distress when violated.

[Frédérique]

Honestly, I'd hate to look through a milling crowd guessing who to ask if I was trying to find a cop when I needed one. But why is it necessary for office workers who never come in contact with the public to meet a rigid dress and grooming code? Other than to provide the manager one more seemingly random tool to use in controlling their staff, I'm not sure. Those are still out there as well. I don't know if it's polarizing, but it's expected and causes distress when violated.

Thanks, Sarah! It’s exactly as you say – a dress code exists to get children ready for the adult world. I often think of the Japanese model, which has been successful, and Americans have been forced to adopt group-thinking practices to compete. Enter (or re-enter) the dress code, and this trickles down to the schools – I’m amazed to see school uniforms these days, ditto short hair on boys, and even the maverick performers of the recent past wear dress shirts and ties in a transparent display of corporate conformity. Of course, certain things look good to certain people at certain times, and that’s how trends are born. How long will we have to wait before long hair on boys is “trending now?”

I think that people who give away their individuality, and don’t learn to compartmentalize, run into a wall later in life and seek to regain what they’ve lost. It’s not easy, especially with time at a premium and expectations still defining one’s day-to-day existence. Life can be a series of sacrifices, be they necessary or not, but it would be wonderful if true individuality received more than just lip service from the media, or teachers, or anyone who has a hand in shaping young minds (and hairstyles)…
:straightface: