Is My Hair Too Conservative for the Ladies?

Ask A Woman: The hair up there.

If you’ve got a question that needs the female treatment, chances are you’re not the only one who wants to ask it. Beth is our source for the answers. From opinions on men’s style to decoding the sometimes mysterious ways of women, she’ll take on a different question every Thursday.  She also might provide an answer without waiting to be asked.  That happens from time to time too. Click here to get to know Beth, then get in touch with her by sending your question to: askawoman@dappered.com .

 

Hey Beth,

About a year ago, I switched my hairstyle to a side part. You know, the pretty conservative look where it’s just parted on one side, and combed over (not to cover a bald spot though). I like the style and almost all the guys in my office have that hairstyle. I tend to get mixed reviews from women. Some like it, some say its too formal… I defend the haircut, but it begs the question, what kind of hairstyles do you and other women like, or more importantly don’t like in general?

– Ryan

 

Hi Ryan,

Ahhh hair. A question that comes up a lot (or used to anyway) here on Ask a Woman. Hair is important–to men, to women. We worry about our own hair–am I balding? Going grey? Is this cut too young for me? Is this style too old for me? Should I make a change? Is my hair greasy today? Frizzy? Out of control? And we usually have an opinion about other people’s hair–that cut makes her face look fat. Who does he think he’s fooling with that comb over? She should really color her hair so it’s not so mousy. He needs to update his look. Yes, we are judgy judgers (judges?) when it comes to hair.

Like I usually say, what women like depends on the woman. I have friends who like a really preppy look, for themselves, and for their significant others. They’d probably love your conservative hairstyle. It’s not taking any chances, but it’s a really flattering, clean look for many men. I have friends (not as many) who like longer, more disheveled hair on a man. A dude who could possibly be in a weekend band, who dresses more casually, is their idea of male perfection. And then there are all the different shades in between and on either side. I mean, if I had to make a blanket statement I’d say any ‘do that tries to cover up obvious balding is a no-no, as well as…mullets. But having said that, I’ve seen hot women arm-in-arm with mullet-wearing men. So…man, it takes all kinds, doesn’t it?

To try and predict what a woman will like you can look at her style, and the style of the men she tends to be attracted to. We don’t always have a “type” but there are often similar threads running through our relationships. I think I’ve mentioned before that I tend to be attracted to stereotypically hypermasculine men, dudes who play sports and have encyclopedic knowledge of NCAA stats, dudes who hunt and fish, dudes with strong opinions and assertive natures. All of these men had/have no-frills hairstyles–no styling products, no need for blow-drying, just a basic cut that keeps it off the neck and out of the eyes. That’s not to say I don’t like other hairstyles, in fact I do, but if you need a predictor of a woman’s taste, look at where’s she been.

When terrible haircuts happen to attractive men…

The other, and I’d argue more important, consideration, is whether the cut/style flatters your face. Hairstyles are not one size fits all. Here to demonstrate this concept is Keith Urban. Poor Keith, somebody lied to him. That ‘do is a don’t. For him. I don’t know why, but it just looks terrible–I suspect it has to do with his large forehead and square-shaped face. Something shorter, and less plastered-down-to-his-head would look so much better on him. But you look at this random dude, and he has a similar style. Not identical, but it’s longer, it’s straightened, it stays close to the scalp, it flips out at the bottom, and it hits his face at the same place as Keith’s. But for him it works–notice the different features and face shape.

To find out what the best cut or style for your face is, I’d recommend going to a stylist in an upscale salon, at least once. This is exactly what they’re trained for. They can tell you what will look best, cut your hair that way, and then, if you don’t want to keep seeing them, you can always take that information back to the barber or cheaper stylist you were seeing before.

I know I didn’t give you a concrete answer, Ryan, but like so many physical attributes, what “people” like depends on the person.

-Beth

Got a question for Beth? Send it to: askawoman@dappered.com