Long Hair (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Exactly what constitutes long hair can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length hair in many cultures may be said to have short hair, while a man with the same length of hair in some of the same cultures would be said to have long hair. Scientists view long hair as playing a large part in any animal species' natural selection, since hair length is frequently a sign of health. Freudian psychoanalysts also see it in a sexual light, as a representation of the id's release from the suppression of the superego. Hair is signalling gender differences as well as ideological differences. Opposite sexes and opposite ideologies tend to have opposite hair, for example hair lengths. Culturally, long hair-particularly amongst men-typically signals the individual's separation from structures, although there are exceptions, such as the Thai people. Ways of life often viewed as more rigid, such as religious cultures, often have explicit rules regarding hair length. For example, one passage in the New Testament of Christianity considers long hair shameful for men, while encouraging it for women.