Tresses and Traits: How Our Hair Reveals Who We Are

Ever since watching Anne of Green Gables as a pre-teen, I’ve craved long, flowing red locks. Unfortunately, I was given dark brown hair that refuses to grow past my chin. In Reading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior – Anyplace, Anytime, author Jo-Ellan Dimitrius points out that extremes in hair length, volume, color, or style can provide details about a woman’s personality.

Short Hair

 

If a woman has a well-maintained and carefully-cut short hairstyle, it can reveal that she is artistic and wants to express herself through her hair. Any high-maintenance hairstyle can be a sign of wealth or that a woman cares about her looks, but short hair requires frequent trips to the stylist, a sign that the woman is okay with spending money to look good. According to Dimitrius, “Spending a significant percentage of one’s income on hair—or any other aspect of personal appearance—suggests vanity, a need for acceptance, concern about others’ perceptions, and possibly insecurity.”

Long Hair

Long hair can have multiple meanings. Many women believe that long hair makes them more sexually appealing, but it can also show a bohemian spirit or a need for freedom. Women over forty with long hair can be trying to hold onto their youth (and sex appeal) and may be unrealistic in their perceptions of themselves.