The Haircut That Men Find Most Attractive
While it may seem like kind of a cliché that men can't get enough of a woman with long, flowing locks, it turns out there's actually a lot of truth to this. A 2008 poll by the Daily Mail found that an overwhelming majority — 43 percent — of the men they surveyed picked a long, wavy 'do as their favorite women's hairstyle.
While this didn't exactly come as good news to some — Elite Daily said in 2015 these results just go to show that "the majority of dudes are f***ing boring," PopXO listed long boho waves, long loose curls, and sideswept waves (also long) as its top hairstyles men love on women, and StyleCaster described wild, slightly messy, long curls as "the ultimate sexy hairstyle, because it makes guys think of their favorite bedroom activity."
Other haircuts men love (and a few they don't)
Long and straight is okay with dudes, too — that Daily Mail poll had this coming in as the number two pick. PopXO points to men favoring cute and/or messy pigtails, while StyleCaster speaks of the appeal of more glamorous, sleeker updos, but these looks also require some length in order to pull off. The shortest look said to be favored by men was the medium-length bob. What men generally do not care for, however, seems to be ponytails, heavy bangs, or any hairstyle that goes beyond slightly messy into total DNGAF territory.
The case for short hairstyles
While shorter hairstyles may not be topping any polls of what "most men" like, the fact is, ultimately, your hairstyle is your choice, speaks to your personality, and shouldn't be about appealing to whatever any survey says.
And if that's not enough to bolster your confidence, should you happen to have hair that just won't grow past shoulder-length, consider this: Fashion writer Joan Juliet Buck said in Vogue (via Elite Daily) that "short hair removes obvious femininity and replaces it with style" and "makes other people think you have good bones, determination and an agenda." According to Buck, with shorter hair, "your face is no longer a flatscreen surrounded by a curtain: The world sees you in three dimensions."
Whether you choose to wear your hair long or short — or maybe you just wanna rock those Bettie Page bangs — remember, real beauty isn't in the eye of the beholder, it's in the mirror — meaning, if you look good to you, you look good, period. Anyone who thinks different is just wrong, that's all, and you didn't need their erroneous opinion anyway.