good idea to cut hair short?

ZBLINK

for those of you (especially women) who have traveled in india, would you recommend cutting your hair short ("a boy-cut") as a way to decrease male attention, or does it make no difference?

MeCasa

Not making a wisecrack is killing me, my tongue is bleeding I had to bite it so hard ;-)

lotus blossom

you would do that to try and avoid unwanted attention? methinks it will make zero difference, since you have other female features that you cannot easily hide.

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Aussie 5

During my travels I met a pretty Fijian women of Indian descent who had short hair. She complained that the haircut made her the centre of attention whereever she went as almost all Indian women have long hair. She said that she had been called a 'boy' to her face even when she was with her husband.

traceyam

Don't cut it! Short hair on a Western woman is a sign of modernity and being "fast" (i.e. sexually aggressive and available). Long hair is more traditional and you'll be treated much more nicely if you keep it long. Long hair down and loose is considered somewhat sensual. Wear it in a braid or in a bun at the nape of your neck.

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phobal

I've seen a few Indian women there with short hair... I don't think it made a difference, it's just a style choice in hair.

Aussie 5

From my own experience I would completely agree with traceyam's advice to wear long hair tied back. On the one day that I wore my hair loose, I noticed a significant increase in unwanted attention. From a practical point of view it was also better to keep my hair in a bun or ponytail - cooler and my hair did not get as dirty.

But the main thing I found was that irrespective of how you look or whether you have short or long hair, it was important to walk with confidence and purpose. When out and about by myself I was rarely approached when I acted like this - but then I sometimes had to walk around a block more than once (left, left, left, left) to get my bearings or find where I wanted to go !!

traceyam

Remember that a single element in an Indian woman's appearance isn't equatable with the same thing in a Western woman's appearance. We have stereotypes from images in Western media to combat, Indian women do not.

I'm not saying you must grow your hair long to be in India, I'm just saying if it's already long don't cut it thinking that will give you an advantage because it's more likely to have the opposite affect.

ZBLINK

thank you all very much. this is helpful. i will leave it how it is (about to my shoulders) and i'm sure i will be tying it back since it is cooler this way.

Ikuru

Well it might help with lice anyways...

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Moose

On the subject of hair.......
How are men with long hair looked upon in India? Mines half way down my back, worn in a ponytail (I know , I Know.....lol)
I'll probably cut it all off within a week of getting there, as im sure it going to annoy the hell out of me if it's really hot, but im still curious to find out if i'll be looked upon as more of a freak than i already am!!!

freenote

I saw prostitutes with roughly cut short hair , ,I believe this is a common practice .Also saw shorn hair worn for religious purposes .it appears to be a bit of a minefield .Long hair for ladies seems about right !

MeCasa

I know I'm in the minority but I believe people try to hard to fit in, we are what we are and people always seem to respect people who act comfortable with who they are

redthreadzen

yes, appearance is sumwhat important. Dress like a conservative woman and you are more likely to be treated as one.

In addition to this some of our western body language and subtle greeting signals are interpreted as fresh.

for Instance we often widen our eyes or raise our eyebrows subtly as a form of visual acnowledgement. In India the head roll is the equivalent and the eye brow raising is considered sexualy provocative.

Above all, demand respect. if you are fealing uncomfortable, (with the twelve men sitting watching you on the train). Take the high ground, an indian woman would never put up with this behaviour, act insulted that they would treat you that way and with dignity and grace, tell them to go away and leave you in peace.

Hindi
Respect = adar (Male) izzat (female) the a pronounces as the a in art
please = kripiya

When traveling you have the perfect oppertunity, to cultivate friendships with Indian woman, don't hide away because of the men, seek out the safety and companionship of other women.

lotus blossom

i agree with you on this one.