Right, I am approaching the hair cut decision now... my graduation is on 21st July, so I have made that the sort of deadline otherwise I probably wont get round to it.

I had a dream last night that I went to a hairdressers and came out with hair like Ronaldo (it had also turned black, and I didn't like it)

To be honest, if you suit it in a ponytail you're fine, i.e. do you look like you could be a librarian at some point. My problem was that I didn't really. Another thing about getting it cut is that it won't go straight back to the way it was when you had short hair before. Mine parted in the middle and my hair wanted to keep doing that when I got it cut. This is why I've ended up with a hair horn to be honest. I could probably lose it now, but I'm used to it that way.

Just make sure you don't go to a barber run by Turks if you do get it cut. In fact, I'd go to a fairly upmarket place if you're going straight from long to short. Me and Calum from Amok were at the same graduation ceremony a couple of weeks ago. I can't say I envied him because long hair is nigh on impossible to pull off with a suit. I'd say the biggest argument for keeping your hair is that you cannot grow it back overnight. Bearing in mind that you are almost bound to look like a total plamf in your graduation photo - everyone does - you might consider keeping it. Then you have to offset that against potential interview situations. If you're going for a job in IT, long hair is fine. Otherwise, get it sorted.

That is my main fear, that it will take a while to settle in and look shit straight after the cut.

James i really do think you should keep yours. It just fits.

If you go to a trendy place you could probably get a free 'consultation'. I guess it boils down to whether or not you care if people will consider you a complete peasant in the future for having long hair in a graduation photo. I mean, what if you end up being important? You don't really want some distant relative to dig up a graduation photo of you in 140 years in a Who Do You Think You Are?-style documentary.

As Iain said, it is better if you are going to get it done to go to a decent salon where there are fit birds doing the cutting. Then you will get your back tit massaged into the price by a nice bit poontang and they will pretend they like you for the 10-20 minutes it takes to finish the cut. Jobs a goodun.

It is not the graduation photo that is my main motive - that is just a convenient milestone - it's more just the fact that I don't feel that motivated to keep it in general, and short hair would be a lot more practical in virtually every situation.

In one way I kind of like having a less mainstream hairstyle, and there is the obvious association with heavy metal - although even at Iron Maiden I found my hair annoyingly long because it was so crowded.

Also, I don't see the point in just getting it trimmed, because I might as well go the whole way if I'm going to change it. I think I would also feel less self-conscious in interviews, meeting people for the first time, etc. if I just went for a simple short style.

Shugmaster wrote:As Iain said, it is better if you are going to get it done to go to a decent salon where there are fit birds doing the cutting. Then you will get your back tit massaged into the price by a nice bit poontang and they will pretend they like you for the 10-20 minutes it takes to finish the cut. Jobs a goodun.

Thank Christ the covers they put over you are effective as hard-on cloaks like. The bird who cuts my hair is like 36-24-34. It's ridiculous. She gave me a wonky-as-fuck haircut a couple of weeks before my graduation - so much so that I had to trim it myself when I got home - but I was too busy checking out her crack to make an objection when cash changed hands.

James wrote:It is not the graduation photo that is my main motive - that is just a convenient milestone - it's more just the fact that I don't feel that motivated to keep it in general, and short hair would be a lot more practical in virtually every situation.

In one way I kind of like having a less mainstream hairstyle, and there is the obvious association with heavy metal - although even at Iron Maiden I found my hair annoyingly long because it was so crowded.

Also, I don't see the point in just getting it trimmed, because I might as well go the whole way if I'm going to change it. I think I would also feel less self-conscious in interviews, meeting people for the first time, etc. if I just went for a simple short style.

If you've taken to wearing jeans that fit and aren't black, seldom wear T-shits with corpses and skulls on them and feel like you are ready to talk to people you don't know, then I'd shed the hair. I got mine cut last November because I'd had it tied back for ages rather than because I had a photo seven months away. The length of your hair doesn't seem to make that much of a difference around fairly tolerant Metalheads, but I couldn't so much as go without shaving for a couple of days without being accused of trying to grow a goatee by normal people. The only reason I'd ever consider growing my hair again is if I were to be in a band.

short hair is just generally better, and as iain said, you can wear a suit and not look like a f00l

James wrote:It is not the graduation photo that is my main motive - that is just a convenient milestone - it's more just the fact that I don't feel that motivated to keep it in general, and short hair would be a lot more practical in virtually every situation.

In one way I kind of like having a less mainstream hairstyle, and there is the obvious association with heavy metal - although even at Iron Maiden I found my hair annoyingly long because it was so crowded.

Also, I don't see the point in just getting it trimmed, because I might as well go the whole way if I'm going to change it. I think I would also feel less self-conscious in interviews, meeting people for the first time, etc. if I just went for a simple short style.

Yeah as i said before this is the main reason i got mine cut, the difference is that yours suits you.

Shug makes a very fair point, in fact i pretty much just get my hair cut at "hairdressers" just for this reason.

And Iain's reason is also good - I literally NEVER untie my hair, except sometimes at gigs or on stage...

I had long hair for about 4 years. Soon as i got mine cut off about 5 months ago i have wished i had done it sooner.I thought i was gunna miss it and regret it 'cos it took so long to grow but i seriously haven't regretted it once. More attention from fanny and just generally not as self conscious. Do it mate!

If you do cut your hair and don't like it you can always grow it back at least.

As i said I've never really considered cutting my hair (unless i go bald, god forbid), i don't tend to meet people who get so hung up over it all.

To put it simply i didn't like having short hair, hence why i grew it.

Though an old team leader at work used to hassle me about getting my hair cut (even though i tied it back at work) to which said if i shave my hair off she would have to as well, the look i got from her was quite classic.
As i'm targeting for a job in the fun world of multimedia production the length of my hair shouldn't play a part, not like i want to be traveling salesman for hair clippers.

See, I cut my hair when I was 18 and regretted it like fuck because I was still right into moshing and shit. I had a skinhead for a while because it's sort of a 'Metal' haircut and then just thought 'fuck it!' and grew it again. I probably kept my hair a couple of months longer than I would have purely because I had had it cut short before and regretted it. I reckon it's just purely a brain thing: if you're into headbanging and do it regularly, sure, have long hair; otherwise keep it short.