A historical question about haircut in men?

Question

need documented answers, resources.

When, where and why did it become almost mandatory for men to have short hair?

I mean i know it was the ancient greeks who started this fashion, but in the middle ages long hair was back. What changed it again?

I am also interested in the sociological implications of this change not only in Europe and US but also in Asia.

Answer 1

You know what happens with a sword/scissors in a monkeys hand!

Answer 2

It's not mandatory. I work with a man who has prettier hair than most girls.

Answer 3

Throughout most of human history, both men and women had long hair, and men usually had long beards as well. In 4th century BC Alexander the Great told his soldiers to cut their hair and shave off their beards so the enemies couldn't grab their hair or beards in battle. The Greeks were the first culture where all the men generally wore their hair short and shaved their beards, but it didn’t become popular through most of Europe until the Romans gained power. The Romans shaved their hair, again, mainly for military purposes. After Rome conquered most of Europe and the Mediterranean, short hair came to be associated with what Rome stood for: a civil society, conservatism, military discipline, strength, etc. The Romans associated long hair with barbarians and women who were then seen as unintelligent objects only good for pleasing men and pro creating. The tradition of short hair for military men continued (and is a requirement for men in the military to this day). The first major war when all male soldiers were required to have short hair was WWI. Hollywood emulated the style in movies, short hair was seen as masculine, long hair feminine and it was (and still is) generally not socially acceptable for a man to seem feminine.

As for hair in the middle ages, it simply became a trend for the rich to have long curly hair. Rich women in the middle ages were expected to have very long curly hair, men usually didn’t have their hair any longer than shoulder length. During the Elizabethan era, most men again had their hair short. Hair length trends for men and women changed a lot through the middle ages.

http://erasofelegance.com/fashion/hairst...

It also mentions hair length in the bible which has historically, influenced laws and traditions in places where the majority of people are Christians.

1 Corinthians 11: 14 -15:

"Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?sea...

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?boo...