LGBTAitp - Part Nineteen

[Heliomance]

Gah. I try looking for reference pictures for androgynous hairstyles, and I get things like this:


Does anyone know where I can find some ACTUAL androgynous hairstyles to try and choose from? As in, ones that give as few gender cues as possible? Subtly feminine would probably be okay, to counterbalance my inherent maleness, but I don't want some chic style for women that someone has decided is now called androgynous despite being nothing of the sort.

For reference, this is what I look like sans beard:

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[turkishproverb]

I've found really short hair is a good gender universal hairstyle, though it depends if you look good with it.

[Knaight]

I've found really short hair is a good gender universal hairstyle, though it depends if you look good with it.

There is also the pony tail. Basically, the higher on the back of the head it starts, the more female it is, and the lower on the back of the head it starts, the more male it is, so you can customize the androgyny level every day.

[Nix Nihila]

Lookin' good!

For hair styles, I would be careful going for something too short, since "androgynous" short hair is usually fairly feminine looking, even though it incorporates masculine elements. I think sticking with something longer is safer.

One thing I might suggest is having your eyebrows professionally shaped in a more androgynous style (not too feminine though). Although some people are uncomfortable doing that.

[Glass Mouse]

/brag I met her at a comic Expo in London a couple of months back. She's just as awesome IRL. /brag

Ooh ooh ooh I got to meet her at an expo in London back in Octob-

*jealous* :O

I really wanted to go, but had neither the time nor money. Sad mouse is sad.

I've found really short hair is a good gender universal hairstyle, though it depends if you look good with it.

Mnyeah... Short hair looks androgynous on women, but on men it just looks like regular hair.

It got me thinking, though. What constitutes gendered hair? I made a list that can easily be built upon, so... go:

Feminine:

• Long
• Flowy, poofy
• Ordered, "perfect"
• High level of details (layers, colours, etc.)
• High level of decorations (ponytails, pins, etc.)
• Falling "down"

Masculine:

• Short
• Ruffled
• Simple, low level of details.
• Striving "upwards"
• Leaves face free

Mix and match as you please, Helio. Not sure if you want to cut it, but you could combine something simple and ruffled with something longish? Something a little like this? (it looked really good on a dark-haired classmate of mine)

Weirdly, men seem to pretty much own this particular hairstyle by now, despite it being both long and layered. It's close to half the hits for "long hair men" on Google.
And that's my hairstyle. Figures that I'd pick the only primary-male long hair XD

[Coidzor]

One thing I might suggest is having your eyebrows professionally shaped in a more androgynous style (not too feminine though). Although some people are uncomfortable doing that.

And if you don't get it done right, it's uncomfortable for some people to just look at it.

Helio: Might just be the lighting in that shot, but... I'd say you might want to try a lighter shade of lipstick.

[Nix Nihila]

And if you don't get it doen right, it's uncomfortable for some people to just look at it.

Which is why you want a professional shaping them. Although there's still a chance that they'll mess it up if they don't know what they're doing.

[Asta Kask]

For reference, this is what I look like sans beard:

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*snip*

Would have fooled me.

[Eldest]

It got me thinking, though. What constitutes gendered hair? I made a list that can easily be built upon, so... go:

Feminine:

• Long
• Flowy, poofy
• Ordered, "perfect"
• High level of details (layers, colours, etc.)
• High level of decorations (ponytails, pins, etc.)
• Falling "down"

Masculine:

• Short
• Ruffled
• Simple, low level of details.
• Striving "upwards"
• Leaves face free

Hm...
Long, flowy, high level of details (I have a lot of different shades of dirty blond in my hair), ruffled, leaves face free.
Didn't realize that my hair worked for that.
Also, thanks for the thing about the ponytail. Once I buy a few of the ponytail holder things I'll probably start wearing my hair in once, since it's getting a little annoying.

[Coidzor]

Which is why you want a professional shaping them. Although there's still a chance that they'll mess it up if they don't know what they're doing.

Or one chooses something awful, or, worse, leaves it up to them completely and they have poor eyebrow taste, yeah, hence the reminder.

[noparlpf]

ION: Another girl scout did a response to the one video: *peace out, G Scout*

Word!

There is also the pony tail. Basically, the higher on the back of the head it starts, the more female it is, and the lower on the back of the head it starts, the more male it is, so you can customize the androgyny level every day.

Huh. I guess that's true. Most of the time when I see a girl with a ponytail it is higher up. I've always had mine at the very bottom of my head, below the base of my skull.

Speaking of hairstyles, now that I've cut my hair short (short as in only about 10cm or 4in of ponytail as opposed to hair down to my butt), I've decided that I like it long enough to put in a ponytail but not much longer. Now it's getting to about 18-20cm or 7-8in of ponytail and it feels long. Which is so weird considering how long it was last year.
Also I usually buy the rainbow pack of hair ties. It's pretty much my only fashion choice that people compliment

[Mina Kobold]

/brag I met her at a comic Expo in London a couple of months back. She's just as awesome IRL. /brag

That comic did more for my education about Scandinavian countries than my Geography GCSE and A-Level did.

I learnt more from Geography and History! Meow! >:3

Allegations that this is because I have not read Scandinavia and the World and live in a Scandinavian country are completely un-puppy-true! And puppies are evil! >_>

*Hides back in laundry basket*

[noparlpf]

I haven't read that comic, but I've probably learned more from it that I did in school. I don't know the first thing about history or geography. Or current events. Or politics.

[Heliomance]

And if you don't get it done right, it's uncomfortable for some people to just look at it.

Helio: Might just be the lighting in that shot, but... I'd say you might want to try a lighter shade of lipstick.

Heh, I'm not wearing any makeup in that shot! Hell, the only makeup I own is an eyeliner stick.

And yes, I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow, and I don't know what to go with.

[Castaras]

Gah. I try looking for reference pictures for androgynous hairstyles, and I get things like this:


Does anyone know where I can find some ACTUAL androgynous hairstyles to try and choose from? As in, ones that give as few gender cues as possible? Subtly feminine would probably be okay, to counterbalance my inherent maleness, but I don't want some chic style for women that someone has decided is now called androgynous despite being nothing of the sort.

For reference, this is what I look like sans beard:

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... You are one sexy person. :3

Hairstyles... errm. Long like that is pretty androgynous I thought? Although as was suggested before, ponytails work.

[Heliomance]

... You are one sexy person. :3

Hairstyles... errm. Long like that is pretty androgynous I thought? Although as was suggested before, ponytails work.

It's not styled at all, though. It's just "haven't had a haircut for four years" long, which is about as masculine as long hair gets.

[The Succubus]

Being the UK's premier advisor on all things style and fashion related*, I'd say stick with the long hair - it looks really good on you at the moment.

* above post may contain a teensy amount of fibbing in it

[Castaras]

It's not styled at all, though. It's just "haven't had a haircut for four years" long, which is about as masculine as long hair gets.

It is? The more you know, I guess!
*one of those people who hasn't had a haircut in many years* I would suggest doing what I do, and just have it in a plait to keep it out of the way and tidy, but I think that's probably quite feminine.

[Knaight]

Huh. I guess that's true. Most of the time when I see a girl with a ponytail it is higher up. I've always had mine at the very bottom of my head, below the base of my skull.
...
Also I usually buy the rainbow pack of hair ties. It's pretty much my only fashion choice that people compliment

I'm thinking one could quantify the androgyny level by standard gender expectations of pony tails really easily. Use the angle of the base to, say, the tip of the nose as the basic angle, modify with quantified hair tie/scrunchie values.

[noparlpf]

I'm thinking one could quantify the androgyny level by standard gender expectations of pony tails really easily. Use the angle of the base to, say, the tip of the nose as the basic angle, modify with quantified hair tie/scrunchie values.

What about when you have the ponytail on the side of the head? Pigtails? Braids? How about topknots?

I know that although it's more feminine (which on my face yields something like androgyny, I guess) I'm usually complimented on pigtails or pigtail braids or similar. 'Cause I go to a school where edgy is the coolest thing possible. (Oh wait that's just most teenagers. Durn hipsters.)

[Arachu]

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I suppose mushrooms and mushroom clouds would be roughly similar in appearance...

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I imagine it would get rather old rather quickly. Then again, I can't really imagine a man wanting to continue to bring things up when reminded how sexually awkward it is to do that with his son. At the very least I'd think his opinion of you would've changed to the point he didn't want to spend that kind of bonding time with you. Unless this is his idea of how to make you stop being asexual?

I can't even imagine my old man doing that, the closest I can imagine just makes me want to giggle at the silliness of it.

I think at first he was using it as a sort of gay test, but he just sort of kept doing it. He's doing it less and less, but it's still annoying.

(I'm actually bi (and, in all fairness, quite perverted), but I don't really see much need to constantly prove it (especially to my own parents) - also, I don't have much of a sex drive in public (presumably from whatever keeps me from talking very much in public).)

Well it was also more inspiring when I read it.

And my father seems to lack emotions to a certain extent and if it weren't for the fact that I'm gay(which he has met with lots of ignorance/denial), he would probably reprimand me and tell me to respect women more if he saw me checking out a pair of boobs(which I'm rather indifferent to when seen, and the thought of touching makes me shuddder).

But isn't it annoying when father/oblivious straight friend asks whatyou think about a certain girl, who is very obviously attractive (course I'm the kind of gay guy who will greet one of my girl friends who took extra time with picking out/getting on their outfit with a "dayum gurl! You got it goin AWN!") and you were admiring a set of washboard abs, and then I'm just like, crap, where am supposed to be looking? Then, because I don't want to come out like that, I try to give coments as if I were checking her out too, but I just end up usually criticizing her fashion (shocker, right?). But then there is that occasional girl who you can tell is attractive, who has an air of confidence, and great fashion sense, and on top of that they are amiable and compassionate when/if you talk to them. I'm rather impressed by those girls and I can't help but thinking how far they could go in life, especially with the level of intelligence they seem to possess. But alas this is a rare occurrence, but no I would not tap that.

*Nods* I don't find them unattractive, but it's not like everyone's walking around half-naked or anything. I see 'pretty girl', or maybe 'downright beautiful girl', but when I do I'm looking at her face anyway (I'm the gayest bi ever ).

That... doesn't strike me as an unnatural hair pattern.

ION: My beard has just come off (sorry Coid!) and I have a haircut booked for tomorrow. I assume I'm going to be required to post pics of the result?

Taking off that much hair is a pain, figuratively and literally >_>
My chin is not used to being without its protective covering of hair!

Yes. In general.

What makes that weird for me is going off on a a tangent about him in high school. I can understand the general sentiment of "didja get a load o' those'uns?", even if it is tacky. It's the perceived living vicariously through you that is just... Ugh.

Yeah... Just because he thinks he would've asked random women in the mall out as a teenager doesn't mean I would in front of my own dad... :/

This. Though I guess I didn't shave it myself in the past cause I was afraid of getting backlash for it. But after feeling how good smooth legs feel, I can't just not do it anymore.

That's why I don't get my forearms and shins - I can't resist trimming them a little every day, though, so they may end up shaved anyway.

Hmm, maybe just tell him that you're uncomfortable with him objectifying women like that? (Even if you don't really feel so, it might make him back down a bit.)

*hugs*

He's not exactly a misogynist, but he is the type of person who makes fun of people just for getting offended so that would probably just make him throw a mini-tantrum for a bit. In all fairness, though, he does it less and less every year so it's not so bad anymore.

*Hugs back*

That'd be nice.

That reminds do, does anyone have some tips on making shaving my face not hurt so much (mostly the throat area). It seems like no matter what way I do it, my skin always ends up being really red and sensitive.

It helps if you can stretch the skin first - it's usually enough just to tilt your head back. It should help to shave with the grain (shaving against gets it shorter, but it's rougher on the skin).

The neck is a bit more tricky, mostly because you can't really tell where the "grain" is. Electrics are pretty handy for it (though they get kind of tricky to use where the neck meets the chin), but if you have a multi-blade it's mostly a matter of holding it to the right angle. Most safety razors are supposed to be held at about 30 degrees or so, but some have springs that widen the range a bit,

This guide may help (I haven't been over it yet, but it seems pretty thorough).

Ohmigod! Did someone just mention Scandinavia and the World? LOVE THAT COMIC!

SKOL!

Wow, that's annoying. And a little bit sad. Why does he feel the need to live through you?

I don't know if that's quite the case... He seems to want me to be him (as indicated by all of the basketball games he dragged me to growing up), or even just to be a teenager again (as indicated by his attendance of said games, even when I stayed home).

Unsurprisingly, I just ended up disliking sports in general (more than I already did as a small-town fat kid, anyway).

Also, I finally updated my profile's gender. Why it was so difficult to do I don't know. *shrugs*

Had the weirdest dream last night. I turned into a girl at one point, and felt really happy... And then about an hour later I turned back and got so upset I punched an imaginary urinal. I learned a few things about me when I woke up.

[Knaight]

What about when you have the ponytail on the side of the head? Pigtails? Braids? How about topknots?

I know that although it's more feminine (which on my face yields something like androgyny, I guess) I'm usually complimented on pigtails or pigtail braids or similar. 'Cause I go to a school where edgy is the coolest thing possible. (Oh wait that's just most teenagers. Durn hipsters.)

Those might also be quantifiable, but odds are each would need their own quantification system. I haven't seen any of them in use as an androgynous hairstyle to the point where I can comment intelligently on what quantification would look like.

[KenderWizard]

@Heliomance: You look great! I dunno about androgynous styles. How about going and asking for x amount off and "pretty", and see what they do? I don't know about hairdressers stuff; I haven't been in 4 years. I cut my own hair now, so much easier.


Hair!

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Interesting, and sounds much more plausible than my "everyone hates hair!" experience (I obviously need more female friends... I know lots of guys who don't bother shaving, though).


I find hairy skin to be the more interesting texture, but I can see why you like smooth (it is nice, too). Hooray for differences


Also, because I can't turn down a dare (), I present to you: hairy sexiness. Don't worry, it's as SFW as almost-hairless girl.

Cute hairy girl!

Someone was saying the other day to me that girls spontaneously started waxing everything down there because they wanted to wear skimpier bikinis. I dunno about anyone else, but I like changing the clothes to work with me rather than changing me to suit the clothes' agenda.

[Lix Lorn]

For reference, this is what I look like sans beard:

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Pretteeeee

[noparlpf]

It helps if you can stretch the skin first - it's usually enough just to tilt your head back. It should help to shave with the grain (shaving against gets it shorter, but it's rougher on the skin).

The neck is a bit more tricky, mostly because you can't really tell where the "grain" is. Electrics are pretty handy for it (though they get kind of tricky to use where the neck meets the chin), but if you have a multi-blade it's mostly a matter of holding it to the right angle. Most safety razors are supposed to be held at about 30 degrees or so, but some have springs that widen the range a bit,

This guide may help (I haven't been over it yet, but it seems pretty thorough).

I often have trouble shaving my neck. It's the bit where things are shaped weirdly and the hairs all point different directions or something. Getting the edge of my jaw is also tough. It is usually a lot easier when I either use a manual razor, which I don't do often, or when there are fresh batteries in my electric trimmer, which also isn't often because batteries are expensive. (Maybe I should start using rechargeable ones again. I wonder what happened to those.)

Had the weirdest dream last night. I turned into a girl at one point, and felt really happy... And then about an hour later I turned back and got so upset I punched an imaginary urinal. I learned a few things about me when I woke up.

I had a weird dream last night. At some point I was talking to my ex about cartoons, and then later I was saving the world from a god-emperor, and then later I was meeting new freshmen in the dorms at school.

Those might also be quantifiable, but odds are each would need their own quantification system. I haven't seen any of them in use as an androgynous hairstyle to the point where I can comment intelligently on what quantification would look like.

Yeah, I have no idea. This could be an interesting project, though.

[Coidzor]

hair:

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Hair!

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Cute hairy girl!

Someone was saying the other day to me that girls spontaneously started waxing everything down there because they wanted to wear skimpier bikinis. I dunno about anyone else, but I like changing the clothes to work with me rather than changing me to suit the clothes' agenda.

Well, of course with that kind of attitude no revealing clothing's going to be right for you.

Does female thigh hair not exist in your worlds? If so, what's the cost to immigrate?

[Heliomance]

Don't worry, I like my hair, I'm not going to get it all chopped off! I'm going to keep it fairly long, probably, I just felt like getting it actually styled.

[Mono Vertigo]

Yo, boyfriend's surgery is done, and he's alright.
Abortions Drinks for some, miniature american rainbow flags for others! And hugs for everyone.

[Coidzor]

Yo, boyfriend's surgery is done, and he's alright.

Glad to hear it, hope his mood improves enough to be seen soon.

Abortions Drinks for some, miniature american rainbow flags for others! And hugs for everyone.

*tilts head* wat

[Mono Vertigo]

Using a Simpsons quote.
... now I suspect nobody will find that funny.
BRB, taking the Humor 101 class I need.