Long hair

Long hair is a hairstyle where the hair is allowed to grow to considerable length. Exactly what constitutes long hair can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length hair in some cultures may be said to have short hair, while a man with the same length of hair in some of the same cultures would be said to have long hair.

Males having short, cut hair is in many cultures viewed as being under society's control, such as while in the military or prison or as punishment for a crime, while males having long hair signifies being outside of the mainstream. Long lustrous female hair is rated attractive by both men and women across cultures. The prevalence of trichophilia (hair partialism or fetishism) is 7% in the population, and very long hair is a common subject of devotion in this group.

Biological significance

Humans, horses, and orangutangs are among the few species that may grow their head hair very long. Humans are believed to have lost their fur 2.5–3 million years ago when transitioning from a forest habitat to the open savanna, as an effect of natural selection, since this development made it possible to run fast and hunt animals close to the equator without getting overheated. An exception was however head hair, which was kept to provide thermal insulation of the scalp from the sun, to protect against ultra-violet radiation exposure, and also to provide cooling (when sweat evaporates from soaked hair). The ability to grow straight hair, has been observed among Homo sapiens sub-groups in less sunny regions further away from the equator. Relative to kinky Afro-textured hair, straight hair allows more UV light to pass to the scalp (which is essential for the production of vitamin D, that is important for bone development).

Hair

Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis, or skin. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fine vellus hair. Most common interest in hair is focused on hair growth, hair types and hair care, but hair is also an important biomaterial primarily composed of protein, notably keratin. Attitudes towards hair, such as hairstyles and hair removal, vary widely across different cultures and historical periods, but it is often used to indicate a person's personal beliefs or social position, such as their age, gender, or religion.

Overview

The word "hair" usually refers to two distinct structures:

Your Face

Your Face is a 1987 animated short film by Bill Plympton. It involves a man seated in a chair crooning about the face of his lover, and as he sings, his own face starts to distort in various ways. Along with several other shorts by Bill Plympton, it was also aired on MTV's Liquid Television.

The vocals were that of Maureen McElheron, known for composing the songs in The Tune, also by Bill Plympton. After the song was recorded, it was slowed by one-third, giving the desired and unusual effect, also making the voice more masculine. His face is distorted into many different shapes, such as a balloon, a cube and an ice cream cone.

The song is all original, made specifically for this short film, and the lyrics depict a metaphorical description of someone's face by using musical vocabulary to describe the beauty of their features.

The short received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 60th Academy Awards.

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