Man buns, or as I like to call them, “buns” have been the topic of much ridicule and discussion as of late. It’s becoming a trend for men with long hair to pull their luscious manes up into a topknot or a tasteful bun, ditching some of the faux hawks and buzz cuts that society deems “traditional” and “acceptable” for men.
Here lies the problem:
Many people have voiced this particular hairstyle on men as unattractive and socially abnormal, and I would like to delve deeper into this topic to find the root of why there is such vocal outrage against an innocent hairstyle.
Firstly, as a non-binary gendered person I would like to voice that I am sure a partial rousing of this issue is that men aren’t “supposed” to have long hair or intricate hair styles. Because of how we live in society most people force gendered labels on things and in places which they do not belong. Hence, men wearing their hair long and into buns is inappropriate in a society where boys are supposed to have short hair and girls are supposed to have long hair. I can tell you as a female-perceived person I have never been ridiculed for a top-knot or bun. That isn’t right. The hair on our heads are dead cells, not reproductive organs or genitalia. Therefore, any gendered label should be removed. It is not “taboo” for woman to wear pants....Anymore. So why should something as trivial as the length of hair be such a large problem?
Secondly, I can tell you right now, masculine people wearing buns is not a new thing. In fact, it’s way older than you might even guess. Buddha has been depicted since the 6th or 7th century with a top knot. In the 3rd century, many of the terra cotta warriors had been sculpted with their hair in up-do’s. Many asian cultures have had their men with very beautiful, very long hair - examples being Samurai, Shogun, Chinese and Japanese common-folk for the past thousands of years. Men in the classical era had their powdered wigs in ponytails and curls. George Harrison of the Beatles wore his hair tied back along with many, many modern day celebrities. This also includes our fictional, but beloved characters, Samurai Jack and Li-Shang.
And finally, no one actually cares whether or not you like them. Don’t be a jerk, and get your gendered-labels away from those of us who care about our appearance and our love for up-do’s. Don’t be an oppressive self-centered person who thinks their opinion is the end-all be-all. Be respectful and kind, because Buddha knows we need it. We don’t need anything else tearing us apart as human beings, classifying or labeling us for more than necessary. We have more important things to concern ourselves with, like the homeless refugees fighting to stay alive, unwelcome and unsafe in their own country, or bigots hating those born in the wrong bodies. We need much more love, and respect for one another- and hating on a male with long hair is not going to get you, or society, anywhere.
Here lies the problem:
Many people have voiced this particular hairstyle on men as unattractive and socially abnormal, and I would like to delve deeper into this topic to find the root of why there is such vocal outrage against an innocent hairstyle.
Firstly, as a non-binary gendered person I would like to voice that I am sure a partial rousing of this issue is that men aren’t “supposed” to have long hair or intricate hair styles. Because of how we live in society most people force gendered labels on things and in places which they do not belong. Hence, men wearing their hair long and into buns is inappropriate in a society where boys are supposed to have short hair and girls are supposed to have long hair. I can tell you as a female-perceived person I have never been ridiculed for a top-knot or bun. That isn’t right. The hair on our heads are dead cells, not reproductive organs or genitalia. Therefore, any gendered label should be removed. It is not “taboo” for woman to wear pants....Anymore. So why should something as trivial as the length of hair be such a large problem?
Secondly, I can tell you right now, masculine people wearing buns is not a new thing. In fact, it’s way older than you might even guess. Buddha has been depicted since the 6th or 7th century with a top knot. In the 3rd century, many of the terra cotta warriors had been sculpted with their hair in up-do’s. Many asian cultures have had their men with very beautiful, very long hair - examples being Samurai, Shogun, Chinese and Japanese common-folk for the past thousands of years. Men in the classical era had their powdered wigs in ponytails and curls. George Harrison of the Beatles wore his hair tied back along with many, many modern day celebrities. This also includes our fictional, but beloved characters, Samurai Jack and Li-Shang.
And finally, no one actually cares whether or not you like them. Don’t be a jerk, and get your gendered-labels away from those of us who care about our appearance and our love for up-do’s. Don’t be an oppressive self-centered person who thinks their opinion is the end-all be-all. Be respectful and kind, because Buddha knows we need it. We don’t need anything else tearing us apart as human beings, classifying or labeling us for more than necessary. We have more important things to concern ourselves with, like the homeless refugees fighting to stay alive, unwelcome and unsafe in their own country, or bigots hating those born in the wrong bodies. We need much more love, and respect for one another- and hating on a male with long hair is not going to get you, or society, anywhere.