Secondhand Sunday

Sunday, October 18, 2009

I've decided to make Sundays my Secondhand day. I'm basically too lazy to think of anything new to say so I thought I would re-post a "vintage" entry.

If you aren't in the mood for repeats, please feel free to change the channel.


"THIS IS A TEST. THIS IS ONLY A TEST"

ORIGINAL POST DATE, FEBRUARY 8, 2009





















I guess you could say that I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin, albeit a little narcissistic. I can't pass by a mirror without a quick hello and I love getting my picture taken. I feel like I've been genetically blessed with good skin that's virtually wrinkle free and my boobs aren't anywhere near my waist yet.

When I see people who are my age or younger, I can't help but compare myself to them and there are times when I think, "Wow, they look really old. It's a good thing I don't look like that." But then I have to wonder if they're saying the same thing about me.

Am I kidding myself? Maybe I don't really look as young as I think. I met a woman who was exactly my age and I remember thinking how incredibly old her eyes looked because they had so many lines around them. She proceeded to tell me how it runs in her family that the women have no wrinkles at all and I thought to myself, "Do you not see the lines around your eyes?" Maybe there was something I was missing, too.

I've had long hair for most of my life and I've always been afflicted with short hair envy. I would see the girls with shoulder length bobs and pixie cuts and dream of how my life might be different with short hair. I've cut it three times in my life. Twice when I suspected that the men I was with were cheating on me,"Whatever you do, Baby, don't ever cut your hair" and then once a few months ago.

It's no secret that men like long hair better than short. Ask 100 and 90 of them will say it's so. I've never seen a Playboy bunny with a bob or a porn star with a razor cut;the longer the locks, the better the fantasy.

When I first showed up at work with my hair 8 inches shorter, I was met with squeals of "Oh my gosh, I LOVE it!" from the women and "Oh, you cut your hair" from the men. Maybe the women really liked it or maybe they were just happy that the competition looked like a little boy now and would only be popular with pedophiles.

I needed some true objective feedback outside of my friends, "You're gorgeous!" So short of stopping men on the street, "Do you think I look pretty?", I decided to enlist the help of a dating website that has a feature called, 'Rate My Picture'.

After the first five minutes, I saw that someone had rated me a 10. Yay! I AM still hot. I DO look great for my age and my short hair is a hit!

Five minutes later, I saw that my "average" was now a 5.5, which meant that someone had rated me a 1. My self-esteem plummeted. I AM living with my head in the sand. I DO look like an old hag. I sat there obsessed with the results each time a new vote was tallied. I left my photo up through the weekend and these were my results:

MEN

Average (97 votes) 6.25

18-25 (18 votes) 5

26-32 (20 votes) 5.25

33-40 (20 votes) 6.85

41+ (39 votes) 7.03

WOMEN

Average (13 votes) 5.69

18-25 (2 votes) 3

26-32 (1 votes) 4

33-40 (4 votes) 5.5

41+ (6 votes) 7


As you can see, I've only done slightly better with the men age 41+ than I have with the women in the same age group. Good to know that my option for switching teams is available if I decide to go that route. Because of my poor rating in the 18-32 range, it appears that I'm not going to be included in anyone's cougar fantasies anytime soon.

Besides, it's only the opinion of 110 people. I wonder what 100 more would think??

27 comments

  1. I'd guess you're in your 30s based on those pictures. If that helps.

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  2. I have been around your blog very recently and this post is no repetition to me. Very interesting, I must say.

    Long hair Vs Short hair. My girl friend had really long hairs (that reached till her butt) and I was very very crazy about it. And it came as a shock when one fine morning she called me up and said she cut her hair to shoulder length. How could she? I've always told her, her hair belonged to me and nothing should be done about it without asking me! We fought really bad and finally when I met her, I must confess that she looked even sexier in her short hair. Since then, I've come to the conclusion that long hair needn't suit all the females.

    And in your case I'd give an 8.7/10 for you in long hair and say 7.1/10 for you in short hair. I'll tell you why - Your face is not exactly a round one and you have slightly broader shoulders. So when you have shorter hair this easily shows out which might not appeal to men, especially the older ones 'coz that looks a little masculine and is a turn-off for their aged and set male ego. With the younger ones, this needn't always be a reason.

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  3. Hope my comment helped and excuse me if I had said anything foolish.

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  4. You're not deluded! You are fresh faced and I'd put you around the 30-mark age-wise. You clearly have good genes!

    I am also a long-hair girl and have twice gone for a shorter cut (a bob both times) and was met with EXACTLY the same reaction - YEY from the chicks but a more lukewarm response from the chicos...

    Anna
    x

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  5. Hey Chrissy! I've avoided the hair length conversation for years. From memory, on two different occasions:

    "You love my new short hair? You mean you HATED it when it was long? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"

    "You don't like my new short hair? So, you're going to hate my hair TIL I GROW IT AGAIN?!"

    Of course, I then foolishly tried to sit on the fence:

    "You like them equally?! What, are you incapable of having an OPINION?! GROW A PAIR!"

    As for the 1 to 10 scale... have these guys never seen Spinal Tap? ;>

    Indigo

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  6. You look fabulous with both lengths, although I think you look more energetic and assertive in the picture with the short hair. You've been blessed with a facial structure and smile that will look great at any age!

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  7. Thanks for the re-post (for us newbies!). :)

    I love the hair either way, but lean toward the fresh-faced-cut more. It actually makes you look even younger than you already do.

    You're a 10 in my book, girlie!

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  8. HI CHRISSY!

    I'm new here. But I'm a good friend of Kathryn over at From the Inside . . . Out, so I figured I'd be welcome.

    I rate you and that haircut a 10. I just got about 7 inches cut off my hair, and I LOVE it, even tho I do miss being "the long-haired one."

    May I ask . . . how old are you? I would guess mid-30s.

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  9. I alternate between short and long hair. My hair looks better when it is short. Of course my husband likes it longer.

    You look great either way.

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  10. I think you look young vibrant and beautiful.

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  11. @Mia,
    Thanks, I'll take it!

    @Ekanthapadhikan,
    Wait...you don't think I'm a 10? That's it, you're banished from my blog. ;-)

    @Anna,
    Thanks, Anna!

    @IndidoWrath,
    Too funny!

    @CatLadeLarew,
    Thanks, my dear!

    @thagalkiki,
    Aw, thanks. You're my new best friend!

    @JD at I Do Things,

    Wait, now YOU'RE my new best friend, too! Of course, you're always welcome.

    Thanks for the kind words. I'm 43 and proud of it!

    @kys,
    Thanks! Of course, your husband likes it longer. I was talking on the phone to someone I used to date and I told him I had short hair now. "well, is there still enough to grab onto?" Yes, perv..

    @The Peach Tart,
    Thanks, you're so good for my ego. :-)

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  12. In love getting my picture taken as well. I usually use them to critique every little flaw though.Sometimes though I'm like.. "man, i look good."

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  13. You look wayyy better with short hair- you look younger, happier and much more "now" :)

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  14. I think it looks great both ways. I have been trying to grow my hair longer for years now but I just trim it myself. When I was young, my Nana used to take me to the barber shop to get the "Dorothy Hamill" cut all.the.time. I hated it! I finally got it past the middle of my back & it was so scraggly from not getting it cut that I trimmed it a few inches & it looks much healthier. Maybe a pro cut would be better, but they are so damned expensive!
    Oh, can you believe it's going to be 60 degrees on Tuesday?!?! WOOHOO! LOL. Sad, huh?

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  15. My rating usually goes up on Friday and Saturday nights when drunks start voting...then on Mondays some people vote 1 and 2 just to be mean. Maybe they had a bad weekend.

    I think both looks are great. Decide which one you like best and keep it.

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  16. The truth is, about 20% of women look good in short hair (meaning shorter than shoulder length). Unfortunately, about 95% of all women have at some time whacked off their longer hair because women are never satisfied with their looks.
    If you don't have small ears, never get it cut short because you will look like Mr. Spock. Take a look at Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News...her face is exactly WRONG for the ultra short cut she has, and it will take her forever to grow it out again!
    A woman who is secure in herself and her looks is going to STICK WITH the one style that flatters her the most. The rest will keep growing it out, whacking it off, growing it out, forever.
    You look great in both of these pictures, because they're both at least shoulder length. And those polls are stupid because you are a solid NINE...so forget about them.

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  17. Hey Chrissy, both ways looks great on you. I wish I looked that good when I was your age....many, many years ago...

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  18. Hi Chrissy,

    Thanks for being so kind as to stop by my blog http://from-pillar-to-post.blogspot.com/! It's hardly a week old, I'm still confused as to how to put up pics!

    I think you look pretty both ways, but younger and a lot "fresher" with short hair!

    I've been thinking of growing my hair long, thinking maybe it's time to look more a "man's woman" (if there's such a thing) but the horrifying thought just popped into my head that maybe I was trying to look more like my husband's work spouse! Why on earth do I want to do that, right? OK, now I feel like cutting it really short like Pink!

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  19. Honey, You're gorgeous and you KNOW it.
    Your hair is NOT what defines you....it's what defines ME....

    Why would you let perfect strangers decide if you were HOT or not? And esp. anonymous strangers, who I'm sure are anything but "perfect"? Can't you just picture that guy with chicken wing sauce all over his shirt on the faded couch pressing "1" on his keypad??

    Ew.

    10, baby....always a 10.

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  20. Short hair for sure! I'm going to rate it awesome! My friend Cynica told me to come over here and check out your blog. I'm glad I did. I will probably be stalking your blog now. I think it's funny Kathryn mentioned chicken wing sauce on someones shirt. (Yes, I do.)

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  21. as someone who has always been all about my hair, this cracked me up. You look great and young for your age in both pics, but I think you look younger and more confident with the shorter hair - I think it has something to do with short hair implying a kind of freedom and independence and besides, it's not like you have a pixie (when I had a pixie, somedays I'd wake up and feel great and other days, I'd be pretty sure I looked like the PE teacher :)

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  22. long hair for sure! you're totally right i don't like my women looking like boys.

    short hair can look good, but generally only on those perky girls with high voices who are so energetic you wish they'd grow wings like tinkerbell so you can swat them away.

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  23. @Rae,
    HA HA! I do that. Look at me...

    @lizard,
    Thanks, that's so sweet.

    @Collette,
    Dorothy Hamill! I remember that. My sister had the Pat Benatar.
    I heard it was nice today but I just got out of a late meeting so I missed it. :-(

    @Jen,
    Thanks. You must know the site I'm talking about!

    @Timoteo,
    Tell us how you really feel.:-)

    I think we just get bored, too, because we have so many options. I'm a nine? You're my new best friend!

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  24. @Phillipia,
    Thanks! Stop it, it was not many, many years ago.

    @Chinablue,
    You're welcome. I like your blog! DON'T look like work wife. I think it would be fun to have really short, short hair and then wear wigs all the time. Blonde one day, redhead the next.

    @Kathryn,

    Friends are the best for pumping up your ego. Thank you!! Hey, I was feeling vulnerable in February..

    Your sauce comment is the funniest thing I've ever read! Probably true which is why it's so damn funny.

    @Mark Price,
    Thanks! So glad Cynica sent you. Welcome! Are you saying you need a bib?

    @Margo,
    Thanks! Yes, it was very liberating to cut it off. I remember that PE teacher. She wore a wedding ring but never brought her husband to school functions.

    @Chris,
    I knew it! Love the Tinkerbell analogy.

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  25. Um, yes, you DO look really youthful. You are not kidding yourself. Good skin. Lucky girl.

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  26. Cute rating 10/10
    Unusually for me, short hair prettier than long

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  27. @Jennifer & Living in My Car,
    Thanks so much!

    @Cogitator,
    Wow, thank you! It actually surprises me that I like it so much.

    ReplyDelete

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