First things first, I should state that I am probably a bit biased: I have the shortest hair of all the Jezebel staffers, but I have also had very long hair. Hairstyles do not work universally: "sexy" long hair on one woman can look like a wet mop of Muppet hair on another; a cute pixie cut on one gal can look like a cry for help on another.

One good part of having short hair? It weeds out the slimy creeps, which brings me to the male "experts" that the Daily News found to weigh in on how un-sexy short hair is:

“If you cut your hair you might be making a statement that says, ‘I don’t want to be seen as a sex object,’ ” says sex therapist Dr. Aline Zoldbrod, who agrees that men are usually more sexually attracted to women with longer hair.

“Men love long hair; the touch and the smell stimulates our senses,” says Matt Titus, Manhattan dating guru and author of “Why Hasn’t He Called?”

“The three physical things that attract a man are a great body, beautiful long hair or great lips. So cutting off one third of your beacons of attraction doesn’t increase your chances of having Mr. Right approach you. It’s like sending a nonverbal message that you’re not interested in sex,” he declares.

Why does everything on a woman's body have to be some sort of signal to the male sex? Articles like this rub me the wrong way because they give men ownership over women's bodies. Suddenly, a hairstyle becomes a "statement" to men and women are basically being told that they should consider how men look at them when they are making choices about what to wear and how to style their hair.

And the thing is, men are not so simple when to comes to attraction to women. It's understandable why Mr. Titus wants to fit men into generalities: it helps him sell books if he can make women believe that all men are the same and he, and only he, has they key to unlock them.

It's interesting that the only man who approved of short hair on women in the Daily News article is a gay (just guessing!) hairdresser who, just a few months ago, said he "didn't love" short haircuts. Curious! I suspect that the inclusion of the hairdresser's opinion is meant to communicate that the only men who want women to cut their hair short is their gay hairdressers — because no straight man would ever think to look at a lady with a cropped 'do.

Edgy Pixies Haircuts Are Back, But Do They Kill Your Attraction? [NY Daily News]
Hairstylist Ricardo Rojas Doesn't Do His Own Hair [NY Mag]

Previously: Does Cutting Your Hair Mean You Don't Want Sex?

For the first time ever, you could see my face, and my neck, and my back. I still refused to look at myself in the mirror, but I did let him show me the back of my head, which looked lovely, all swingy instead of lank, like the creature that climbs up out of the well in the Japanese horror movie The Ring. 'You look . . .' started Paul. 'Don't tell me I look younger,' I said. 'Yes, you do. You really, really do.'

So here's where I tell you about my own adventures in hair care. I had long hair for years. Long, curly, unruly, heavy and pretty effing damaged hair, to be honest. When you're black and people tell you you have "good" hair and you should "never cut it" you tend to listen to them, even if you suspect otherwise. But I hated the idea that "girls" were "supposed" to have long hair. I dreamed of having hair that didn't drip all over my clothes when wet, that didn't take 2+ hours to blow dry (and all day to air dry); that didn't always look like a shaggy dog. I wanted "grown-up," easy, "sophisticated" hair. I just didn't think I could have it. And then I saw a model with the hair I wanted. It was Noemie Lenoir. And then I saw actress Thandie Newton, with the hair I wanted. And I grew more and more convinced I could let go of the burden of long hair. I got a job at a publishing company where a magazine needed a candidate for a makeover, and that person had to agree to get a haircut. I volunteered, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It's been almost 9 years since I've had long hair, and every now and then I'll see long locks and have a pang of yearning. But did chopping off my hair change my life? Definitely. As Ms. Jones writes, "Because I felt like a different person — not the one who never got a single date in high school, not the one whose husband cheated on her — I acted differently, too, chatting to people when normally I would have been too shy." For me, it was all part of becoming an adult, of going after what I wanted and letting go of some childhood baggage. Now when I see women with super long hair on the street, I just want to "liberate" them — using a sharp pair of scissors.

Can A Haircut Change Your Life? Liz Jones Chopped Off Her Waist-Length Locks To Find Out [Daily Mail]