[Thinatheart9876]

So since I began to gain weight, I never let my hair get cut shorter than the bottom of my breast. This was because I thought long hair would cover my upper body making it look thinner. I also have naturally black hair which I thought would make my face look thinner due to the contrast to my fair skin. However I recently got highlights and love what it's done for my look! So now I'm considering cutting my hair as well, something I've been contemplating for a few months now. When I say "cut" though, I don't mean anything shorter than 3ish inches below my collar bone. I think it'll make my face look thinner as I have very limp fine hair which becomes very flat because of the weight of long hair, and so will really benefit from the extra volume of shorter hair. Except I want my body to look proportionate to my face, and am therefore worried about my upper body looking bigger if I cut my hair because I've had this "cover" for so long! Lol sorry for the long rant.

Basically my question is whether long hair actually works in thinning your upper body (by hiding back fat, broad shoulders etc) and shorter hair will make a big upper body look bigger? (Again, it won't be a reallyyy short cut. It'll be a few inches below my collar bone -still very short for me).

[Palestrina]

Hair doesn't cover up back fat. Especially if it's long and thin and straight. It just doesn't, it's emotional for you and I get that but it doesn't really fool anyone. Hair frames your face and may cover some neck fat but that's as far as it goes. The longer it is the harder it is to keep volume and lift at the root which then only manages to cause hair to be limp and heavy and then gets plastered on your skull. That's what happens to me, I tend to keep my hair around shoulder length, sometimes shorter sometimes longer. When it's longer I have to spend a lot of time curling and getting volume.

Have an open mind, ask around what kind of haircut others would want to see on you. Other people can be more objective about this sort of thing and aren't the least bit concerned about little details like back fat. Hair is about the face.

[faiora]

Disclaimer: every use of "you" and "your" in the following response aren't directed at you in particular - they're general statements more directed at myself than anyone else.

My thought: The smaller you make your head look, the bigger your body will look in proportion. So long hair is actually not great because the weight pulls it flat against your head, and really short hair isn't great because it doesn't add any volume to your head.

Probably the best option is to go chin length, and get it permed or something so it's got some volume. Not the way I'd go personally (because it sounds like way too much upkeep), but in my mind that's the way to go. But really it's not about hiding your weight - that doesn't work at all. It's about having a flattering hairstyle that doesn't accentuate your weight.

I also have long hair and although I'm not very emotionally attached to my hair (every so often I hack it off to chin/shoulder length or so, but right now it's to my lower back, which is long given that I'm 5'10 and have short legs... but I digress), I've put a lot of thought into what kind of hairstyle looks best, and in particular, what won't make me look even fatter.

[Dottington]

I've found the exact opposite to be true for myself-I've noticed short hair slims my face. Since losing most of my weight I've been growing it out since I think the longer hair suit my slimmer face now. Also, I must agree that hair does not hide a person's size at all. I think you should talk with your hair stylist about your face shape and what shorter style will flatter you most. You can also use one of those apps or computer programs that lets you try out different styles/colors to get an idea