What kind of haircut do I want?

April 9, 2018 1:10 PM

I'm a cisdude and I'm losing hair at the temples, have been for years. It's getting to the point where it's time to get my (short) hair cut even shorter. I kind of want a high and tight, except I don't want to look like I'm in the marines, also I'd like to continue to read as queer, so I don't want a high and tight. Websites are no help, and I am terrible at explaining what I want done to my hair. Help?
posted by Automocar to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

also I'd like to continue to read as queer, so I don't want a high and tight.

I don't think there's anything inherently un-queer about this cut - I'd say half the guys I see in queer spaces have the exact same "almost shaved on the sides/a bit longer on top" thing going on. What does your hair look like right now?
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:18 PM on April 9, 2018 [4 favorites]

IME, the best thing to do is save photos of haircuts you like, then discuss them with your stylist to see if they're feasible given your hair.

Sympathies on trying to find a cut that will read as queer. Unfortunately, Richard Spenser and his ilk have somewhat tainted the high-and-tight cut on men these days (unless the cut is asymmetrical and pronounced enough to be edging into "Skrillex Jr." range).
posted by Lexica at 1:26 PM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

I think other factors play in to how a haircut reads - style choices particularly. I think a similar question was asked on the green a while back.
posted by bunderful at 1:50 PM on April 9, 2018

I have seen folks who want the high-and-tight without the fashy aspects and who still want to read as queer having a design shaved into the buzz on one side.
posted by corb at 1:50 PM on April 9, 2018

Best answer: Can you use fun and fancy colours? That will make any haircut read as alternative / possibly queer rather than marine / nazi. Even the high-and-tight / crew cut.
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:02 PM on April 9, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: This photo assortment seems pretty good. As I was going bald I went from a Caesar to a buzz (#6) with a fade at the temples, then a buzz (#5) and don't bother with a fade, then to buying my own buzzers. Then I lost enough hair that it was time to shave it all. You may want something like what they call a flair cut, probably with a choppy texture you can then gel just so in order to read queer. I'm a straight dude, and an impatient one at that, so the no-product Caesar was much better than my previous undercut since it meant I didn't have to do any work to keep it up, and it actually flattered me more as my widow's peak really started to show. TBH I look better bald.
posted by fedward at 2:06 PM on April 9, 2018 [11 favorites]

Best answer: Pinterest!! Pinterest will save you. I created an account just so I could save pictures of haircuts to show my stylist, at her suggestion. It has worked wonders for me. Take a look.

Bonus tip: if you see a pic you like, click on it and watch below as Pinterest populates the space with a bajillion other pics that are similar, or more in that direction!
posted by purple_bird at 2:16 PM on April 9, 2018 [3 favorites]

For the same reasons, I started with a simple #2 all over, but have since progressed to a #1 all over. Easy and looks fine in my opinion.
posted by TheAdamist at 3:04 PM on April 9, 2018

Also having really well-groomed brows can make any haircut look more queer on a man, imo.
posted by purple_bird at 3:14 PM on April 9, 2018 [10 favorites]

Best answer: Is colour an option? You get your close-crop dyed turquoise I don't care how military it started it's going to wind up tasting the rainbow. I mean, any of those colours.
posted by seanmpuckett at 3:45 PM on April 9, 2018 [6 favorites]

For whatever it is worth, I am a heterosexual man who is sometimes read as queer because I have the same buzz cut/beard as lots of gay men. My point is, pick the cut that works with your face and head, and people will read or misread it however they want.
posted by Dip Flash at 11:06 PM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]