Some people just don't get it.
So.. to all you believers and followers of long hair, brothers, you are not alone; i have compiled for us all the ultimate top 10 list to justify our all-too-often-looked-down-upon-hard-ambition. To the disbelievers, strap yourselves in for a rude awakening - it's never too late to be a convert.
10. the thrill factor - You just can't deny that male students with long hair have some degrees of excitement that others don't feel. How's the thrill of not seeing your parents after a year overseas, then coming back, and to their shocking awe of disbelief - voila - 'check out the dreadlocks, Ma!' Or how about the exhillirating manouvres of trying to evade the predatory eyes of the Pak Guards in front of local uni gates (eg UIA, UiTM), to prevent yourself from getting fined? It's like skipping school while still in your uniform - breeding new ideas of escape and analytical mission planning, just for the fun of it.
9. favourable economics - People argue that long hair requires heavy maintenance. What they fail to see, however, is the underlying economics of keeping your hair short. Whether you work as a paper boy or not, 10 bucks for a haircut is pretty annoying.. and maintaining it short means you have to shell out the 10 hard earned dollars every frickin month. To add insult to injury, that's RM30 - the equivalent of a family dinner at your local ikan bakar stall. Mmmm... ikan bakar. Anyway..
8. options! - With long hair, you have an endless degree of customizability as to represent how the top of your head looks like. Heck, the whole head for the matter. Dreadlocks, straight, ponytailed, braided... the sky is the limit!
7. to make a political statement - I once knew a friend who fought for his right to keep long hair back in his high school years. People would look at him, and those who give him a slightly wrong gaze will end up in him releasing the bitter statement "That fkker pandang slack kat aku just because aku rambut panjang. WTF?!". In turn, he ends up keeping his hair long in hopes of waging a war in proving "young guys with long hair do not suck". A battle of futility, for sure, but it gives him purpose and determination. Inspirational, to say the least
6. the sands of time are running low - "Better to regret something you've done, rather than regret something you didn't do." Keep your hair long in your student days, because you ain't gonna get that chance again when you launch yourself in your career. When you graduate and go into interviews, chances are, whether you've been waging your political war against long-hair-disbelievers or not, your potential employer probably isn't going to hire you on first impression if you have long hair due to unfair percaptions. (Time to wage that war)
5. you can wear headbands without looking "poyo" - When's the last time you wanted to look like Roger Federer without looking pretentious? Okay, probably never, but the point is, having long hair justifies why you should look like Federer - to avoid your hair from being a nuisance during sport. Boo yah!
4. The gentle art of Headbanging - The simple truth is, we metalheads generally don't have nimble and dexterous feet unlike the nocturnal night-clubbers who get wasted every Friday night. No sir, we can't dance. The only form of expression of our appreciation of the music we enjoy is through the art of headbanging. And this is all the more cooler with long hair. You get to do the helicopter. Helicopters are basically when you rotate your head, making your hair move in a fan-blade like fashion, like a helicopter (Refer to Figure 1). Go to your local metal gig, and do the helicopter until you feel the world revolving under your feet. Sweet.
Figure 1 - the helicopter
3. intergenerational pride - Do you remember those moments, when you, as a kid, would dig up old stuff from the store room, and find a picture of your dad as a student... and you just can't help but be blown away. "Whoa, bapak aku dulu rambut panjang siot! Cool gila!" Awesome stuff. Now, fast forward that. Put yourself in your dad's shoes, and imagine that look you get from your kid's face. Priceless.
2. Sunnah Rasulullah S.A.W. - It's a well known fact that our Prophet had long hair. We will be rewarded for every act with the intention to follow his wise actions. The only reason that this was not ranked #1 in the list, is that, when you tell people you keep your hair long because "nak ikut sunnah Nabi", you'll usually evoke negative responses such as "nak kahwin 4 lah tu. Gatal". What? That's not fair! How dare you taunt my sincere intentions!
1. Because we can - The undisputed reason guy students should keep their hair long, of course, is simply because we can. We don't really need justification - although of course, the other 9 reasons are pretty good ones. But really, it's a simple human desire - the everlasting curiousity of new discoveries and experiences.
Need I say anything further? So, what are you waiting for? Join the helicopter brotherhood today. The beauty of it all is, to enlist, all you have to do is - nothing! Don't go to your local hairdresser, don't take out that shaver, and try not to accidentally burn your hair. Let nature take its place, and let these justifications serve as a reminder that we aren't freaks, but intelligent visionaries with purpose!
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