Long Hair Vs. Short Hair: What Do Men Really Want?

As a self-proclaimed hair chameleon, I have dyed my hair every color in the box and rocked every hairstyle you could possibly imagine. From long cascading, mermaid-esque waves to short bobs or shoulder length shags with blunt bangs, there is almost no coiffure I haven’t tried as an experiment- except a pixie cut or a mo-hawk. I just know I don’t have the facial structure for either, but that’s besides the point.

Regardless of my need to change up my look and hairdo every passing year or whenever I go through a bad breakup, I began to notice a different kind of trend in how I was being treated by creatures of the opposite sex. I decided to turn my love of a sassy makeover to a good old-fashioned sociological investigation.

Despite it all, men typically have very strong opinions when it comes to what they find attractive in a woman. While some guys claim they prefer natural makeup or neutral tones, others admit their lust for a sultry red lip and a little overdone seduction.

For years I made the incorrect assumption that gentlemen not only preferred blondes, but also desired more traditional long, luscious locks as it was the ultimate symbol of femininity- of course this is the pre-historic man bun days that I am referring to. This sentiment reflected back to me in everything I heard and saw growing up in the media. Short hair was too much of an androgynous look, and if I wanted attention or feel good about myself, I simply had to play by the rules. It’s ingrained in our brains from when we are little girls. Disney princess don’t have short hair, do they? Nope, not one!

How naive right? But that had been the reality I was filtering… After all, most hair inspirations of the moment usually were just a phase or fad anyway, as well as can be extremely difficult to pull off on the regular. Think Halle Berry or Jennifer Aniston. Their iconic looks have been anything but basic, yet even they fall back on the more conventional ideals of fuller, scrunched curls or lengthy pin straight strands. Did they even feel society’s cultural pressures? Was shorter hair just too polarizing?

That was my hypothesis until I scrolled through my throwback FB profile pics and began to analyze and re-interpret my personal memories of how men perceived me into hard core research.

While on my path of discovery I realized something very interesting- men actually love a woman with short hair! Don’t believe me?? It’s true.

For whatever reason, whether it was a no fuss attitude or exuding confidence, I received the most catcalls when I kept it trim and effortless. I think more men picked up on my spunk and it made me more unique and mysterious. They weren’t distracted by the superficial. They had a reason to approach me and see what I was all about. On top of feeling more assured, more mature and established men were approaching me rather than the typical Frat bros. I think they automatically assumed I was a bit older from my distinct appearance. I had a shorter hairstyles all when it was colored Chesnut brown with caramels, as well as deep ruby auburn and even moonlight black. Those were the definitive eras where I stood out the most in comparison to my grown out blonder tresses or highlighted roots.

Short Hair, Don’t Care

Fun, flirty facts about shorter hair…

• You Can Still Run Your Fingers Through Short Hair
• You Attract A Different Type of Guy
• People Will Assume Things About You (Like You’re a Feminist or a Lesbian…Let them wonder.)
• Short Hair Doesn’t Mean Easy, But Gives a Free Spirited Vibe
• Women Will Think You Are Brave
• Men Will Be Curious
• Short Hair Gets Attention & A Reaction
• People Will Feel The Need To Compliment You More & Notice You
• It’s Ageless
• It’s Timeless

Bottom line, if you really care more about what men want rather than what you want, you will never attract the right type of people. Figure out what makes you most comfortable and what looks and feels best on you. Men will follow suit… And if they don’t… Ooops, you’ll live…

But I do highly recommend trying it out so you can see for yourself the type of feedback and responses you get. If you have short or long hair, it doesn’t matter, pop on a wig, and have some fun with it!

How To Tell If You Are A Bride-zilla?

Here comes the… Wait a minute!

Is there a bride-zilla on the loose?

You swore it would never happen to you, but it has. You have spent years and years passing judgement on those high-maintenance lunatics you’ve seen on reality t.v., feeling sorry for the poor shlubs who have no idea what they are signing up for…but, then the planning for your special day begins.

The stress is real.

Of course every bride is going to have some minor meltdowns regarding their hair & makeup, dress or perhaps even an overbearing mother-in-law before the big sashay down the isle, but has it gotten so bad that the maids have totally avoided calls just because you have turned into that bridal diva we all love to hate?

Girl, reel it back in. Pull yourself together. In the quest for a happily ever after, fairy tale dream, you have completely lost sight of the true sanctity of matrimony.

If your Maid of Honor, who you’ve known your entire life is one catastrophic cake tasting or unnecessary dress fitting/rehearsal away from resigning from the position, or your 5 year old niece is breaking out in hives over the flower petals to be thrown at your feet, then toots, you are going too far.

Put yourself or the bride-to-be through the ultimate maze towards wedded bliss. From the food to the playlist, to something borrowed, something blue, on a scale of 1-10, discover how bad you or she really is! Then, help a fellow sister friend get back on track.

One day she will thank you, and so will the Groom. (Poor Guy!)

Happy Birthday Tinder: Swipe Right & Make A Wish

Hardworking Millennials Refuse To Be America's Scapegoat

As I approach thirty, I seem to be at a crossroads of adulting. Crazy right? You'd think I'd have a lot more figured out by now...But I don't- especially on the career front and being able to financially sustain this thing we call life.

I feel completely broken down as I am constantly being told that millennials simply aren't 'working hard enough', or that they are lazy, and entitled. First off, I'd like to preface my rant by saying that although some younger, inexperienced adolescents are guilty of contributing to that stereotype, work ethic is directly related to how one is raised and not exactly an accurate reflection or truthful statement of a generation as a whole.

Millennials are always the one's being thrown under the bus, like we have it so easy. Everything is done for us, duh. Between advanced technologies, social media, and words like 'FLEEK”, we don't exactly know how to properly communicate or think for ourselves either, right? Not necessarily true.

Take memes for instance, some of these creatives are innovated by absolute geniuses if you ask me. Like I always say, people's FB statuses make me lose all patience for the world, while hysterical memes restore my faith in humanity. Sorry, side tracked. Moving along…

Reality is, we are having a really late send-off into society. With astronomical student loans and debts, young adults are settling down a lot later in life and for a wide variety of understandable reasons- they simply can't afford to live, especially all by themselves.

The problem of today is we are being taken advantage of by the same people calling us spoiled and unproductive! My experience thus far, similar to my close circle of friends, is we are dealing with incompetent leaders and bosses. And attitude echoes leadership. I mean seriously, how are these people in charge of companies, own businesses, and morally able to make the decisions that dramatically affect the lives of those who drive and support their very own livelihood?

Exposing the top influential heads of smaller agencies, all of the way up to major corporations, is like a mirrored sentiment of the movie Horrible Bosses- only in real life, financially speaking, they have you by the balls, and there are no monumental plot twists based on nothing more than Karmic justice.

They feel we should be honored to even have a job, despite the services we provide to their enterprise. They feel we should display an all-encompassing level of dedication just to show our appreciation. Late hours, weekends, unreasonable expectations, no regulation or source to stabilize legal policies in order to protect ourselves, all on the vain promise that it will all payoff in the end or that because I am a salaried employee, I am ultimately their slave (and when I say salaried, I am still referring to annual income below poverty level).

Nope. Sorry. I believe in work/life balance. I earn every dollar and I take pride in my work, as well as my struggle. I have never once asked for a handout, but I am not here to make another inept sociopath rich, while I sacrifice my time and hard work, which I value strongly.

Most of the young adults I speak with put forth the effort to take control. They want to work! They want to have security and stability in their job. They want provision. If the net results are going to be exactly the same regardless of one's expertise, education or willingness to survive, than why would or should anyone go above and beyond? Do I believe this way of thinking in life? No, absolutely not. But in life you always have the ability, or potential control to change the net results. When you work under someone as an employee, money is the only motivation. It's the only power one has over you. People need to live. I'm not working for a hobby. I've got those, and they cost dollars too! And yes, I know what you are all thinking…Well, don't work for someone. Be your own boss- an entrepreneur, the America Dream. Well, isn't that cute in theory.

Our nation thrives on a functioning middle-class, not an economy of get rich quick outlets.
That's the true tragedy. Millennials have trouble seeing the trend changing or believe that their voices or concerns are being heard so they figure what's the point. We get more blame for the state of this country when in fact, we aren't the one's running the show. We simply inhabited this domino effect of a sh*t-storm . We refuse to be America's scapegoat.

Racing Towards Education Event

Saturday September 24th Hip New Jersey will be at the W. Cary Edward's Foundation's annual fundraising event held at The Avenue A Club in Newark, NJ. You don't want to miss the special performance by Dancing With The Stars' Pro Edyta Śliwińska. This will be a night full of classics!

Cameron Diaz: The Longevity Book

As a follow-up to the New York Times Best-Seller,The Body Book, Cameron Diaz released The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time.

In an effort to educate women of all ages about the functionality of their bodies while empowering them to make well-informed choices about health and beauty, this starlet wanted to identify the real struggle of understanding the way the body ages and heals on a cellular level. Various experts, such as highly-accredited physicians, top-tier surgeons, advanced scientists and nutritionists contributed their research and knowledge about the biological differences in the way aging effects men and women, how growing older impacts distinct bodily systems, and why certain habits can lead to an all-encompassing holistic attitude towards how the female body preserves and how ladies can do it better and smarter!

As women transition into mid-life, maintaining optimal health requires more than just daily energy, but a total mind & body movement. This book provides an outlined guide that breaks down what it means to truly “age”.

Cameron Diaz is a celebrity on a mission. She continues her journey promoting her latest book with an open conversation among her peers. Diaz discussed this essential topic by drawing information from history, science, and her personal experience in the limelight; a headline that for far too long has been seen as a taboo subject in society.

Cameron inquired to the audience, “What is aging? Do any of us really know?”
She addressed, “We seem to be punished for it- especially women. We have this prejudice because we don’t really understand it. That is what this book was about for me.”

Prior to 150 years ago (which in the grand scheme of all of mankind really isn’t that long), the life expectancy for a woman was 40. So when you think about it, it has only been within that time frame that we are able to explore what exactly happens through the regeneration phase of our cells.

Diaz exclaims, “You have to say to yourself, I’m going to decide to be a better old person than young person. Aging is living so congrats!”

The Longevity Book simplifies the conditions of how to benefit your life as you age through the Trifecta of Strength and the 5 Pillars of Well-being:

Trifecta of Strength

1. Good Nutrition

2. Physical Activity

3. Sleep

5 Pillars of Well-Being

1. Balanced Nutrition

2. Exercise

3. Sleep

4. Stress Relief

5. Love & Connection

I also spoke with distinguished dual-board certified professional, Dr. Monica Tadros MD, F.A.C.S. of Aesthetic Facial Plastic Surgery who offered her prowess on anti-aging strategies, methods, techniques and procedural treatments.

Dr. Tadros states, “Aging gracefully requires making choices that are right for you. We feel great when how we look on the outside reflects how we feel on the inside. It is a simple algorithm: Does how you look make you happy? If not, what would make you happy? It’s important to know that you have choices and to make the choices that are right for you.”

Tadros continued, “Skin care and volume are paramount. There are countless non-surgical and invasive options available and that’s the best place to begin. A good relationship with the right doctor will help you navigate through an overwhelming number of possibilities and/or alternatives to make informed choices that are right for you.”

By accepting the certainty that everyone matures, women can take the proper initiative to utilize the different tools which will help them appear and feel more youthful from the inside and out!

For Full Feature on Examiner click here…

Calling All Leaders - Season 1 Finale - Leaders Create Leaders

Over the last 12 months, I have met with some of the greatest modern day leaders. I hope everyone could take something from each episode to inspire you to take action in your life. For our finale, I wanted to give you a glimpse into my life and the new journey I am embarking on as a leader for our millennial generation to pave the way for future generations. This is the most important video I have ever released and I hope it motivates every single one of you to step up to find the leader within. If we want to solve the worlds biggest problems than we need to create more leaders. #LeadersCreateLeaders

Personally want to thank everyone who helped in any way form or fashion to make this first season of Leaders Create Leaders possible. Always appreciate of all the support. I feel extremely passionate about the power of leadership and the way it can influence our world for the better. Can't wait for season 2, a lot of new content is schedule to come. Don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel and my newsletter. Raw & Uncut video from season 1 is coming straight to your inbox. http://www.gerardadamstv.com