Long flowing hair is enviable, but women often play with it, move it out of their eyes and in other ways attend to it when speaking with others or sitting in a meeting.

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Christian theologians still argue over what Saint Paul meant when he told the people of Corinth that for men to have long hair was shameful, while for women, flowing tresses were something glorious (although they should keep them covered, perhaps to avoid tempting wayward angels).

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At the Sassy hair salon in downtown Beijing, long-time hairstylist Hong Haiting says women are the ones driving sales of hair colour.

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Standing in the front pew at the New Year's Eve service was a group of young women in long skirts, long hair and no makeup.

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Women over 50 should not have long hair.

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Some women are shifting from center-parted long hair "to a chic mid length, " she says, leading them to experiment with new styles.

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Moreover, his delight in lush-featured women led him to create the most recognizably Pre-Raphaelite female ideal: long thick hair, deeply set eyes, full lips and a strong jaw-line.

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In one study, women's images were digitally altered to give them short, long, and medium-length hair.

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