Name	GLOBE Legislators Organisation (GLOBE International)
Formation	1989
Type	International Environment Legislators Organisation
Purpose	Climate change and the environment
Headquarters	London, UK
Region served	International
Num staff	6
Website
Remarks	}}

GLOBE is the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment, founded in 1989. GLOBE facilitates high level negotiated policy positions from leading legislators from across the major economies parliaments and from regional dialogues.

GLOBE's objective is to support ambitious political leadership on issues of climate and energy security, land-use change and ecosystems. Internationally, GLOBE is focussed on progressive leadership from G20 leaders and the leaders of the major emerging economies as well as formal negotiations within the United Nations.

GLOBE shadows the formal G8 negotiations and allows legislators to work together outside the formal international negotiations. Without the burden of formal governmental negotiating positions, legislators have the freedom to push the boundaries of what can be politically achieved.

At an international level GLOBE consists of senior cross-party members of parliament from the 16 major economies - the G8 countries, European Parliament, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. Also, GLOBE facilitates regional policy dialogues amongst legislators.

GLOBE believes that legislators have a critical role to play in holding their own governments to account for the commitments that are made during international negotiations.

History

Since 2005 and following the invitation of the former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, GLOBE has brought together one hundred legislators from all major political parties within the parliaments of the G8, European Parliament, Brazil, China, India, Mexico & South Africa. GLOBE has convened this group twice a year in a series of focussed policy dialogues held in the US Senate, German Bundestag (2007), Brazilian Senate, Japanese Diet, Mexican Congress (2008) UK House of Commons, Italian Chamber of Deputies, and most recently in the Danish Parliament, the Folketing (2009). The dialogues have included participation by President [Luis Inacio Lula] of Brazil, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, then Prime Minister Tony Blair of the UK, then Prime Ministers Fukuda, and Abe of Japan and the Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. In addition both 2008 US Presidential candidates addressed the GLOBE Forum just months prior to the US election. During COP15 in Copenhagen in December 2009 UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown presented Mexican President Calderon with the GLOBE Award for International Leadership on the Environment.

Between the two annual meetings smaller groups of legislators have been convened in working groups and most recently in two International Commissions on Climate & Energy Security chaired by US Congressman Ed Markey, and on Land Use Change & Ecosystems chaired by former World Bank Vice President, Mr Ian Johnson.

Members

GLOBE has legislative members in all of the 16 major economies that have national GLOBE chapters. At a regional level, they also have members in all European Member states and within several African and Latin American countries.

GLOBE’s International Commissions

GLOBE International supports two International Commissions on Climate and Energy Security; and Land Use Change and Ecosystems.

International Commission on Climate & Energy Security

GLOBE’s International Commission on Climate & Energy Security was launched in the US Congress in Washington DC on Monday 30th March 2009. This Commission comprises senior legislators from each of the major economies. The Commission met for two days under the Chairmanship of US Congressman Ed Markey and Lord Michael Jay of the UK House of Lords. The Commission was launched with the support of the Danish Prime Minister, the UK Prime Minister and the Italian G8 Presidency. The aim of the Commission was to produce a major report to the GLOBE Copenhagen Forum in October, presenting its conclusions to the Danish Prime Minister and the major economies. GLOBE national chapters are now advancing these recommendations.

The commissions report was adopted by the GLOBE Copenhagen Legislators Forum and submitted to the UNFCCC and leaders of the major economies ahead of COP15.

International Commission on Land Use Change and Ecosystems

GLOBE’s International Commission on Land Use Change and Ecosystems was initially announced in June 2008 by the British Foreign Secretary, Rt. Hon [David Miliband] MP, and the Chief Scientist to the Japanese Cabinet, Dr Kiyoshi Kurokawa, and formally supported by the G8+5 Legislators Forum of one hundred senior legislators. With the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Commission was launched in November 2008 in the Mexican Congress. The Chairman of the International Commission is Mr Ian Johnson, former Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank, and the political co-chairs are Barry Gardiner MP (UK) and Senator Renato Casagrande (Brazil).

In 2005, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) concluded that human activity is rapidly and extensively degrading ecosystem services in order to meet growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel. Extensive land use change and ecosystem transformation have contributed considerably to economic development. However, these gains have also created barriers to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and significantly depleted the Earth’s natural capital. The ''International Commission on Land Use Change & Ecosystems'' was established in order to initiate a step change in the way that policy makers value the ecosystems that are being degraded at a rapid rate.

The ''International Commission on Land Use Change & Ecosystems'' has three main workstreams; Forest policy, Marine environment policy and Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Policy.

Forestry Policy

The International Commission met twice during 2009 to develop a policy framework to address tropical deforestation, first in July at UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and then in the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, USA, in September. The Commission, consisting of 20 legislators from both developed countries and rainforest nations along with a panel of expert economists and scientists, agreed to a set of “Forestry Policy Proposals” that included recommendations on how to reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) as part of the post-2012 climate change agreement and measures to prevent illegal logging and to address the demand-side drivers of deforestation. These policy proposals were endorsed by the GLOBE Copenhagen Forum in October 2009.

Marine Environment Policy

The International Commission aims to coordinate simultaneous parliamentary debates on the marine environment in the major economies of the world on World Oceans Day, 8th June 2010. Prior to this event, the International Commission, consisting of 20 legislators from the major fishing nations and an expert panel of marine scientists and economists, will convene in US Congress in April 2010. At this meeting, the International Commission will develop a “Marine Ecosystem Recovery Plan”, which will outline the policy framework that is necessary to set the oceans on a path to a sustainable future.

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Policy

GLOBE’s Programme on Ecosystems Services and Biodiversity aims to mainstream biodiversity and ecosystem services within the world’s parliaments by a creating an international leadership group of parliamentarians from the finance or audit committees of a select group of countries. By developing a common framework for economic and environmental information, GLOBE believes that governments will be able to more accurately gauge the contribution of the environment to the economy and the impact of the economy on the environment.

Statements and Reports

GLOBE International concludes each Forum with a consensus statement agreed by all the legislators attending, which is submitted to leaders of the major economies. GLOBE also produces a number of policy papers and reports to support it’s work. The International Commissions on Climate and Energy Security; and Land Use Change and Ecosystems produce a number of reports and background documents to support their work.

References

External links

http://copenhagen.globeinternational.org/includes/documents/cm_docs/2009/g/globe_success_criteria_for_cop15_final.pdf http://globe.publiczone.co.uk/content.php?id=1:0:0:0:0

Lobbyists who cleared 'Climategate' academics funded by taxpayers and the BBC, The Daily Telegraph, 23 April 2011

GLOBE Documents

2009

Summary of the Recommendations from the First Meeting of GLOBE’s Marine Technical Advisory Group, London, October 2009

GLOBE Policy Positions for Copenhagen

GLOBE Legislative Principles Paper

Report of the GLOBE Copenhagen Legislators Forum and GLOBE’s International Commission on Climate & Energy Security

GLOBE Forestry Policy Proposals

International Commission on Land Use Change and Ecosystems background documents

GLOBE Rome G8 +5 Legislators Forum

2008

GLOBE Americas Legislators Forum Statement

GLOBE Post 2012 Framework Agreement

Market Mechanisms Work Group Paper

GLOBE Efficiency Working Group Paper

GLOBE Technology Working Group Paper

GLOBE Adaptation Working Group Paper

GLOBE Brasilia Legislators Forum Biofuels Agreement

GLOBE Brasilia Legislators Forum G8 Illegal Logging Agreement

2007

GLOBE Berlin G8 +5 Legislators Forum Statement

GLOBE Washington Legislators Forum Statement

Category:International environmental organizations

birth date	April 12, 1979
birth name	Claire Catherine Danes
birth place	Manhattan, New York, U.S.
occupation	Actress
years active	1992–present
spouse	Hugh Dancy (2009–present) }}

Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American television, stage and film actress. She has appeared in roles as diverse as Angela Chase in ''My So-Called Life'', as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's ''Romeo + Juliet'', as Kate Brewster in ''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'', as Yvaine in ''Stardust'' and as Temple Grandin in the HBO TV film ''Temple Grandin''. She portrays Carrie Mathison in the Showtime series ''Homeland''.

Early life

Danes was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Her mother, Carla (née Hall), is a day-care provider, painter, and textile designer who later served as her daughter's manager, and her father, Christopher Danes (b. May 6, 1944 in Austin, Texas), is a computer consultant and former architectural photographer. Danes has described her background as being "as WASPy as you can get"; her paternal grandfather, Gibson Andrew Danes (1910–1992 in Litchfield, Connecticut), was the dean of the art and architecture school at Yale University. She has an older brother, Asa (b. 1973).

Danes attended the Dalton School in New York City, the New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies, the Professional Performing Arts School, and the Lycée Français de Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. In 1998, Danes went to Yale University, her father's alma mater. Director Oliver Stone wrote her letter of recommendation to Yale. After studying for two years as a psychology major, she dropped out of Yale to focus on her film career.

Television

Danes got her start as a guest star on ''Law & Order'' in an episode called "Skin Deep". She also appeared in an episode of HBO's ''Lifestories: Families in Crisis'' entitled "The Coming out of Heidi Leiter". In March 1993, a pilot episode was shot, when Claire was 13 years old. It would be almost another year and a half before broadcast. Danes starred as the 15-year-old Angela Chase in the television drama series ''My So-Called Life'', for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received an Emmy nomination. The show was canceled after only 19 episodes. However, the show has developed a large cult following in the years since it was canceled.

In 2010, Danes starred in the HBO production of ''Temple Grandin'', a biopic about the eponymous autistic woman. She won the 2010 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film and the 2011 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries award. The film was well received and Grandin herself praised Danes' performance.

In 2011 Danes starred in a new Showtime series called ''Homeland'' in which she plays an agent of the CIA who, unbeknownst to her employer, is a person with bipolar disorder. Her character believes a United States Marine Corps war hero is planning a terrorist attack while being tapped for high profile government service. The series costars Mandy Patinkin and Damian Lewis. She won the 2012 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series for her performance.

Film

Following the cancellation of ''My So Called Life,'' Danes made the transition into film. She played Elizabeth "Beth" March in the 1994 film adaptation of ''Little Women'' alongside Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Samantha Mathis, Trini Alvarado, Christian Bale, Susan Sarandon, and Gabriel Byrne. She also appeared as Holly Hunter's daughter in ''Home for the Holidays'', which was directed by Jodie Foster. Danes appeared opposite French actress Jeanne Moreau, and Jude Law in 1995's ''I Love You, I Love You Not''. She then played the role of Rachel in ''To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday''.

Danes first leading role on the big screen came in 1996. She portrayed Juliet Capulet in Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film ''William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet'', co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo Montague. Later that year, it was reported that she turned down the female lead role in ''Titanic''. Danes, however, said that while she may have been considered for the part, she was never offered the role.

In 1997, Claire Danes also worked alongside two acclaimed directors. She played abused wife Kelly Riker in ''John Grisham's The Rainmaker'' directed by Francis Ford Coppola, as well as the trashy, dim-witted Jenny in Oliver Stone's noir ''U Turn.'' In 1998, she played several very different roles: Cosette in Bille August's film adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel ''Les Misérables'', and the pregnant teenage daughter of Polish immigrants (played by Gabriel Byrne and Lena Olin) in ''Polish Wedding''. In 1999, she made her first appearance in an animated feature with the English version of ''Princess Mononoke''. That same year she played the role of Julie Barnes in the big screen adaptation of the 1970s TV show ''The Mod Squad,'' and took the lead role in ''Brokedown Palace'', alongside Kate Beckinsale and Bill Pullman. Then Danes left her career temporarily to pursue her education at Yale.

In 2002, Danes returned to the big screen. She starred alongside Susan Sarandon, Kieran Culkin, and Bill Pullman again, in ''Igby Goes Down''. Later that year she co-starred as Meryl Streep's daughter in the Oscar-nominated, ''The Hours'', with Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Ed Harris. The following year, she was cast in ''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'', followed by ''Stage Beauty'' in 2004. She earned critical acclaim in 2005 when she starred in Steve Martin's ''Shopgirl'' alongside Martin and Jason Schwartzman, and in ''The Family Stone'' opposite Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Keaton. In 2007, Danes appeared in the fantasy ''Stardust'', which she described as a "classic model of romantic comedy", with Charlie Cox, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, and Sienna Miller, the drama ''Evening,'' and appeared in ''The Flock'', opposite Richard Gere.

Theatre

Danes got her start in New York City theater appearing in performances of ''Happiness'', ''Punk Ballet'', and ''Kids Onstage'' for which she choreographed her own dance.

In April 2000, she appeared off Broadway in Eve Ensler's ''The Vagina Monologues''. In November of that same year, she appeared as Emily Webb in a one night only staged reading of Thornton Wilder's ''Our Town'' at All Saint's Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills. The production was staged by Bess Armstrong who'd played the mother of Danes' character on ''My So-Called Life''. Also featured in the cast were several other ''My So-Called Life'' actors including Tom Irwin, Devon Gummersall and Paul Dooley.

In September 2005, Danes returned to New York's Performance Space 122 where she had performed as a child. She appeared in choreographer Tamar Rogoff's solo dance piece "Christina Olson: American Model" where she portrayed the subject of Andrew Wyeth's famous painting "Christina's World". Olson suffered from muscular deterioration that left her weak and partially paralyzed. "Tamar Rogoff uses her unique body-centric methodology to explore the ideas, spirit and physicality of a woman both rejected and revered." Danes was praised for her dance skills and the acting talent that she brought to the project. In January 2007, Danes reunited with Rogoff and Rogoff's daughter and Danes' childhood friend Ariel Flavin to perform in Performance Space 122's "Edith and Jenny". In the two person dance performance, Danes and Flavin revisited their film and dance roots: "Danes and Flavin encounter their eleven year-old selves on screen, captured in their respective film debuts, Claire as Edith in Dreams of Love, and Ariel as Jenny in Coyote Mountain. Rites of passage unfold in fragments revealing the complexities of two fictional families. The lines between screen and stage, life and art, are blurred as Edith and Jenny, Danes and Flavin, form an alliance, stepping through and beyond their films and the fates of their families."

Later in 2007, Danes made her Broadway theatre debut as Eliza Doolittle in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of George Bernard Shaw's ''Pygmalion'', directed by David Grindley at the American Airlines Theatre.

In January 2012, Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals announced that they would honor Danes as 2012 Woman of the Year.

Other work

In 1997, Danes wrote an introduction to Neil Gaiman's ''Death: The Time of Your Life''.

Personal life

She dated her ''Stage Beauty'' and ''Princess Mononoke'' co-star Billy Crudup, which generated negative publicity due to rumors that their relationship caused the end of Crudup's relationship to then-pregnant Mary-Louise Parker.

Danes married her ''Evening'' co-star, Hugh Dancy, in a quiet ceremony in France in 2009.

Filmography

Film

! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
1994		Beth March
	''How to Make an American Quilt''	Glady Jo Cleary
	Kitt Larson
	''I Love You, I Love You Not''	Daisy/Young Nana
''Romeo + Juliet''	Juliet Capulet
''To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday''	Rachel Lewis
	''Princess Mononoke''		Voice only
	Jenny
	Kelly Riker
		Cosette
''Polish Wedding''	Hala
		Julie Barnes
''Brokedown Palace''	Alice Marano
	''Igby Goes Down''	Sookie Sapperstein
	Julia Vaughn
	''It's All About Love''	Elena
''The Rage In Placid Lake''	Girl at seminar
''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines''	Kate Brewster
2004	''Stage Beauty''	Maria
	''Shopgirl''	Mirabelle Buttersfield
''The Family Stone''	Julie Morton
		Young Ann
	Yvaine
	Allison
2009	''Me and Orson Welles''	Sonja Jones

Television

! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
1992	''Law & Order''	Tracy Brandt	1 episode: "Skin Deep"
	''Lifestories: Families in Crisis''	Katie Leiter
''My So-Called Life''	Angela Chase	19 episodes
2010		Temple Grandin
2011		Carrie Mathison	12 episodes

Theater

! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2000	''The Vagina Monologues''		Westside Theatre
2005	''Christina Olson: American Model''	Christina Olson	Performance Space 122
	''Edith and Jenny''	Edith	Performance Space 122
	Eliza Doolittle	American Airlines Theatre

Awards and nominations

! Year	! Award	! Category	! Title of work	! Result
1994	Golden Globe Award	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama	''My So-Called Life''
1994	Emmy Award	Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	''My So-Called Life''
1994	Young Artist Awards		''My So-Called Life''
1994	Chicago Film Critics Association	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
1994	Chicago Film Critics Association
1994	Young Artist Awards
1995	Young Artist Awards
1996	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards		''Romeo + Juliet''
1996		London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year	''Romeo + Juliet''
1996	MTV Movie Award		''Romeo + Juliet''
1996	Young Artist Awards		''Romeo + Juliet''
1996	MTV Movie Award	MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss	''Romeo + Juliet''
1996	MTV Movie Award	MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo	''Romeo + Juliet''
1996	Young Artist Awards		''To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday''
1997	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
2002		Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
2002	Screen Actors Guild Award	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2005	Satellite Award	Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	''Shopgirl''
2005	St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association	[[St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress	''Shopgirl''
2010	Emmy Award	Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
2010	Satellite Award	Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
2010	Golden Globe Award	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
2010	Screen Actors Guild Award	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2011	Golden Globe Award	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama
2011	Satellite Award

References

External links

Fresh Air interview, October 26, 2005

Claire Danes at Emmys.com

Category:1979 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actress Golden Globe winners Category:Dalton School alumni Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Manhattan Category:Young Artist Award winners Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors

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:''This article is about human hair. For other uses, see Longhair (disambiguation) or Hair'' Long hair is a hairstyle. Exactly what constitutes long hair can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length hair in some cultures may be said to have short hair, while a man with the same length of hair in some of the same cultures would be said to have long hair.

Scientists view long hair as playing a large part in natural selection among many species, since long, thick and healthy hair or fur is frequently a sign of fertility and youth. As hair grows slowly, long hair reveals several years of a person's health status and reproductive fitness. Hair length is significantly correlated with female attractiveness, as rated by men as well as women. Hair length and quality can act as a cue to especially a woman's youth and health, signifying reproductive potential. The prevalence of trichophilia (hair partialism or fetischism) is 7% in the population, and very long hair is a common subject of devotion in this group.

Ways of life often viewed as more rigid, such as soldiers and religious cultures, often have explicit rules regarding hair length. For example, Buddhist monks shave their heads as part of their order of worship. Even outside religious structures, cultures often associate male long hair with ways of life outside of what is culturally accepted. Subservient cultures, for example, are sometimes detected by their rulers through hair length, as was the case with the Gaelic Irish under English rule and the Moors under Spanish rule in Medieval Spain.

Again, though, there are exceptions to these rules, notably among the long-haired and religiously devoted Nazarites of the Hebrew Bible (Samson being a famous example) and among the Sikhs.

East Asian cultures have traditionally seen long, unkempt hair in a woman as a sign of sexual intent or a recent sexual encounter, as usually their hair is tied up in styles such as the ponytail, plait, or any bun.

Transferred meaning

The traditional connotation of "long hair" in English meant, roughly, someone artistically knowledgeable or wise, an aesthete. As a descriptive term, it has been applied to Merovingians and classical music enthusiasts, as well as hippies and aesthetes.

Hair lengths

{| | | | | | |} Hair length is measured (in centimeters or inches) from the line of the scalp on the forehead up over the highest point of the skull to its termination. In cosmetology, hair lengths are usually categorized according to the part of the body where the bulk of the longest hair terminates. Hair usually takes about two years to reach shoulder length, and at approximately 80–90 cm (32–36 inches) for most people, waist-length hair usually takes about seven years to grow, including occasional trims.

Maximum hair length

The maximum hair length that is possible to reach is about 15 cm for infants (below the age of 1), about 60 cm for children (below the age of 13), and generally 100 cm for adults. Documentation for decrease of the maximum length with age cannot be found in the literature. Some individuals can reach excessive lengths. Lengths greater than 150 cm are frequently observed in long hair contests. Xie Qiuping had the longest documented hair in the world, measuring 5.627 m (18 ft 5.54 in) in May 2004.

The maximum terminal hair length depends on the length of the anagen (period of hair growth) for the individual. Waist-length hair or longer is only possible to reach for people with long anagen. The anagen lasts between 2 and 7 years, for some individuals even longer, and follows by shorter catagen (transition) and telogen (resting) periods. Between 85% and 90% of the hair strains are in anagen.

Psychological significance

Anthropologists speculate that the functional significance of long head hair may be adornment, a by-product of secondary natural selection once other androgenic/somatic hair (body hair) had largely been lost. Another possibility is that long head hair is a result of Fisherian runaway sexual selection, where long lustrous hair is a visible marker for a healthy individual. For some groups or individuals, however, short hair is the selected trait.

By seven to nine months, infants can tell the sexes apart based on hair length, voice pitch and faces.

Cultural history

Hair is one of the most important ways humans have of presenting themselves, being one of the parts of their body which is easiest to manipulate. Also, males having short, cut hair (or a shaven head) is often viewed as being under society's control, such as while in military service or prison or as punishment for a crime, while males having long hair signifies being outside of the mainstream.

In Jewish and Christian scriptures

In the Old Testament, the Nazirites would go for long periods of time without cutting their hair to show devotion to God. Samson is one example; his strength depended upon his refraining from cutting his hair. The New Testament says, "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering," something followed by women in some apostolic pentecostal denominations in some countries as an act of holiness.

Western culture

Ancient Greece and Rome

In ancient Greece, long male hair was a symbol of wealth and power, while a shaven head was appropriate for a slave. The ancient Greeks had several Gods and heroes who wore their hair long, including Zeus, Achilles, Apollo, and Poseidon. Greek soldiers are said to have worn their hair long in battle. Such warriors considered it a sign of aristocracy and are said to have combed it openly in order to show off. Also, in order to keep enemies from getting a hold of it in battle, they were known to cut the front short, but leave it long in the back, where it was more out of reach. A widely held alternative interpretation of the conventional belief that they cut it short in the front in order to keep their enemies from getting a hold of it during battle is that, they did not in fact cut it in the front, but rather tied it back in a style known as a pony tail in order to keep it out of their enemies' reach. The pony tail method allowed warriors, who often traveled to battle with a minimal amount of equipment in order to avoid excessively heavy loads over long marches, to keep their hair manageable with a small piece of string to hold their pony tail in place and a knife to cut the back to length with one simple slice. Around the sixth century, however, the Greek men shifted to shorter hairstyles, with the exception of the Spartans. Women in the culture remained with the longer style, which for them showed freedom, health, and wealth, as well as good behavior. In men, it was considered a sign of false pride by this time. Women in Roman times valued long hair, usually with a center part. Men's hair was usually shorter than women's, (but in the early times, the custom was quite the same as in Greece) although other cultures of the time, such as Greeks in the east, considered long hair to be typical of philosophers, who were thought to be too engrossed in learning to bother with hair. Strictly in the province of Rome, however the shorter hairstyle was especially popular. When Julius Caesar conquered the Gauls, who favored long hair, he ordered it to be cut short.

Middle Ages

In the European middle ages, shorter hair often signified servitude and peasantry, while long hair was often attributed to freemen, as was the case with the Germanic Goths and Merovingians.

The Gaelic Irish (both men and women) took great pride in their long hair—for example, a person could be heavily fined for cutting a man's hair short against his will. When the Anglo-Normans and the English colonized Ireland, hair length came to signify one's allegiance. Irishmen who cut their hair short were deemed to be forsaking their Irish heritage. Likewise, English colonists who wore their hair long in the back were deemed to be forsaking their role as English subjects and giving in to the Irish life. Thus, hair length was one of the most common ways of judging a true Englishman in this period. Muslims in Christian areas were ordered to keep their hair short and parted, as their longer style was considered rebellious and barbaric.

A long hair fad was widespread among English and French men in the 11th and 12th centuries, though otherwise it was considered, mostly because of endorsement of the Roman Catholic Church, proper for men to have shorter, and women, longer hair. The fad was largely brought about by monarchs who rejected the shorter hairstyle, causing the people to follow. Wulfstan, a religious leader, worried that those with longer hair would fight like women, and be unable to protect England from foreign invasion. This idea can be found in later military leaders as well, such as those of the American Confederacy. Knights and rulers would also sometimes cut or pull out their hair in order to show penitence and mourning, and a squire's hair was generally shorter than a knight's. Married women who let their hair flow out in public were frowned upon, as this was normally reserved for the unwed, although they were allowed to let it out in mourning, to show their distressed state. Through these centuries it was expected of Eastern Christians to wear long hair as well as long beards, which was especially expected from clergy and monks.

In England, during the English Civil Wars of 1642 to 1651, male hair length was emblematic of the disputes between Cavaliers and Roundheads (Puritans). Cavaliers wore longer hair, and were less religious-minded, thought of by the Roundheads as lecherous. The more devout Roundheads had short hair, although there were exceptions.

Recent meanings

Before World War One men generally had longer hair and beards. However, short hair on men has often been enforced as a mean of control, in police, military and other forces that require obedience and discipline. Slaves and defeated armies were often required to shave their heads. The trench warfare in 1914 to 1918 exposed men to flea and lice infestations, which prompted the order to cut short hair, establishing a norm that has persisted.

Beat poets during the 1950s wore longer hairstyles, as did many of the urban gay culture, although long hair was far from popular. By 1960, a small "beatnik" community in Newquay, Cornwall, England (including a young Wizz Jones) had attracted the attention and the abhorrence of their neighbors for growing their hair to a length past the shoulders, resulting in a television interview with Alan Whicker on BBC television's ''Tonight'' series. The 1960s also introduced The Beatles, who started a more widespread longer hair fad. The social revolution of the 1960s led to a renaissance of unchecked hair growth, and long hair, especially on men, was worn as a political or countercultural symbol or protest. This cultural symbol extended to several Western countries in the Americas, Western Europe, South Africa, and Australia. Specific long hairstyles such as dreadlocks have been part of counterculture movements seeking to define other alternative cultures and lifestyles since this time. Longer hair in general remained popular among the youth rebellion throughout the liberal decade of the 1960s. Homosexual men, many of whom had adopted a long hairstyle in the early 1950s, have largely abandoned this trend. Some people saw the long hair fad as a threat to gender identity, cultural, and religious norms as it grew with the spread of the hippie movement in the 1960s. Notably, some country-and-western performers during this period (and many fans) also sported longer hair.

In the 1970s, the popularity of Jamaica's reggae music and musician Bob Marley prompted interest in dreadlocks internationally. The anti-establishment philosophy of Rastafari, echoed in much of the reggae of the time, resonated with leaning youth of all ethnicities — especially and primarily among African Americans and other Blacks, but among counterculture whites as well. The Eastern Christians are encouraged to wear long hair with long beard. In the 1980s the view of long hair as a solitary signifier of political or counter-cultural identity was countered and parodied in films such as Rambo and many other militaristic heroes of media which challenged then-contemporary views of what was masculine. Today, longer hairstyles remain popular among rock enthusiasts. Long hair may be grown for the purpose of being donated to an organization, such as Locks of Love, for hairpieces to help those who could not have hair otherwise, such as those who are diagnosed with alopecia areata.

Women

Women often have a stronger inclination towards long hair than men do. Younger women tend to have longer hair than older women. Hair length and quality can act as a cue to a woman's youth and health, signifying reproductive potential. Growing and wearing long hair was almost universal among women in the western world until World War One.

Sikhism

The Sikhs were commanded by Guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699 to wear long uncut hair called Kesh at all times. This was one of the 'five requisites of faith', collectively called Kakars that form the external visible identifiers to clearly affirm a Sikh's commitment and dedication to the order (Hukam) of the tenth master and made one a member of the Khalsa. The Khalsa is the "Saint-Soldier" of Guru Gobind Singh who stated the following: "He does not recognize anyone else except One Lord, not even the bestowal of charities, performance of merciful acts, austerities and restraint on pilgrim-stations; the perfect light of the Lord illuminates his heart, then consider him as the immaculate Khalsa." (Guru Gobind Singh in the Dasam Granth page 1350)

The Kesh or unshorn long hair is an indispensable part of the human body as created by Vaheguru that is the mainstay of the 'Jivan Jaach' and the Rehni that was prescribed by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib by which a Sikh is clearly and quickly identified, Kesh. The kanga, another requisite of faith is usually tucked behind the "Rishi Knot" and tied under the turban. The uncut long head hair and the beard in the case of men forms the main kakar for the Sikhs.

KESADHARI, a term defining a Sikh as one who carries on his head the full growth of his kes (hair) which he never trims or cuts for any reason. Anyone, Sikh or non-Sikh, may keep the hair unshorn, but for the Sikh kes, unshorn hair, is a requisite of faith and an inviolable vow. The Sikh Rahit Maryada published by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, statutory body for the control and management of Sikh shrines and by extension for laying down rules about Sikh beliefs and practices, issued in 1945, after long and minute deliberations among Sikh scholars and theologians, defines a Sikh thus: Every Sikh who has been admitted to the rites of amrit, i.e. who has been initiated as a Sikh, must allow his hair to grow to its full length. This also applies to those born of Sikh families but [who] have not yet received the rites of amrit of the tenth master, Guru Gobind Singh. ".

Islam

In the Muslim world, it seems the trend of hair styles is now favouring short over long in men. In the past, Bedouin Muslims often wore their hair in long braids, but western influences brought on the view that such styles were feminine in nature. Now, Bedouins are much less likely to have long hair. Islamic countries in North Africa such as Egypt view long hair in men as homosexual and in one case the Egyptian police viewed it as satanic and a sign of an infidel.

Muslims regard Prophet Muhammad as the best example to live by, and try to emulate him whenever possible. The Islamic Prophet Muhammad reportedly in Sahih Muslim had hair that "hung over his shoulders and earlobes". Sahih Bukhari, regarded the most authentic of hadith, also supports this using a prime example of the prophet Isa. The Prophet Muhammad has also described Jesus as "having long hair reaching his ear lobes." Malik's Muwatta 51.2.6 reported, Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Abu Qatada al-Ansari said to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "I have a lot of hair which comes down to my shoulders, shall I comb it?'' The Messenger of Allah. may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Yes, and honour it." Sometimes Abu Qatada oiled it twice in one day because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him. "Honour it."

With regards to women, neither Qur'an nor Sunnah explicitly state that women cannot cut their hair. Hadith does mention that women should not imitate men, and vice versa, and hence many scholars on this assumption, decree that women should let their hair grow longer than the hair of the Prophet, reaching beyond their shoulders, as hadith mentions that the Prophet had his hair between his shoulder and his earlobes. (He described Jesus's hair, which hung to his earlobes, as long.)

However culturally, some Muslims are opposed to men having long hair as it is also important in Islam to have clear differences (in appearance) between sexes. And generally these cultures encourage women to have long hair and men to have short hair. The Taliban in Afghanistan viewed long hair for men as a western influence, and punished it by arrest and forced haircuts, albeit this would be a direct contradiction of the sunnah of the Prophet. Similar measures have been taken by Islamists in Iraq. In spite of this, several Taleban affiliated members of the Mehsud clan are recognisable by their long hair. The Saudi Islamist fighter Amir Khattab was also notable for his long hair. Dervishes of some Sufi orders, such as the Kasnazani, often have long hair and whirl it around during rituals.

Native Americans

Many Native American men wore long hair before the arrival of western influences on their culture or rather eastern influences for them. (In Cherokee legends, for example, males said to be handsome were often described as having "long hair almost to the ground" or similar formulas.). Both men and women of these cultures have frequently struggled to maintain their tradition, but have faced heavy opposition. Many consider it a sign of giving in to western influences to have their hair cut. Early American settlers saw long-haired, native men as rebelling against their civilized society. Mountain men and trappers who adopted the customs were also considered amoral, and often identified by their long hair. Since the cultural movements of the sixties and seventies, however, Native Americans have felt less pressure to have short hair, as different movements have defended their cultural rights. For example, several states have loosened prison regulations, allowing Native Americans to wear long hair during incarceration, along with other cultural allowances. There has been resistance to these changes, however, as long hair is sometimes used to hide drugs, as well as to identify with a gang.

Sub-Saharan Africans

In West African cultures, women with long hair were highly valued. Long, thick hair was seen as a sign of health, strength, and capability to bear many children. In keeping with this general theme, women who were too young for marriage would shave a portion of their heads to signal so. This tradition, however, did not extend to every African tribe, as several valued shorter hair.

African Americans

When African slaves were freed in the Americas, they struggled with comments from whites calling their hair ugly and nappy. Many African-American women began straightening their hair. However, there was and always will be a variety of hairstyles, such as dreadlocks, twists, short hair, long hair, curly hair, straight hair, etc. Social pressures were heavily influencing African-American females to have long straight hair. Rather African Americans have short or long hair, they can do a lot with their hair. Therefore, they have hair shows to show the large variety of hairstyles. African Americans, as well as other thick curly-haired people, are often pressured to not wear their natural hair in today's society. When they wear their hair natural, it's soft and easy to manage. However, when it comes to not wanting to wear natural hair, it becomes more difficult to manage. Therefore, African Americans are wearing natural hair more, so it's finally becoming more accepted.

Asia

Historically, East Asian cultures viewed long hair as a sign of youth and aesthetic beauty. Long hair is associated with private life and sexuality. East Asian cultures see long, unkempt hair in a woman as a sign of sexual intent or a recent sexual encounter, as usually their hair is tied up. Lay Buddhists have long hair, while Buddhist monks have shaved heads.

For Sikhs, Kesh is the practice of allowing one's hair to grow naturally as a symbol of devotion to God and lack of worldliness.

In Jewish and other cultures, shortening hair signifies mourning and sadness.

Around the seventeenth century, the Manchu people forced all men in China to adopt a hairstyle called a queue, which was basically a long braid down the back with the hair on the front part of the head shaved. This style lasted well into the nineteenth century, when the Chinese began immigrating to America. Americans at first judged them to be poor workers because their long hair brought an association with women. Both Islamic and Christian missionaries to the Chinese were strong advocates of shorter hair for their converts, but this was a small group. Around the Destruction of Four Olds period in 1964, almost anything seen as part of Traditional Chinese culture would lead to problems with the Communist Red Guards. Items that attracted dangerous attention if caught in the public included jewelry and long hair. These things were regarded as symbols of bourgeois lifestyle, that represented wealth. People had to avoid them or suffer serious consequences such as tortures and beatings by the guards. More recently, long hair was ridiculed in China from October 1983 to February 1984, as part of the Anti-Spiritual Pollution Campaign. Li Yang, an unorthodox Chinese English teacher who brands the popular Crazy English, claims the following on his website:

"What [America, England and Japan] want most is for China’s youth to have long hair, wear bizarre clothes, drink soda, listen to Western music, have no fighting spirit, love pleasure and comfort!"

In Southeast Asia and Indonesia, male long hair was valued in until the seventeenth century, when the area adopted outside influences including Islam and Christianity. Invading cultures enforced shorter hairstyles on men as a sign of servitude, as well. They were also confused at the short hairstyles among women in certain areas, such as Thailand, and struggled to explain why women in the area had such short hair. They came up with several mythical stories, one of which involved a king who found a long hair in his rice and, in a rage, demanded that all women keep their hair short.

In rural areas in certain Asian countries, for example India, girls still usually let their hair grow long, and knee-length hair is not unusual.

In the medieval Japan, heian gentleman were not very interested in a woman's physical beauty and rarely had an opportunity to see it. The only physical attribute of interest was a woman's hair, which had to be thick and longer than she was tall. The fascination with long hair was one reason why a woman's becoming a nun was regarded with such seriousness - it could never again grow to its full length. This explains why Genji refuses to let Murasaki (his de facto wife in the classical Japanese novel the Tale of Genji) take the tonsure when she is ill.

See also

Grooming

Haircut

Hair extensions

Hairstick

Lady Godiva

Long hair fetishism, a form of ''Trichophilia''

Rapunzel

Images

Female long hair in art (Gallery at Wikimedia commons)

Female long hair photos (Gallery at Wikimedia commons)

Male long hair in art (Gallery at Wikimedia commons)

Male long hair photos (Gallery at Wikimedia commons)

References

Category:Hairstyles Category:Pejorative terms for people Category:Heavy metal fashion

de:Langes Haar fr:Cheveux longs it:Capelli lunghi ja:ロングヘア uk:Довге волосся

Name	Vera Wang王薇薇
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	Chinese
Birth date	June 27, 1949
Birth place	New York City, New York, United States
Education	The Chapin School Sarah Lawrence College
spouse	Arthur Becker (m. 1989-present)
children	2
Label name	Vera Ellen Wang
Awards	CFDA's womenswear designer of the year, 2005; André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award

Vera Ellen Wang (; born June 27, 1949) is an American fashion designer based in New York City and former figure skater. She is known for her wide clientele of couture bridesmaid gowns and wedding gown collections. She is also known for clientele of elite ladies figure skaters, designing dresses for competitions and exhibitions.

Personal life

Vera Ellen Wang was born and raised in New York City and is of Chinese descent. Her parents were born in Shanghai, China, and came to the United States in the mid-1940s. Her mother worked as a translator for the United Nations, while her father owned a medicine company. Wang has one younger brother, Kenneth. She graduated from The Chapin School in 1967, attended the University of Paris and earned a degree in art history from Sarah Lawrence College.

Wang began figure skating at the age of six. While in high school, she trained with pairs partner James Stuart, and competed at the 1968 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She was featured in ''Sports Illustrated'''s Faces in the Crowd in the January 9, 1968 issue. When she failed to make the US Olympics team, she entered the fashion industry. Wang continues to enjoy skating, saying, "Skating is multidimensional."

She married Arthur Becker in 1989. They reside in Manhattan with their two daughters: Cecilia (born 1990), who currently attends the University of Pennsylvania, and Josephine (born 1993), who currently attends The Chapin School. Becker was the CEO of an information technology services company called NaviSite until August 2010.

Career

Wang was a senior fashion editor for ''Vogue'' for seventeen years. In 1987, she left ''Vogue'' after being turned down for the editor-in-chief position currently filled by Anna Wintour and joined Ralph Lauren as a design director for two years.

In 1990, she opened her own design salon in the Carlyle Hotel in New York that features her trademark bridal gowns.

Wang has made wedding gowns for many well-known public figures, such as Chelsea Clinton, Karenna Gore, Ivanka Trump, Campbell Brown, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Victoria Beckham, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez , Jennifer Garner, Sharon Stone, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Hilary Duff, Uma Thurman, Holly Hunter, Kate Hudson, and Kim Kardashian. Wang's evening wear has also been worn by Michelle Obama.

She has designed costumes for figure skaters, including Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek. Silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan wore a unique design of Vera's for the 1994 Olympics. She designed the two-piece uniforms currently worn by the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders.

Wang's works have often been referenced in popular culture. In the ''Sex and the City'' TV series, Charlotte York found Wang's wedding dress to be the perfect wedding dress, and wore it for her wedding to Trey MacDougal. In the film ''Sex and the City'', Vera Wang was featured amongst the bridal gowns Carrie Bradshaw wore in her ''Vogue'' photo shoot. In the film ''Bride Wars'', Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson both wore custom-made Vera Wang gowns. Vera Wang's design was referenced in the NBC television show ''The West Wing'' in the episode "The Black Vera Wang".

Wang has expanded her brand name through her fragrance, jewelry, eyewear, shoe and houseware collections. On October 23, 2001, her book, ''Vera Wang on Weddings'', was released. In June 2005, she won the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Womenswear Designer of the Year. On May 27, 2006, Wang was awarded the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

In 2002, Vera Wang began to enter the home fashion industry and launched The Vera Wang China and Crystal Collection, followed by the 2007 release of her diffusion line called Simply Vera, which are sold exclusively by Kohl's.

Wang was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2009, and was honored for her contribution to the sport as a costume designer.

Twenty years after opening her first bridal boutique, Wang was awarded the Leadership in the Arts Award by the Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association. She accepted the award on April 17, 2010 at ''Identities'', the Harvard association's annual charity fashion show.

Wang's evening wear has been worn by stars at many red carpet events, including Viola Davis at the 2012 Academy Awards.

Filmography

Movies

''First Daughter'' (2004) as herself

''The September Issue'' (2009) as herself

Television

''Gossip Girl'' (2012) as herself

'' Keeping up with the Kardashians '' (2011) as herself

'' Ugly Betty '' (2007) as herself

Books

Vera Wang, ''Vera Wang on Weddings'', HarperCollins, October 2001 (ISBN 9780688162566).

References

External links

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:American fashion designers of Chinese descent Category:Businesspeople in fashion Category:Chapin School (Manhattan) alumni Category:Dinnerware designers Category:High fashion brands Category:Luxury brands Category:People from New York City Category:Sarah Lawrence College alumni Category:University of Paris alumni

de:Vera Wang es:Vera Wang fa:ورا ونگ fr:Vera Wang ko:베라 왕 it:Vera Wang ka:ვერა ვონი hu:Vera Wang nl:Vera Wang ja:ヴェラ・ウォン pl:Vera Wang pt:Vera Wang simple:Vera Wang fi:Vera Wang sv:Vera Wang vi:Vera Wang zh:王薇薇