For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for April 17, 2016

I’m with John in the final panel. Was that all, Elly?

Think John was hoping for a new set of boobs?

So we’re getting into this portion of the series soon are we?

Didn’t David Crosby write a song on this topic?

Uh Oh, John, there’s one of ‘those’ questions ! Best to play innocent and claim ‘hearing loss’ ! ! ! !

Called it

This is a question that only the person who has the hair can answer. If Elly is ready for something new, go for it! Or if she’s not, then keep what you have. John will (should) love however you look.

I’ve had people tell me for years that I’m “too old” to wear my hair long & should get it cut. My husband likes it long. My daughters like it long. Most importantly, I like it long. As long as it’s clean and well-kept, it shouldn’t matter.

Here we have a case of living vicariously through your art- Lynn cuts her hair, and Elly keeps hers.

my wife cut hers a few years ago. she prefers it short now. sent 27" to the people who make wigs for kids.

Yes. get your haircut.

Don’t do it!! Age has nothing to do with hair length. Keep your hair long if you love it, Elly. Don’t cave just because someone thinks once you hit a certain age, you need to have short hair.

and hair does grow…just sayin’

It’s hair. If you feel like cutting it, go to town. The amazing thing about hair is, if you experiment and hate it, it will grow back. So really you’ve got nothing to lose.

If Lynn was doing this strip right now, I’m sure that she would change it to have Elly cutting her hair and donating it for cancer wigs.

“Almost cut my hair”A tip ’o my hat to Neil Young

I’m 78 and I have long hair. Always have, always will.

Lynn’sNote*“Should I or should I not cut my hair?” This was a recurring concern for me. Since I was 18, I had worn my hair long, but now and then I yearned for a new look. It took time to grow my hair. Cutting it was a huge decision, and it was one that nobody in the family wished to weigh in on. In the strip, Elly Patterson wore her hair long and tied back—the way I did. Readers would often say, “Why doesn’t Elly get a new hairstyle? She looks so old fashioned—so the same!”” The thing is…a comic strip character has to have a certain “look”; a certain sameness so that continuity is kept from year to year. To cut Elly’s hair would have created a major change in the way I drew her (almost as traumatizing as cutting the hair on my head). So, both Elly Patterson and I retained the same look for many years. I did, however, allow myself the fun of changing the way the kids looked. This is all part of the subtle “rule of thumb” which governs the way we draw and perceive the characters in syndicated comics!

So many women cut their hair short, often really short, when they get older and so often that more than anything is what makes them look old.

Just say no Elly.

My wife early on didn’t even consider not doing it.

No. Keep it long just to spite all the idiots who say that women should cut their hair after a certain age. If longer hair is truly more youthful, no-one should cut their hair as we all want to look younger.

I’m pretty sure she meant someone ELSE would cut it for her.

Women go through all the trouble to stay young looking, then cur their hair shorter and do the opposite. Sharon Stone looked great, then cut her hair short and gained 10 years in looks. Goldie Hawn kept her hair long since youth, and everyone always remarked at how young she looked decades later.

So cut it and see how you like it! It does grow back. I have done it several times over the years – 3 times I donated it to “Locks of Love” – Now I keep it short just because it’s easier to care for that way as I grow older and am not as nimble as I used to be.