Of Tousled Manes
This post is brought to you courtesy of the wind-tousled mane of the hero on the cover of GENTLEMEN PREFER SUCCUBI by some chick called Jill Myles.
Today’s question is simple – long hair or short, what do you prefer in your heroes? And hey, look, Jill has one of each, so you can compare and contrast. (No being distract
ed by the abs…okay, you’re allowed one moment of drooling. Just one!.. Okay, one for each cover – that’s my final offer.)
And in keeping with the theme (and inspired by this article at The Galaxy Express about the elimination of body hair in the future) what about facial hair? Do you like a mo*? How about a beard? I’m talking long, hermit beard. Discuss!
*Did you know it’s Movember? It’s all about men’s health – follow the link to read more about it.
Short! Long hair, nope, it has worked on one guy and that was Legolas..oh and Eomer.
The short hair is sexy, and that guy is a hottie
I’m with short hair, but not military short.
No facial hair, except for stubble. I do like that designer stubble!
Um yes….I will have the one on the right! – k, thx!
Yes, short hair….definitely…. if there is any thought of “Fabio” it ruins it for me! LOL!- some stubble is good visually but its also extremely HAWT if he is smooth shaven with distinct jawbones….
rawr……
I prefer short hair too. Long hair works on Orlando Bloom, but I haven’t met (or seen) another man who could pull it off.
Short hair for me any time.
And no beard, or stubble, please.
I havr to admit i love longer hair on a guy. But short hair is also nice especially if its stuck up and styled like they walked past a wind machine lmao
And i like stubble i kinda like the hunter kind of scruff look hehe *blushes*
Short hair for me too, please!
Great covers, Jill! Hadn’t seen the second one yet.
Short. Just enough to grab is enough for me. Some guys can pull off the long hair, but I usually think they’d look sexier if they cut it off.
And I like a little scruff. It’s the man version of tousled hair. The just-out-of-bed look is immensely appealing.
I agree with you about the scruff – but it has to be done right.
I think it depends… some guys look better with short hair and some do look better with long hair… so I don’t know
facial hair is okay but please no hermit beards *g*
I guess a hermit beard would be okay if it would be an old wizard or something, but not for heroes of the hot/handsome kind
Generally, I prefer short, but there’s that rare guy who can pull of long hair.
No hermit-beard. >.>
No mo! lol
And I am taking 2 minutes of staring per set of drool-worthy abs.
Short hair for sure! I have yet to meet a guy, in person, that long hair worked for them… And I personally think a little goatee is just to die for.
My mom likes the short haired guy better too! She called me and said, “The long haired one reminds me of Fabio.”
Thanks Mom!
I have to admit #1 is still my favorite. Maybe because he came first, or maybe because he is so very pretty.
yea, same here…
I don’t know why but somehow the first one seems more handsome to me
Well, you know, I wouldn’t kick either of them out should they come knocking on my door *g*
Just long enough to wrap your fingers in…droool. And I like a little scruff on the right man.
Jana
I’m a fan of short hair. Facial hair (aside from sexy stubble) is very iffy with me (I say, after having a hero with a goatee). I think facial hair CAN be done … but I don’t want to imagine full beards or — god forbid — a mustache alone.
long long long!!!!! No facial hair, no chest hair unless they are in their furry- four legged skin.
long, short, buzz-cut – depends on the guy. The greasy un-washed look that was ‘in’ a couple decades back was a real turn-off, though.
Facial hair can look good in an aesthetic sense, but is not ‘hot’ – I’ve found it to be…uncomfortable (blushes)
=A
uncomfortable… hmm *gg* yea it can be that indeed
I prefer short hair, but not close-cropped. The questions is, what exactly is “short” hair? I think of that hair that’s very popular for guys at the moment, where it hangs into the forhead and almost reaches the collar, as short, too. Everything longer than shoulder-length is long, at least to me. And no facial hair, please. Stubble’s okay, but not more.
Funny how I’ve thought the exact same thing about the heroine having undergone permanent hair elimination before. What a relief that I’m not the only one with such thoughts…
Speaking of which, what do you think of body hair on men in general? I think it depends on the type of man. I love hairy chests of men with a more southern (as in, Italian or Spanish, darker skin and hair)appearance, whereas I like blong and lighter guys to be bare-chested.
Mmmmmm yummy covers! *wipes drool off chin* I’m generally not a fan of long hair, I prefer the shorter look.
That being said, some guys can really rock the long haired look and not look like a moron (or an aging rocker). Legolas comes to mind, the guy on sons of anarchy, Jax, (Charlie Hunnam).. Russel Crowe can pull off the scruff look. Wait, these guys are all blondes.. I’m sensing a theme here.
I like stubble, a really big fan of the 5′o’ clock shadow. But rip van winkle beards? zz top? Umm NOOO! I happen to think guys that are swimmers are pretty sexy, so the elimination of body hair would be fine with me.
I’m NOT a beard person…at all. Generally, I don’t care if the hair is long or short, unless the guy spends more time primping than I do. That turns me off, no matter how sexy he is.
Hey, girls!
I don’t know, it depends on the guy, really. I mean, some guys, like Stephanie Plum’s Ranger you could just imagine with long hair it it is SEXY
Ohters, better with a shorter haircut.
But, I am definately attracted to men like Chester Bennington, who you’ve probably seen in Linkin Park’s “New Divide” video. Talk about sexy with his almost non-existent haircut and those tatoos! Not to mention that deep gravelly voice! Hubba Hubba!
I have to go with short hair. Long only works on a few select men.
Facial hair is not good ever really. Stubble is good though.
Personally for a real-life man, short hair or long enough to *ahem* grip, but not past the collar and not shaggy and *shudders* looking unwashed, trimmed/styled shorter hair with the most facial hair being stubble, no beards, ‘staches or goatees or mutton chops.
However, fantasy guys, yes, they can have long hair because in my head, it looks hot and I imagine their hair in my fingers feels sexy. I agree Legolas pulled off the long hair, but most men I have seen with long hair, it just appears shaggy, unkempt and sadly looks unclean and greasy. What a turn off! It’d be like putting your fingers in a grease trap…ew!
If his hair dosn’t touch shoulders it’s fine with me
stubble and goatee are good bu no full on beards
yeah some guys can pull off long hair, though all the men i’ve dated prefer short hair so they don’t have to do alot(or any) work on it *eye roll*
In real life, whatever looks best on them.
Long hair is hard for men to pull off without looking cheesy, I think.
I admit to being partial to long hair in fiction because I can imagine that it looks good on them. If they’re bucking a societal trend, I do like for there to be a reason even if it’s just a dislike of barbers.
Forgot about the facial hair part – Don’t Like It.
It really depends on the guy; the two you showed us both look good. Stubble is good too but no beard please!
short hair! I usually think anything longer than shoulder-length is too long, but it does depend on the guy. facial hair = bad. a couple days of scruff is fine, but anything more than that squicks me.
I’m not a beard person either…in any way, shape or form. As for hair:
The just-out-of-bed look is immensely appealing.
What Gina said, although if it’s too long it just looks like a rat’s nest
Yes, I prefer short hair, although I do like long hair as worn by Native Americans. There’s always an exception to every rule *grin*
And only one minute of drooling Nalini? Very harsh
i like it long enough to grab with a bit of stubble. it just feels nice.
Hmm I am going to have to agree with the just long enough to grab ahold of hair
although lately I have seen a lot of young hairless (bald) men that caught my attention just as much as these guys 
any opinions on the shaved-head look?
Oh, and a little around the mouth goatee is HAWT on the right man, but other than that…no thank you
I’m with the short hair, but prefer bald heads much more. A heroic, fantasy man’s hair should not be longer than mine IMO, so short is the way I see them. (Exceptions: Wrath from BDB, Hawke from Psy/Changelings, Eric from Sookie Stackhouse)
I’m not a fan of totally bald, but extremely short buzz cut on a nicely shaped head works for me.
Honestly, I prefer short hair. Ok, here’s a true story…when I met my husband he had long, blonde hair. I thought he was a nice guy but, meh, nothing special (actually, he reminded me of a character from ‘Robin Hood, Men in Tights).
It wasn’t until six months later when he cut his hair that I looked at him and went “Oh MY GOD, he is HOT!”
True Story.
Fun post, and thanks for the linkage, Nalini! Jill, congratulations on the release of your books. You nabbed some great covers, too.
Golly, I think I’ll be going against the grain in a serious way here, but I actually don’t mind reading about heroes with mustaches! I’ve never kissed a man with a mustache or beard, so maybe it seems more exotic to me. I thought the hero in Linnea Sinclair’s FINDERS KEEPERS was pretty hot–more so because of his mustache accessory.
As for head hair, count me in as a fan of short locks. But ultimately, I’ll follow a hero with any hair style if he’s a good one.
Loved your article, Heather!
Thank you!
I’d take that guy on the right. Do you guys ship overseas? LOL =P
I have been known to drool over Wentworth Miller with his Prisonbreak look (early season) and I think that Channing Tatum is rocking the military crop in GI Joe. I find it sexy for a guy to pull off that look confidently. That being said, I have spent the last couple of months watching Korean and Japanese movies where the guys are styling longer hair popular among Asians. I guess it all depends on my current mood and obssession at the moment.
No pimp-braid (with gold necklace), mustache and hair on the back for me(ick!).
Normally I like short hair. Long hair and skinhead only if it`s suits to the man.
A hermit beard?…If I haven`t had seen once this orthodox priest in Greece I would say “No!”; but he was very, very attractive (young, dark haired, a sunburnt skin)…
long hair can look sexy, but IMO short works better for most men.
on hugh jackman, everything works *G*
and stubble…. ah, it looks quite yummy!!!
Long hair just flat out does it for me in a “fantasy” man. Hubby had lovely long hair when I met him too, but his wicked mother talked him into getting it cut one day when he visited and …. grrrrrrr. (Is it completely queer that he knew I would be like this, so kept the pony tail that was chopped off for me. I still have it in my keepsake box)
Right, so I’m really late in posting this. I like long hair, short hair, facial hair/no facial hair…it all depends on the man sporting it. However, for thsoe ‘no beard’ lovers…I’m only going to say Gerard Butler in 300. Hello! Gr-owl!