by 2DT.
“A lawn about the shoulders thrown
Into a fine distraction…
[Does] more bewitch me than when art
Is too precise in every part.”
– Robert Herrick, “Delight in Disorder”
I close my eyes, and there she is again. Another late evening and a girl has captured my heart. There’s nothing to do tonight but think, think and drink, so I drink a glass of wine and I think about her, and about that delightful mystery: What is it about this girl I like so much?
Her personality? Perhaps. She’s bubbly and a little childish, the kind of girl who wears a bike helmet to prevent the “ouchies,” and who says so with zero irony. She’s smarter than she lets on, too. But I don’t think this is it.
Her body? Well, she’s certainly got one. But no, that’s not right either. What could it…?
Ah. Wait. I know.
Yes! Just look at that hair!
Some people call this “sex hair.” That’s a marvelous description, very fitting: A messy, wild look, which somehow looks all the wilder because it’s so short. It brings to mind unpredictability and passion, the distilled essence of a late morning with a girl wearing a man’s dress shirt, nursing a hangover with a cup of coffee. Or a date that ends with a fantastic kiss and a “call me.” Many fun associations, when it comes to sex hair.
But it gets even simpler. Science says that we’re attracted to symmetry– For example, people rate symmetrical faces as more attractive in tests, and babies tend to stare longer at symmetrical pictures than asymmetrical ones. (This sort of thing also applies in the mating habits of birds, in case you were wondering.) But in the world of aesthetics, the opposite is so often true.
A beauty mark, a playfully tilted cap, a sexy lip piercing. There’s a good reason why pick-up artists are instructed to “peacock,” wearing frilly collared shirts and other silly things in order to be more noticeable. Symmetry may be attractive, but the asymmetrical gets our attention.
Art by ns (nasu2000).
I see this hairstyle often in real life, especially in places like Shinsaibashi where all the chic girls go. This wildness, however, is artifice: The hair of the Japanese is normally straight and black, and so a perm with a touch of color is just the thing to do. But I suppose I shouldn’t complain. If Yi’s weakness is thick, luxurious curls, then this is mine.
Ah, Ryuuko. You’re perfect.
__________________________________________________
About the Guest Author:
2DT is a brilliant, well-respected, and lovely anime blogger who shares his insights over at 2-D Teleidoscope. It was a pleasure and an honor to have him as a guest author here at Listless Ink.
Listless Ink 
As a person with naturally wavvy hair, I approve of this message 🙂
Yet another thought-provoking and insightful post, I will never understand how you come up with such interesting topics. And yes, I have noticed how most care-free and spontaneous people often have these sorts of hairstyle 🙂
I follow my True Will, don’t-cha know. 😉
I guess sex hair, when you follow the professional perm route, is as close as one gets to those magical times when you wake up in the morning and your hair looks fantastic.
Yi please take your hands off Ryuuko!
She’s mine!!!! >_<
Oh, lol. Noticed only now this was from a guest writer. The exclamation is the same though. 😛
Uh-oh, NTR? 😉
I hope you love her hair as much as I do.
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Well, sex hair sounds so rough isn’t there a nicer word for that XD
Anyways that was a cool refreshing post, thx for that.
Ryuuko hairstyle looks beautiful and fits to her personality very well
Also Karu looked great with her natural wavy hair 😉
I didn’t coin it, I’m afraid. 🙂 But the irreverence is part of the charm, wouldn’t you say? It suits the way the hair is, at least.
Thanks for reading!
You could say ‘bed-head’ hair I suppose, although that term can be attributed to being dishevelled in general, for both sexes.
Great post. All the elements in here are truly making me wonder if this is not some sort of sex hair literature. In the end you wrote extremely well :P.
You’re too kind! Thank you very much. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Who’s the girl in the 1st pic? She’s absolutely gorgeous! And her hair! Kyaaah!! Such amazing hair! XD
She’s Mifune Ryuuko, from last season’s Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko. I recommend it; she shows up all the time! 😀
Oh, that anime! I wasn’t really too sure about watching it, but you’ve just given me a reason to!
Omygosh you can’t have her, she’s MINE!!! MWAHAHAHA!!! >:3
Ohana, Ryuuko and Kaoru are love~
Their luscious, gorgeous hair even more so!
I concur. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
There’s nothing better than a girls head,
Who looks like she’s just crawled out of bed.
A style that’s right up my alley,
Like Kimi ni Todoke’s Ayane!
Now there’s a lady I would love to wed.
(I have a thing for limericks today…)
You sir are a god amongst men, and I wholeheartedly support your love of the sex hair/bed-head look.
I think it’s a natural thing for many people to reject the idea of perfection which is pushed upon us in so many ways by modern society. While aesthetically pleasing, I often find the product of such ideals somewhat sterile, whether, say in construction, or in this case, hairstyles. There is a beauty in having immaculately symmetrical hair, but there is also a certain ‘plasticy’ element to it, like a doll that’s never been removed from its packaging. Many people like that which is fair enough, but I’m a sucker for the kind of wilful (unless it’s natural) anarchy you find in sex hair.
Oh yeah, enjoy Ryuuko, 2DT; just stay away from Yano! 🙂
There once was a girl named Kaoru
Who had the world’s messiest hairdo
It went this way and that
Such a sensual mat
That I’d find myself “messy” in ways, too. 😉
Cheater. Nears don’t count in the irish art.
It’s ae ae bee bee ae, not ae ay bee blee eye
Hmm? I could see the Japanized “ru” having a slightly different sound than the English “do,” but that/mat and do/too are exact rhymes. At least in the good old US of A. 🙂
There once was a girl called Ayane
Whose hair I found truly uncanny
But her Jolie-esque pout
Was what caused me to ‘spout’ 😉
And that’s why I think we should marry
Man I could do these dodgy poems all day (I’ll promise to stop though, lol).
The irony being that sex hair is so often calculated in real life, that characters who have it in anime seem to have to stipulate how theirs is different. Ohana’s is “naturally wavy,” for example, and Minami in The World God Only Knows has sex hair because she’s on the swim team and the chlorine in the pool messes with her tresses. It’s an interesting phenomenon.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Enjoy the awful poetry. 🙂
It’s quite funny that what started from “bed head” hairstyles in the 1990’s spawned a cult following. I guess the artists of today found more variety on asymmetrical hair than trying to diversify from hairstyles from the past.
If only swimming gives hair like that, I wouldn’t have to worry so much about hair care after morning practice back in high school.
Swimming in the ocean does. ^ ^
Lol good post. I’ve fetish for wild sex hair too. But I’d prefer a long one. Short hair is still acceptable though. Like Ohana 🙂
Long wavy hair is fascinating, too (and quite difficult to make look good in real life!). But Yi waxes romantic about that so often as it is. 🙂 As her guest writer I thought I should bring something similar-but-different. Really, anything with some texture is at least eye-catching.
Thanks for reading!
Fuck yeah Herrick! Not a big fan, but there’s something about writing 1200+ poems, and then putting them in a book thinking anyone’s gonna read them, that really makes you respect a man, for both perseverance and naiveté.
But it looks like you’re “all over” Yi’s “Front Page” with your “Insightful post about the geometric scheme though which aesthetics is applied, ” If you get what I’m saying. >.>
I don’t particularly enjoy Herrick, myself. “Delight in Disorder” was just so perfect a fit.
But it looks like you’re “all over” Yi’s “Front Page” with your “Insightful post about the geometric scheme though which aesthetics is applied, ” If you get what I’m saying. >.>
If you mean exactly what your words say, then yes, absolutely! 🙂 Thank you very much.
I never knew you had this thing going on about sex hair, even after I posted a tweet about it. Masterfully done, good sir.
Anyways, I can safely say that the era of sex hair starts this year, even though my above average fascination to such hairstyles started around two to three years ago, when Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere from Zero no Tsukaima came out.
When you’d posted that tweet, I was dying to say “hey, ACTUALLY…” But I didn’t think Miss Yi would like me spoiling the surprise. 😉
What makes you say it starts this year particularly?
Basically, the idea for the hairstyle was already around five to three years ago, starting with Japan’s fascination for Harry Potter’s Hermione Granger and the aforementioned show on my first comment, Zero no Tsukaima (If you thought these two titles have a connection, you can have my imaginary nickel). Now, Louise’s hair wasn’t really that notable to a lot of people back then. Fast forward two years, where a good amount of popular and boisterous characters like Index‘s Kuroko and Amagami‘s Kaoru sport wavy hair. Through the years, the hairstyle typical to those who slept or just had sex is steadily building a subtle but sizable fanbase, until the past few seasons of this year, when Denpa Onna‘s Ryuuko and Iroha’s Ohana spawned a prominent cult following.
Waves are lovely indeed. Even more so when they seem so effortless. I enjoy sex hair too, because sex hair usually comes with volume. The messiness looks good because there is so much disorder in those layers of waves. Ohana is an adorable example of this. Waves, curls, straight, whatever, as long as it’s large and luscious, I love it!
“Symmetry may be attractive, but the asymmetrical gets our attention.”
Totally!
Sorry to always be talking about Kurumi, but my favorite look of hers is this:
The thing she does on only one side of her hair is just OMG, so genius! I love it, love it so much. She is my hair idol. ^ ^
As a side note, it’s interesting how a few years ago, long straight black hair with uniform bangs (hime-cut) was all the rage. Jigoku Shoujo, Yomi (Ga-Rei), Higurashi (Riku), and Sawako (Kimi Todo) were all stars in their own right. It’s not just in anime either. I remember when I was in Taiwan, soo many girls wore their like that.
That seems to have gone off trend in anime, and instead we have waves today. Sex hair, voluminous large hairs, and even drills are in sharp contrast to those of the past. Tastes change I guess, including my own. (I used to love hime-cut sooo much.) Or maybe I’m just seeing what I like more…
Well, Croisee and Victorique are sort of bringing back the hime-cut.
Layering, yes! I remember meeting my cousins who’d spent most of their lives in Korea, and they had these amazing layered haircuts that you’d never see on girls in the States. Then they got used to life in America, and now they wear ponytails like everybody else. 🙂
The interesting thing about the hime-cut is that it’s so difficult to maintain despite its simplicity. Ditto sex hair; it’s a very practiced look of carelessness.
I guess this is a good time as any to mention that I have a hair fetish. Obviously, I’m not gonna go as far as to collect people’s hair, but I do like to patpat people. :3
Oh dear, you chauvinist! 😉
I think it’s important to touch people’s hair, to have the confidence to run your fingers through it when the situation calls for that kind of touch. And sex hair, to its credit, invites people to do so.
So can I call my constant cow licks and messiness that I can’t comb down no matter what sex hair? XD
Poss… ibly? Mayyybe. I’d have to see. Boys have a way of just having uncombed hair. 😉
Cow licks remind me of Hetalia~~ 🙂
i’m a little weary when it comes to statements like “The hair of the Japanese is normally straight and black,” because while that may often be true, when you say it like that it sounds a little like you are saying that this is the way it always is. and that is just untrue.
the word “normal(ly)” is tricky like that.
Sometimes “normative” just doesn’t sound good, is the thing. 😉 But black + straight is in the vast, vast majority, as phenotypes go– I don’t think I’ve ever met a Japanese girl with naturally wavy hair.
(Then again, I don’t think I’ve ever met a Japanese woman who didn’t do something to their hair, outside of the public school system. They’re very fond of getting their hair-did, men and women alike.)
As animation and artwork have made possible many times over, a person can be changed by just a tweak of his or her hairstyle. Not only can a new character be born just from this simple change, but a new character with a totally different personality too.
It’s like real life, you can tell a lot about the person’s personality or even history just by first glance. Of course this does not mean that you can just judge a book by it’s cover. XD
But sometimes, sex hair means “I’m wild and fun and free!” And other times it means “I so desperately want to be wild and fun and free.” Tricky stuff. 😉
Wow, I love the way you write this. Fantastic piece! Something strikes me when you mentioned our attractiveness towards symmetrical and asymmetrical. I read somewhere about this. It is fact – that most people are attracted to symmetrical attributes of a person. But that mostly applies to heterosexual people. Those whom are attracted to asymmetric however, are lesbians. They like asymmetrical hair, side belt buckles, side lip piercings, one side earring etcs. [I apologise in advance, I do not meant anything more than what I had said, I hope no one will misinterpret what I’m saying, nor do I intend to start any discussion on sexuality.]
But really wonderful post, I really do love it. Very… tasteful.
p.s. When I first read the paragraph right after the first poem, I feel something is off. It just doesnt feel right that Yi would describe such emotions and doings in her posts…then I realised it is written by a guest writer =p
Now that’s an interesting thing to say! Not to worry, I’m not offended at all… But if you have a link to where you read this, I’d love to see it. What an idea!
I like to think of myself as fairly hetero-normative, but I still love lip piercings. 😉
Ah, I read it from a blog, meaning it is not based on any concrete evidence/comprehensive research, purely from the view of an experienced homosexual with quite an exciting and colourful life. The link: http://goo.gl/jTGtC
Reading from different perspective is interesting and quite fruitful indeed.
P.s. There are some NSFW images so uh, beware if you are at work =p
Oh there more I wanted to mention but I forgot since I type the previous comment in a hurry. Regarding to our attractiveness towards symmetric and asymmetric, I’m not saying what you concluded are wrong, nor the points I wrote are accurate. Truly, I do not want to offend anybody, I simply wanted to voice out my thoughts only. So uh, feel free to remove my previous comment if you think it’s inappropriate 🙂
You worry too much! I think I speak for everyone here that you’re definitely not offending anyone, yunra. ^ ^
Oh the Hair!
I must be missing something If I haven’t met one.(Luckily I have met curly hair)
I hope you get to see it in real life soon. 🙂 What to say… It’s wonderful.
Love it. I always associate “sex hair” with surfer hair or beach hair, and I think it naturally works in a similar way (salt, either from the sea or sweat.. *ahem). Fine hair is less affected, but even a little thickness to the strands can have a great [aesthetic] impact after a day in the ocean (spring break ftw). This is probably why I differentiate from sex hair and general bed head; bed head is more often frizz and chaos, while strands of
sweatsex hair will bond together with a very pleasing balance between chaos and structure.Kudos to Ryuuko for pulling off some naughty, but streamlined sexy hair.
Excellent point re: balance. In some ways it very much suits the Japanese sense of aesthetics, appreciating a bit of human chaos in what should otherwise be a “perfect” work of art.
Anyway, you kind of have sex hair yourself, Mr. Ryan. 😉
So to be the most attractive, one must have a naturally symmetrical facial structure with just a few things slightly askew to catch the passerby’s attention. Got it. ^ ^
There was a brief moment in Nichijou recently that also touched on this point; the shy male teacher, Takasaki, momentarily fantasizes about fellow teacher Sakurai “in disarray” at her house. I was watching it with a certain male at the time and it definitely caught his eye. ^ ^ Then again, Sakurai has a bit of the sex hair thing going for her anyway.
As soon as I saw “sex hair” in the title, I was hoping you would bring up Kaoru. She was my favorite character design out of all of the Amagami girls.
I just saw that episode yesterday! That was a great two or three seconds. 😀
If I’m not mistaken, Kaoru is the whole reason “sex hair” became something of a meme. Deservedly, I should say!
Interesting post. Sex hair. Hair is definitely an important element to a lady’s beauty. A pretty hair (wavy or straight) often tempts guys to walk faster just to overtake her and catch a glimpse of her face. 🙂
I’ve done that before. What would you do if you found out that the girl with the pretty hair is actually an old granny? … -__-‘
Holo says something about this in Spice & Wolf, that a woman is far more beautiful from behind, as you imagine her, than when you actually make her turn around. 🙂
But you have to know, I think.
Ahahah nice post! Yes I Sex hair looks great, it is the most fun to draw xD
Oh, is it? That’s kind of interesting, and a perspective I hadn’t thought of. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
My hair is curly as hell, not wavy. But curls/waves tend to bother me when I look at them because I know they can be a bitch to take care of.
I wonder what my weakness would be…I almost want to say maid dresses.
As I mentioned to someone above, I think it’s that element of practiced carelessness that appeals to people about sex hair.
Maid dresses are nice. 🙂
Pretty much the hair resonates with the character. I noticed that, those who have long straight hair are usually serious and demure, and those who have wavy or with volume have lively or somewhat “mess-up” personality.
In a medium that relies so heavily on instant recognition and shorthand, it makes sense. Not that I’m complaining. 🙂
Thanks for reading!
Great post! Like the way you write this piece.
As for me, I like to see girls with long, straight hair but curly/wavy ends. A good example would be Victorique’s. Lovely. But hers is a bit too long. >.< As for guys, something like Durarara!!'s Shizuo. Longish short. Messy.
Thank you! 🙂
I’m trying to picture what you like. Like this? http://bit.ly/ppebwE
Careful Yi, if we ever met, you might be falling for me hard 😉
I have no doubt she would. 😉 Google Plus has allowed me to see so many real people behind the anime girl heads!
Who says I haven’t already, Klux? ^ ^
Oh well, looks like people with sex hair gets most of the people. I wish I had natural sex hair for my hairstyle.
But a perm isn’t so bad. I’d be happy either way. 🙂
Mm, honestly I’d rather go for hair with body, rather than a disheveled look. But that’s up to our own preferences 🙂
Well, I’d say really good sex hair requires some depth and fullness beneath the tangles. But hey, more for me. 😉 And you and Yi seem to have this taste in common.
Ryuuko’s hair type is just perfect for me. I tend to prefer girls with short, straight hair, but that wild look definitely adds some sexiness to it.
Interesting remark that you made about symmetry. I think anyone who has taken an art class knows about the golden ratio. In my years as an anime fan, I’ve noticed that the reason anime girls are so attractive is because, 99% of the time, their faces are symmetrical–something that’s hard to replicate in real life. While I wholly believe that asymmetry can be visually gratifying as well, it must be handled fastidiously–in other words, the asymmetry must be worked with to look symmetrical–or else it will just be disorder.
Okay. There is a brilliant post by Anime Kritik that you just have to see:
http://animekritik.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/while-we-wait-for-k-on-episode-2-about-ritsus-face/
🙂
Thanks for sharing this wonderful post! Now I understand why I love Ritsu so much! 😀
The asymmetrical does tend to jump at you more than that of what is symmetrical. Guess I shouldn’t feel too bad about my natural curly hair.
Not at all! I love guys with curly hair, especially that “jew ‘fro” look that some gentlemen have. It makes hats so much sexier! 🙂
I have found the long straight black hair sex.
I guess growing up I wante to grow my hair long like all the other guys in my class. However, I found I had naturally curly hair, so no luck. It grew in curls and pissed me off to no end.
I guess we end up admiring that which we can’t have ourselves
I have straight black hair and find it rather dull (all I can do with it is a Clark Kent), so I think you’re right. 🙂
Ohohooo, I’m guilty of this then with natural wavy hair. If we ever meet, Yi… xD
Another awesome sojourn into the minds of an otaku, 2DT. :3
South Asians have the most gorgeous hair. I can only imagine. 😉
Thanks for reading!
Alas, not necessarily (you really will have to ‘imagine’ in my case, as my (straight) hair is usually covered with a scarf or a hat). 😛
Thanks for the fun read, guys! 🙂
Oh Kyokai, you tease~ ♥
Sexy Hair rules ~~
Totally! 😀
With a single post, you’ve convinced me that you have both good taste (though I’m not a fan of lip piercings) and wit. Cheater.
I find most people aren’t fans of the lip piercing. 😉
Thanks for reading! And such high praise; I really appreciate it.
Interesting post. ^^ The girl in the first photo is super cute. Messy sexy hair looks really good but I think it doesn’t suit me. Mine’s short, straight and rather boring. It used to be long but I had to cut it because the Little Toy Pusher likes to pull it. Lol.
Short and straight has its perks, too. 🙂
Thanks for reading! Fascinating blog you have, too.
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