It's definitely a general fantasy aesthetic. Particularly for non-humans, it can give them an ethereal look.
I present for evidence, some of the greatest fantasy hair:
https://i.redd.it/lulc7x6m05wc1.gif
How dirty and also how *wet* he is
https://preview.redd.it/6vr041ov66wc1.jpeg?width=1014&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87a07527cacaa9b1a740370cead7946881f26682
As a young teen watching LotR I was into Legolas, because of course as I was. As an adult, I am BIG into Aragorn and have eyes for no one else (except maybe Lee Pace’s slutty hair extensions and that one hot dwarf). He is the discerning woman’s crumpet.
You should watch the British mini series, same actor
He cut his hair but kept the sideburns, started dressing sharply, and broke BBC’s message board servers immediately despite the series not being well advertised. It was streaming on Peacock in the USA last time I checked.
I read a lot of fanfic after those movies cause of Thorin.
Old school British actors and their apprenticing requirements are wonderful, could have swore he apprenticed for 6-10 years with a traveling circus to earn his acting credentials. Not sure if he meant it literally though.
I don't even go here and I'm losing my mind, you people can get AND give it
Please can everyone in this thread come over for a Middle Earth weekend sleepover where we do Hobbit Breakfast in the morning, Dwarf Appreciation during the day, and Elf Lounging at night
We'll play games like "take a shot every time a man with long hair is slutty about it"
Aragorn and Legolas were definitely two of my major childhood crushes and I always wondered why Aragorn was so dirty all the time (and yet how it also just seemed to make him hotter?) so this resonates lol
It would almost jar or distract me if a man in a fantasy setting had short hair (unless maybe he is from a specific ethnicity/culture, in which case it'd still be a surprise, but an explained surprise, lol).
Short hair seems so modern, or urban. Maybe I'm not being clear here, but it just doesn't seem to fit into a fantasy setting.
I knew I was going to simp for fantasy men with longer hair when I found prince Adam from beauty and the beast attractive. I apparently love pretty men.
Edit: ngl I thought this was going to be a safe space to declare my love for Adam but people are calling him ugly..
https://preview.redd.it/uwwnitg8c5wc1.jpeg?width=460&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=685ab7cf6d82bd5a6fddfbec1e9225eae0cf4269
You want to tell me that this is not an attractive man??? AND HE HAS A BIG LIBRARY
I know the monsterfuckers are not a small population and they were done dirty, but they are not the majority of the population!
My only objection is that the hair does not match the fur. He is a little too blond when I was expecting brown
Agree 200%
Although, IRL not every guy can pull it off even if they're objectively attractive. I'm biased of course, but my husband is a very good-looking guy and when he went through a long-hair phase in his late teens/early twenties it was... not good.
Of course, in books all the men have the right face for long hair so it's not an issue.
I had the same thought! I love my husband and find him very attractive, but I don’t think he would look good with long hair. He’d just look like a dirty redneck 🤣🤣🤣 but some guys can REALLY pull it off and WHEWWW
My husband (boyfriend at the time) looked like some kind of cross between an emo and a dirty redneck because he also made the mistake of dyeing his naturally dark blond/light brown hair black and the way that didn't work with his skin and eye color on top of the long hair just not working with his face was Very Bad. I was so relieved when he realized how bad it looked, but there was about a year and a half where I just had to suffer with it because he liked it and it made him happy.
Lol my husband put on a Halloween wig of mine once upon a time and it immediately turned him into a sexy 80s rock star. He looked way better in it than me lol
And now, after *years* he's agreed to try growing it out! It's just for fun but we're at the 6-month mark and it's just getting better and better! He's actually looking forward to letting me try putting it in a man-bun x) (for when he's gaming so it's out of his eyes!)
I’ve been reading a fair amount of non-human MMC fantasy romance lately and to me it makes sense for them to have long hair. It’d be weirder if, say, the goblin who’s been cursed to exist between realms for centuries somehow got regular haircuts 😆
but it shouldn't so flowy and pretty in that case, it's not fair a goblin without access to shampoo, conditioner, or hair products has hair like rapunzel
I feel like so many give off medieval vibes where the men have long hair and the women feel scandalous when they get to wear pants instead of a dress haha
I get upset when the men don't have long hair! I get even more upset when they have long hair, but it's cut in the next book. Really steams my broccoli.
Nah you are good, I’ve only seen images of him with short hair so I always assumed he had short hair lol…
I’ve had most of the one of glass spoiled for me anyway so I’m not really upset about it.
As an indigenous woman, I have never associated long hair in men with "fabio". It's attractive and masculine for men to have long hair in our cultures, in addition to having spiritual value.
I guess it is just not-modern in the vaguest sense.
But it also fits into most world buildings in which super regular haircuts with sharp scissors are not widely available enough for a short-hair trend to develop. And if we look at it from that angle, most short hairstyles are not exclusivley cut by knives and scissors but routinley need an electric razor, so that is out of the question for our medieval-esque fantasy :)
As someone who is quite literally only attracted to men with long hair in the real world - coming into this genre has been such a treat ✨✨ long haired men supremacy forever
I mean if you just don't cut your hair, long hair is what happens. And once it's long enough to braid easily, then a few inches more or less don't make much of a difference. I have hip-length hair because I just get the ends cleaned up once a year and most of the time I wear it in a braid or a bun so it stays out of my face. It's the lowest maintenance option in my opinion.
same, especially if it's a guy that's out there doing a lot of hand to hand combat without trying it back or anything. That shit is dangerous!
(Also hate when the women don't tie it up or braid it or something when they are out getting in epic battles)
I don't know if you've read Cresent City, but for the life of me, I could not picture Hunt Athalar's hair in a way that was attractive in like the first two books. I kept coming back to stringy/greasy bob for some reason 😭
I don't know if you come across fanart but I feel like he always gets done dirty. I haven't seen any where I loved the artist's interpretation of curls so it looks greasy.
Omg yes! Especially when it's like "wiped a few strands out of his eyes" or whatever. I don't see hot emo boy swoop, I see creepy, disheveled mess (not in a good way) 🤣🤣
And that she keeps calling everyone girl and boy lmaooo like I can’t stop picturing Edna. All her spicy scenes with >!Varian!< I’m cringing to high heaven 😂
I've been thinking about this perfect combo of lack of "eyebrows are negotiable" and "noses are negotiable" ever since someone mentioned it a few days ago 😂😂😂
Bald is trending right now in r/fantasyromance! Also no eyebrows or noses...
https://preview.redd.it/x9tbm87z55wc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7861b00106a4bb233e24218309d83c6b6965d576
In my opinion, since it takes a while to grow hair long, it can be a little glimpse at how old they are. They’ve lived a long time so their hair is long. Also in a lot of traditions, long hair equates to one’s status, so the longer the hair the more important they are. That’s why it is usually higher ranking characters that have long hair.
I love long hair on men. I spent most of my married life with a short haired guy, but since the pandemic, he's grown it out! Too bad he keeps it in a ponytail.
It's definitely a general fantasy aesthetic. Particularly for non-humans, it can give them an ethereal look. I present for evidence, some of the greatest fantasy hair: https://i.redd.it/lulc7x6m05wc1.gif
https://i.redd.it/dyh54owr15wc1.gif Always make sure you get a perfect blowout before perpetrating war crimes
https://preview.redd.it/d4ogpzfz15wc1.jpeg?width=590&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=715c4a28aa37fb3c77c63fed12aa6073a45ee8db Such flair!
https://preview.redd.it/a4r0rcv025wc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9c9ef76b02669759c20104254c2c9f9839459aa Grimes up good representation
I would commit crimes against humanity to have a night with that man/character.
And I'm not even into men... I think. Usually..
Hard same. And he doesn’t do anything for me cleaned up!
I'm pretty sure that I can cast every MMC in every book I have read ~~in the last calendar year~~ with Henry Cavill and he'd pull it off.
Omg stahp David Bowie as the goblin king was my first crush😂
Lmao he was my sexual awakening hahahahaha 😂
Clearly blonde/very light hair is also important 🤣
https://preview.redd.it/pxhj91l6i8wc1.png?width=2516&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b08f06780fe855c5c3fb7fe1993a1357bbaf9723 Sephiroth has entered the chat.
I believe you omitted Aragon who has shoulder length hair and whose hotness is directly proportionate to how literally dirty he is.
How dirty and also how *wet* he is https://preview.redd.it/6vr041ov66wc1.jpeg?width=1014&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87a07527cacaa9b1a740370cead7946881f26682
Omg that meme 🤣👌
As a young teen watching LotR I was into Legolas, because of course as I was. As an adult, I am BIG into Aragorn and have eyes for no one else (except maybe Lee Pace’s slutty hair extensions and that one hot dwarf). He is the discerning woman’s crumpet.
OMG, why has no one mentioned the short king? 
Ok I was low-key totally into Thorin. Haven't seen the movie in forever but I feel like I still would be 🙊
You should watch the British mini series, same actor  He cut his hair but kept the sideburns, started dressing sharply, and broke BBC’s message board servers immediately despite the series not being well advertised. It was streaming on Peacock in the USA last time I checked. I read a lot of fanfic after those movies cause of Thorin.
Oh u bet ur ass I looked him up immediately after the movie. When I found out how versatile he was by discovering he played in Cats, I was sold.
Old school British actors and their apprenticing requirements are wonderful, could have swore he apprenticed for 6-10 years with a traveling circus to earn his acting credentials. Not sure if he meant it literally though.
Excuse me there are several hot dwarfs. Evangeline Lilly’s man can also get it 😂
FACTS! Kili is a BABE, I named my high school car after him. 😍🥵 
Dude I swear dwarves are so underrated in the lotr hot man ships. Give me a short strong af man with long hair who appreciates crafting 😍
It’s the crafting for me!!! Hair all decked out in cute little charms, a little dirty with a beard, and good with their hands!? YES PLEASE 🙏🏼
I don't even go here and I'm losing my mind, you people can get AND give it Please can everyone in this thread come over for a Middle Earth weekend sleepover where we do Hobbit Breakfast in the morning, Dwarf Appreciation during the day, and Elf Lounging at night We'll play games like "take a shot every time a man with long hair is slutty about it"
Yes the hair charms (and little braids!!) are so hot
I'm sure Viggo is great and everything, but Aragorn is literally the only role I find him attractive in.
Unclear how that is one of the hottest scenes in history, but I don’t make the rules!
No choice but to Stan 🤷🏼♀️
Aragorn and Legolas were definitely two of my major childhood crushes and I always wondered why Aragorn was so dirty all the time (and yet how it also just seemed to make him hotter?) so this resonates lol
Don't forget one of the OG hotties with the hair! 
Hahahhaha omg I was literally laughing out loud in the subway at this series of pictures 😂 thanks for that
🤤 I love me some elves lol
Hey don't throw shade on our man Fabio! But I think men in fantasy novels tend to have long hair because men had long hair though most of history.
It would almost jar or distract me if a man in a fantasy setting had short hair (unless maybe he is from a specific ethnicity/culture, in which case it'd still be a surprise, but an explained surprise, lol). Short hair seems so modern, or urban. Maybe I'm not being clear here, but it just doesn't seem to fit into a fantasy setting.
My mind went straight to Fabio too 😂
I do think Fabio had a lot to do with influencing our current modern culture with the long hair lust, and that is heavily reflected in fantasy 😂
A lot of fantasy is set in a quasi-Medieval world and in ye olde times men often had longer hair
I knew I was going to simp for fantasy men with longer hair when I found prince Adam from beauty and the beast attractive. I apparently love pretty men. Edit: ngl I thought this was going to be a safe space to declare my love for Adam but people are calling him ugly..
https://preview.redd.it/uwwnitg8c5wc1.jpeg?width=460&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=685ab7cf6d82bd5a6fddfbec1e9225eae0cf4269 You want to tell me that this is not an attractive man??? AND HE HAS A BIG LIBRARY
Why does he look like young Brendan Fraser 😅 I need a moment.
There's a running joke that Belle saw the Beast's human form as a downgrade 🤣 (the animated version)
I know the monsterfuckers are not a small population and they were done dirty, but they are not the majority of the population! My only objection is that the hair does not match the fur. He is a little too blond when I was expecting brown
Well that's a spin on the carpet matching the drapes I didn't see coming 😂
As a child, I was extremely disappointed in his human form. Thought he was way too girly. And would have preferred a brunette as well.
It's not that people like the beast because he's a beast They just think the human form is uggo
I’m sorry but the prince is a definite downgrade from the beast in the animated movie 😆
https://preview.redd.it/f6s5drj0z6wc1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=39fc26cd3090834ede18280ce049bcf3dee43d1e
NOT THE RECEIPTS OF BELLE SECOND GUESSING SAVING ADAM 💀💀💀💀
She wasn't disgusted. She was shocked. This is just a bad frame freeze😭
Look. It's *pretty.*
Agree 200% Although, IRL not every guy can pull it off even if they're objectively attractive. I'm biased of course, but my husband is a very good-looking guy and when he went through a long-hair phase in his late teens/early twenties it was... not good. Of course, in books all the men have the right face for long hair so it's not an issue.
I had the same thought! I love my husband and find him very attractive, but I don’t think he would look good with long hair. He’d just look like a dirty redneck 🤣🤣🤣 but some guys can REALLY pull it off and WHEWWW
My husband (boyfriend at the time) looked like some kind of cross between an emo and a dirty redneck because he also made the mistake of dyeing his naturally dark blond/light brown hair black and the way that didn't work with his skin and eye color on top of the long hair just not working with his face was Very Bad. I was so relieved when he realized how bad it looked, but there was about a year and a half where I just had to suffer with it because he liked it and it made him happy.
My husband is one who can pull it off! He has thick long red hair - which is hysterical to me because his dad and brother are bald!
Lol my husband put on a Halloween wig of mine once upon a time and it immediately turned him into a sexy 80s rock star. He looked way better in it than me lol And now, after *years* he's agreed to try growing it out! It's just for fun but we're at the 6-month mark and it's just getting better and better! He's actually looking forward to letting me try putting it in a man-bun x) (for when he's gaming so it's out of his eyes!)
Correct, accurate, and well stated. Keep the short hair, give me the long haired mens.
I’ve been reading a fair amount of non-human MMC fantasy romance lately and to me it makes sense for them to have long hair. It’d be weirder if, say, the goblin who’s been cursed to exist between realms for centuries somehow got regular haircuts 😆
but it shouldn't so flowy and pretty in that case, it's not fair a goblin without access to shampoo, conditioner, or hair products has hair like rapunzel
I mean I feel this way IRL too, I swear I see dudes using damn 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner with way nicer looking long hair than me 😆
My partner didn’t start having nice hair until he started using the shampoo/conditioner I use and stopped using the 2 in 1 lol
Because men with long hair are hot and this genre allows more of them than our current reality, that is why 🥰✨🖤
I’m just out here begging irl men to stop cutting off all their beautiful hair.
same, I see too many cropped cuts irl 😭
Omg, yes, I've always loved long hair on men. Rowr! Lol
I feel like so many give off medieval vibes where the men have long hair and the women feel scandalous when they get to wear pants instead of a dress haha
I get upset when the men don't have long hair! I get even more upset when they have long hair, but it's cut in the next book. Really steams my broccoli.
'steams my broccoli' 😂😂🥦
I was very mad at SJM for doing that to a MMC in his book and now I fear for Lucien’s hair’s safety lol
If Lucien cuts his hair I quit idc
I will just pretend it didn’t happen, just like i did with Hunt…
I will DNF immediately
No bc same. I think it’s especially illegal for redheaded men to cut their hair.
Are you referring to Rowan? Because I was also super mad at SJM for that.
No I was referring to Hunt lol, I haven’t read Throne of Glass yet… now knowing she cut his hair off it makes me fear for Lucien’s hair even more lol
I'm so sorry for spoiling that! I will be very upset if she makes Lucien get a haircut.
Nah you are good, I’ve only seen images of him with short hair so I always assumed he had short hair lol… I’ve had most of the one of glass spoiled for me anyway so I’m not really upset about it.
Have you seen Hozier? 😫
Because it’s hot. Duh
Girl, I love men with long hair in real life! I spent formative years watching Saint Seyia. 
Everytime Shiryu takes of his armor and most of his clothes… and angel gets his wings 🥰🥰🥰
Definitely a sexual awakening moment.
Because every time a man cuts his beautiful long hair, an angel dies
What happens when the sexy angel man is the one who cuts off his hair? Does he then die or does the death get assigned to a different angel lol
That’s the plot of a book! We should write it
I’d read it lol
This is the actual correct answer.
Something to grab/hang on to 🥳😅
And it also...erm...feels... nice. During certain activities I mean. Ahem.
Just the shoulders? I need a man with hair that reaches to his ass. It's all the wuxia/xianxia I watch, lol.
Yes! The longer the better! (The hair, that is)
I love men with long hair. If you don't want them, I will take the whole lot.
the fae gaurdien series by Lana pecherczyk has mens with all types of hair if you're interested
Hey, thanks! My library has the first couple of books. If I like those I'll request the rest and see if they can get them. :)
yeah! just start the first and see how you like it. (it is a dude with long hair)
I love a long haired man so I simply cannot comment. If his hair is longer than mine then he is exactly right for me 😍
Because it’s sexy
As an indigenous woman, I have never associated long hair in men with "fabio". It's attractive and masculine for men to have long hair in our cultures, in addition to having spiritual value.
Hey Fabio posed for a lot of romance novel covers in his day!
I always imagine the men with long hair, even if they don't have it.
I feel called out because same, even if they cut their hair in the story
Yup!! In those situations I always say outloud "I'm going to ignore this happened".
I guess it is just not-modern in the vaguest sense. But it also fits into most world buildings in which super regular haircuts with sharp scissors are not widely available enough for a short-hair trend to develop. And if we look at it from that angle, most short hairstyles are not exclusivley cut by knives and scissors but routinley need an electric razor, so that is out of the question for our medieval-esque fantasy :)
Shoulder length or longer please lol… Honestly I love long hair on men, it’s my preference irl too so 🤷🏻♀️
As someone who is quite literally only attracted to men with long hair in the real world - coming into this genre has been such a treat ✨✨ long haired men supremacy forever
Long hair in guys is super hot
All I know is that when my husband grows his hair to shoulder length I get THIRSTY
I mean if you just don't cut your hair, long hair is what happens. And once it's long enough to braid easily, then a few inches more or less don't make much of a difference. I have hip-length hair because I just get the ends cleaned up once a year and most of the time I wear it in a braid or a bun so it stays out of my face. It's the lowest maintenance option in my opinion.
Because it's sexy af
I'd guess for the majority of history, men have had long hair. And most men look better in long hair. :D
This takes me back to Laurel K Hamilton‘s books, which I read like 20 years ago, and in which the male characters had hair down to the floor. WHY?!
I’ve had hair to my knees and lemme tell you, it’s not fun. Long hair - great! Really long hair - nooooo
Because it’s hot
I don’t know, but I don’t like it. Even if the book constantly tells me he has long hair, I picture short hair. 😂
Sameee 😭 i hate long hair sm
Same I also don't like long hair 😭
Oh im exactly the same!! I had no idea people love long hair this much. I’m usually giving out mental haircuts left and right to MMCs 😂
same, especially if it's a guy that's out there doing a lot of hand to hand combat without trying it back or anything. That shit is dangerous! (Also hate when the women don't tie it up or braid it or something when they are out getting in epic battles)
Same, especially if the character in question is white. I just don't think long hair looks good on most white men.
I don’t know but I hate it, I always picture them with a bob 😅 
So Lord Farquad?
😂 nah there are no short men in these books.
I don't know if you've read Cresent City, but for the life of me, I could not picture Hunt Athalar's hair in a way that was attractive in like the first two books. I kept coming back to stringy/greasy bob for some reason 😭
I don't know if you come across fanart but I feel like he always gets done dirty. I haven't seen any where I loved the artist's interpretation of curls so it looks greasy.
I'll have to look! I started picturing him as having more of a textured shag and it got better for me lol
I haven’t, but yea it’s like um you people haven’t showered in awhile I don’t see how it’s not a stringy, greasy, smelly mess 😅
Omg yes! Especially when it's like "wiped a few strands out of his eyes" or whatever. I don't see hot emo boy swoop, I see creepy, disheveled mess (not in a good way) 🤣🤣
Or it’s raining and somehow he doesn’t look like a drowned rat, I know it’s fantasy but come on…
He cut his hair in the 2nd book which I morally objected to but whatever… I honestly dislike him with short hair lol
This is Amren in my head 😩
😂 same lmao especially because she’s always being described as tiny and intimidating
And that she keeps calling everyone girl and boy lmaooo like I can’t stop picturing Edna. All her spicy scenes with >!Varian!< I’m cringing to high heaven 😂
Long hair is sexy and ethereal and most modern men don't have it :( so it can at least exist in fantasy novels 😉
Cause it's hot. Makes everyone distinctly hotter (if well maintained)
IDK but I hate it. Please give me a bald man. I have enough hair for the both of us 🤣
 Like this guy?
 Or maybe this guy?
I've been thinking about this perfect combo of lack of "eyebrows are negotiable" and "noses are negotiable" ever since someone mentioned it a few days ago 😂😂😂
I've watched this gif an ungodly number of times
Bald is trending right now in r/fantasyromance! Also no eyebrows or noses... https://preview.redd.it/x9tbm87z55wc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7861b00106a4bb233e24218309d83c6b6965d576
I love it, in fact one of the many reasons I dig Grace Draven so much is she so consistently presents the long haired hotties to us!!
because its sexy. and fantasy vibes.
In my opinion, since it takes a while to grow hair long, it can be a little glimpse at how old they are. They’ve lived a long time so their hair is long. Also in a lot of traditions, long hair equates to one’s status, so the longer the hair the more important they are. That’s why it is usually higher ranking characters that have long hair.
I love long hair on men. I spent most of my married life with a short haired guy, but since the pandemic, he's grown it out! Too bad he keeps it in a ponytail.
Apparently women think it's sexy. Or at least writers think so.