My now husband went through the questions for babtism but was turned down because his hair was too long and he sported a mustache. (lucky for him!)
Tell your story!
restrangled
Anyone remember the facial hair and hair length hoopla?
by restrangled 22 Replies latest jw friends
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under_believer
The "hoopla" has not gone away. In the US, beards and long hair as as frowned upon now as they were back in the day. Mustaches are acceptable in most US areas, though.
Goatees and/or beards are more acceptable for Witnesses in other cultures, though if you go into the Bethel track in any area you will be expected to hold to corporate norms. -
fullofdoubtnow
It seems to vary from congrgation to congregation here. In my old hall, moustaches were fine but beards were frowned on, and more than one brother received a phone call from the elders telling him to shave if he had a talk coming up, eveb though one co we had was quite adamant that the veto on beards was no longer applicable. Yet in another local kh, one of the elders and two of the servants sported beards.
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lost_light06
beards (including goatees), shaved head, sideburns below the ear lobe. All these are "frowned upon" (i.e. if you want to be considered good association) in my area. No one seems to have a problem with handlebar mustaches though. There's more than a few bro's in my area who got the "OCC Paul Tuttle" goin' on.
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restrangled
Its funny, in my mom's congregation there are numerous guys shaving their heads, including one elder, and she claims they oil them. She has complained about it a lot as she can't stand all the shiney heads.
The endless rules and regulations to me, are just staggering.
r.
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Tuesday
Yup I got in trouble for long hair all the time. Now it's like down to my butt LOL. I think it's pretty stupid, the reasons for the no beards or long hair still goes back to the hippies, all the articles about it were from the early 60's. I think the world has changed a bit.... give a brother a break!
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Finally-Free
I got counselled many times for having a moustache. The more they counselled me the less often I trimmed it.
It was quite bushy for a while.
W
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schne_belly
Yes... my husband got his "privileges" removed ( couldn't handel mic's or read) because he had started growing a small goatee.
He was also counseled for having subtle blonde highlights.....
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blondie
I remember one brother was counseled for dyeing his gray hair...until he pointed out that the sisters had to stop dyeing their hair.
It is all so silly; one elder told me that they measured the sideburns of the brothers to see if they were the "right" length. Was that from Matthew 29:1, "And the Lord said, the hair on the side of your face shall not grow past the lobe of thine ear; lest you stumble the weak one, and God will have to smite thee."
I can remember one holy brother who insisted that women should all have long hair, and they would in the new system. He would not let his wife cut her hair and the elders supported him on this. (could you predict a divorce in the future?)
In this area, black brothers can have shaved heads but not white brothers although the reason given is that it makes you look like part of a gang.
Mustaches are allowed now but in the past some congregations did not. The brothers who wanted mustaches just went to the congregations that allowed them.
Actually, the local BOE has the call on hair length except if the brother is going to give a talk in another congregation; the CO and DO have the call on hairstyles when giving talks at assemblies/conventions.
JWs love those gnat things and gulp down the camels.
Blondie
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lost_light06
Oh I forgot about the hair color thing. I got a talking to once by the CO for dying my hair and having highlights. He said that in Bethel they consider that a sign that you are gay (Why? Did Leo Greenless and Percy Chapman have highlights in their hair?). At the time I was real receptive and quickly dyed it back to it’s natural color. Nowadays I rarely shave before meetings.