Oh dear Lord on high, PeaceBang had hoped she could get away without saying anything about this but now that the New York Times has made a pronouncement that man buns are here to stay, I feel I must ISSUE A STATEMENT.
I can’t seem to find the article but I’m almost certain I saw the headline on Twitter. Could I be hallucinating? Possibly. Yet, for those who doubt, here is proof that the Times actually marked this hairstyle as a Brooklyn hipster trend in 2012.
Look, I’m TRYING to take this seriously as a grooming option! I even follow Man Buns of Disneyland on Instagram because some of those dudes are fearfully and wonderfully made, if you know what I’m saying.
I think the idea of hipsters in Seattle wearing tiny fedoras atop their man buns is a laff riot! My cousin lives there and I hope he’ll not only snap some photos for me, but get his own tiny fedora.
But here, my pets, here we talk about clergy image and our responsibility to represent the church as religious leaders. And in that work, a man bun is not a good choice.
It’s pretty simple. If you’re not an ordained samurai, you probably shouldn’t wear a man bun.
Why? Because they’re the opposite of dignified. Because they’re usually a mess. Because they immediately identify you as a hipster and are therefore a distraction. Because you’re not at yoga class or on retreat. Because they’re not cross-generational-friendly (a term I believe I just coined! It’s when someone from one generation takes one look at a another and says, “That kid looks like an idiot” — even when that “kid” is 35 years old). Because you’re not Jared Leto.
Let’s have some debate here! Man bun-rocking pastors, send us your photos! Convince me!
Until then, put away the Goody elastics and scrub under your nails for tomorrow morning. It couldn’t hurt.
Thanks for sharing man buns of disneyland, did not know about that one!
I agree that the samurai-style man bun wouldn’t work for the pulpit, but I’m curious to hear/see what people think about male pastors with long hair and how it should be worn?
(weighing in as a GenX-Millenial cusp lay-person with many minister friends in my life and a non-clergy husband currently working on a man bun) – [Good question! I would just say clean and neat, brushed and if held in a ponytail, with a nice elastic. Same as for anyone. – PB]
Not for you, senor pastor. Kind of cool on youth. But let us review: you want to nurture the youth. Not be the youth. That is all. And the little fedora is dopey. Not dope – dopey.
Man buns are what waiters wear everywhere!
How do they keep those little hats from falling off? Mysterious!
I am grateful that I have lived long enough to be considered ‘way too old for this trend.
I have to say, this worries me a little.
“Man buns” are an example of a traditionally feminine aesthetic being reclaimed as acceptable for men. That doesn’t happen often—the flow in our culture is almost entirely in the other direction. Women increasingly have free access to traditionally masculine styles. But one hairstyle starts to shift in the other direction, and we feel we have to jump on that and declare it a “distraction,” and otherwise beneath our dignity?
Beware the urge to police the bounds of masculinity. It causes enough damage in the world at large.
[Interesting thoughts, Zan, and you’ve prompted more thought + perhaps another post on the subject. Overall, I don’t think of man buns as feminizing male attire so much as being about hipster white dudes indulging in cultural appropriation. That’s a generalization, but to me the preciousness and earnestness of man buns on clergy is what causes me to laugh and say, “Honey, you’re all ready to be a character in a Christopher Guest mockumentary on liberal religion. It’s not that it suggests femininity but unconscious colonialism. – PB]
Thank you, PB. As my great aunt Hattie used to say, they look perfectly ridiculous. They look fairly ridiculous on women as well.
There is a part of me that wonders if my discomfort with the man-bun is because it is somewhat gender non-conforming in terms of style. But on the other hand, most of the men I have seen with this hairstyle have left the style somewhat unkempt and poorly washed (often combined with clothing that is unkempt and poorly washed). Which is fine if you a bartender, or working at a club. But any clergy attempting this, need to pay attention to making sure that their hair is well washed and well cut for a longer style. Messy/dirty hair can convey a subconscious impression to others that your work is messy.
An additional observation – a few of the man-buns featured in the instagram images look less bun’ish. Instead of the bun being a knot at the top of the head, the hair looks tied up at the back base of the skull. More of a short pony-tail style. This look, with well washed and cut hair, can actually look very dignified. And wonder about combining that hair style with somewhat conservative clothing. Perhaps professional, but a shade non-conforming?
I’ve thought about this issue in terms of gender conformity and culture as well. I’m a parishioner in a congregation where we are trying to support people with non-traditional gender identities.
I’m in my late 50’s and pretty conservative in my own personal style, but I do think it’s important to make space for non-gender and non-culturally conforming styles. To me, the litmus test is whether a style can be fixed and forgotten. Through my work as an instructor I have a younger colleague who does the man-bun thing. As great a teacher as he is, I think the hair isn’t doing him any favors – but that’s because he tends to take down his hair and put it back up as he’s talking to students. As I sit in the pews, I don’t want to see anyone’s hair making contact with candle flame or sacred objects. At coffee hour or a crowded reception, I really don’t want anyone’s hair making contact with my food. (Someone at a gathering once tossed her head as I was passing a plate of cheese and crackers and accidentally brushed her long hair across them. Sorry, but yuck.)
That said, I’ve seen ministers successfully manage long dreadlocks and cornrows by tying them back, and I think it looks perfectly dignified and fine with vestments. A good friend who is a priest wears his hair in one braid, fastened at the top and bottom with covered elastics that match his hair. Fixed and forgotten. Out of the candle flames. I think that if other styles can be adapted so that they are neat, not distracting, and “durable” for the length of the service, that would make a space for clergy to express who they are while still projecting dignity and reverence.
It has been a long week, and I am tired. I am also not particularly culturally literate. But when I read this I somehow missed the reference to a hairstyle in the first paragraph, and I assumed you were referring to man *buns* of the sort generally covered by trousers.
I was particularly puzzled when I reached the third paragraph and tried to envision exactly HOW the fedoras would be perched on the man buns. Inside the trousers would significantly disturb the smooth line. Outside the trousers would look at best dorky.
I was so relieved to read on and realize you were discussing HAIR. Now if I can only rid my mind of the image of the fedora perched on the man buns! [LOL! – PB]
Oh, thank you, LJ, you have given me a good laugh!
me too LJ – and now I see that the man bun is over and the new style is the man braid!!
I don’t like the term “man bun.” Comes of being a Lady (sic) Pastor, I guess.
Are buns a problem on men because they are too new a fashion for clergy dignity? Okay, we can talk about that. But while we do, can we call them by a name that evades the fragile-masculinity game? They are buns, for the same reason that women who practice law are lawyers, not “woman lawyers,” nurses who are men are nurses, not “male nurses,” and a handbag a man carries is simply a handbag. [I think this is an issue of humor and snark, not really about sexism. That’s just my take on it. I think we can become over-earnest about these things, but your mileage may vary. – PB]
The fedora looks like Lowly-Worm’s hat, in case anyone knows about Lowly-Worm. (I made Lowly-Worm once for my son, in another lifetime).