 The Gaelic Irish ( both men and women ) took great pride in their long hair — for example , a person could be heavily fined for cutting a man 's hair short against his will . When the Anglo @-@ Normans and the English colonized Ireland , hair length came to signify one 's allegiance . Irishmen who cut their hair short were deemed to be forsaking their Irish heritage . Likewise , English colonists who wore their hair long in the back were deemed to be forsaking their role as English subjects and giving in to the Irish life . Thus , hair length was one of the most common ways of judging a true Englishman in this period . Muslims in Christian areas were ordered to keep their hair short and parted , as their longer style was considered rebellious and barbaric . 
