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High and Tight, Please: Self-explanations for Experiencing Short Haircuts as Erotic

Sexuality & Culture volume 25, pages 1397–1427 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Sexologists have infrequently asked individuals to describe what led them to their sexual desires. In this study, 264 men and 7 women answered a questionnaire about their sexual interest in short haircuts on men, part of which asked them about any events or ideas they had that might explain their sexual desires. Surprisingly, a substantial minority of the men desired women as sexual partners. Almost 80% of the participants provided responses, which were examined for themes related to what might have caused their sexual interest in short haircuts on men, resulting in 16 themes, most of which help explain why short haircuts became objects of interest and fascination. The 10 most common themes are presented in detail, and a general theory about how sexual desires develop is provided that may explain how something, including another person, becomes an object of sexual desire.

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Due to promise of anonymity to participants, original data are not available for others; however, anonymized transcripts can be provided.

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Acknowledgements

I greatly appreciate the assistance provided by Butch, the webmaster of the THCsite, as well as the time participants took to answer the questionnaire and the candor with which they offered their self-reflections about the causes of their sexual desires. I also appreciate comments on earlier versions of the manuscript from Linda Phillips, Catherine Clement, Ron Mawby, and anonymous reviewers.

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This research received no funding.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, 40475, USA

    Robert W. Mitchell

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  1. Robert W. Mitchell
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Correspondence to Robert W. Mitchell.

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Mitchell, R.W. High and Tight, Please: Self-explanations for Experiencing Short Haircuts as Erotic. Sexuality & Culture 25, 1397–1427 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09815-y

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Keywords

  • Haircut fetishism
  • Self-explanation
  • Sexual arousal
  • Sexual orientation
  • Sexual orientation identity
  • Explaining sexual orientation