Long Hair Short Hair

I've always loved long hair. As a child, my sister had long blonde curls my mom kept tied in a ponytail down her back. I had the "Buster Brown" haircut, short, brown, plain. I always desperately wanted long hair. As a teenager, I decided to go for it. I grew it long and loved it. Then someone in high school suggested I cut it, and at that age, suggestions mean "I should I should", so I did. I've regretted it ever since. After I married and went to work, I'd try to grow it out, but it would get to that in-between stage and I couldn't do anything with it, so I'd cut it. Then I had children. My daughter had the long blonde hair I'd always wanted. Even at her wedding, the long curls were just beautiful. So what did she do right after the wedding? Of course, she cut it. Now that I'm at home and not working, and I'm not busy with children, I thought, should I? Is long hair wrong for someone my age, 49? I brought up this subject with my pen-pal, Cathy, who is about my age, and it turns out she is trying to grow her hair long, too. Her comment was it's hard to look flirty if you can't flip that hair as you turn away. ha. I agree. I've always had a picture in my mind of what I'd look like as an old lady, and I am usually sporting long white hair pulled back in a ponytail, and some hippie-style get-up. (Because then who will care if anyone else likes it, right?)
So I did some research on google about women over 40 with long hair. Turns out men love long hair no matter what age you are. Women on the other hand, are not quite as agreeable. They were divided into three groups- those who are "card carrying" short haired women, who think they look more intelligent that way; short haired women who wish they could grow it long, but fear what other people think, and long haired babes just enjoying doing what they want. I guess Cher, Jane Seymour, and others who wear their hair long are in the latter group. I want to move from Group Number 2 to Group Number 1. But growing it long takes more than determination. It means that you have to struggle through the "ugly hair" stage, when it's not long and it's not short and it hangs like a bassett's ears and sticks out everywhere. This is the combat stage of hair-growing. I hear if you can make it through this, you've got it licked. I wouldn't know. In the past, I always folded during the combat stage. Not this time though. I'm determined. So if I have any readers out there, what do you think? Should women cut their hair short just because they are over 40? Do you personally like your own hair (or your wife/girlfriend if you are a man) better long or short? C'mon, tell me tell me.