Itche: I think we’re talking about different things.
You’re talking about having peyos which you stick behind your ear. That is based on the Ari that yitayningwut linked. That is an idea that you should allow all the hair in the peyos zone to down to the cheekbone.
I’m talking about something that you probably also did. That is, that as a kid, before you had sideburns, you still had hair hanging down in front of your ear up to the cheekbone, and you would tell your barber to not cut it off. I have never seen any marginally frum kid without that. And I am trying to figure out why.