hair fashion

[wavyarms]

I know, I'm totally over-posting on LJ tonight, but I'm enjoying having an evening at home (which won't happen again for a week...ugh) and my VERY OWN STUDIO with a WORKING INTERNET CONNECTION.

*ahem* Sorry to holler.

Anyways, I have a fashion question. I have so far at school (both the middle school where I subbed, and the high school where I am permanently) avoided wearing my hair down - it's always been up in a bun, or at least back in a braid. I sort of feel that having my hair down is unprofessional. Am I crazy? I just feel that b/c it's quite blond, and quite long, it's sort of going "Look at me!" when I wear it down, and I don't really want to do that when I'm working. Also, I worry about differentiating myself from the high school students - I am totally waiting for the day when I get stopped in the hall and asked for my pass.

Thoughts? Should I keep on with this habit, or am I full of it?

Comments

[ltlbird.livejournal.com]

I think that the days of having to wear one's hair up to look professional are over. Most of the time, I suspect your clothes differentiate you from the students. I'd take your cues, though, from the other teachers, if you are really worried. I had a teacher in high school with gorgeous hair longer than yours that she wore down all the time. She was a dance teacher, so perhaps that gave her more leeway, but I would think the same flexibility would apply to a music teacher.

Steer clear or headbands, though. They definitely make one look younger.

[wavyarms.livejournal.com]

Hm. Observation. Not something I'm good at, but I'll give it a shot. ;)

No headbands. Check. (What is your opinion on headbands in a casual setting, btw?)

[samtheeagle.livejournal.com]

I have no standing whatsoever to make hair comments, because there's only one way that mine works and that's kinda it (though my hair often disagrees and acts out, but that's another matter entirely).

But I've nailed the "look too young to do this job" routine so well that maybe I have some standing. I too teach, and there's no avoiding the reality, and the appearance, that some of my students are older than I am and look older than I do. Initially this wigged me out but soon I realized that the issue was primarily in my own mind. Yes, classroom discipline was initially harder (and so I had to command respect), one student hit on me (I don't even want to go there), and colleagues figured either that I was hot shit or asked for the University equivalent of my bathroom pass... but it took very little time to iron out the kinks and frankly, I enjoyed flashing my "faculty" badge when folks misjudged. All this is to say, longwindedly, that the distraction in my own mind outweighed the reality.

So wear what you want to wear and do what you want to do -- that is, unless your conducting is so dynamic that you bonk yourself in the face with hair or distract your students with a cloud of hair. :)

[wavyarms.livejournal.com]

There is not a lot of dynamic conducting when teaching high school. It's ALL hammering out notes, so far.

Also, I have no faculty badge. *sigh* Maybe after my doctorate...

[samtheeagle.livejournal.com]

I still say it's whatever makes you most comfortable personally; you and only you have to live in your own skin.

We can make you a badge if you want one. Really we can.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

My hair has always been long, and I recently chopped it off entirely for partly that reason - but also because my hair was *messy* and I was finding it impossible to keep neat. And I was sick of it. :)

When my hair was long, I mostly didn't wear it loose because of the messiness factor - my hair gets bushy and needs containment of some sort. So at a minimum I would clip the top part back and leave the rest loose. Lots of ponytails and buns. But that's me, and *my* hair issues.

Mostly I was going to say what ltbird said - look at other teachers and see what they do. For a while, I was even checking out strangers in the grocery store or whatever - "Hmmm, she has long hair, look how she's wearing it.... do I like that? Does she look professional? Could I do that with mine?" - and figured out a lot of how *I* view these issues that way.

[samtheeagle.livejournal.com]

I had to chuckle at your comment that your hair needs "containment." My brain said, all by itself: "Yeah, Kirsten's hair and North Korea." (Proof that I need sleep, I guess.) :)

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Now that my hair is short, it's easier to ascertain whether there are any nuclear weapons hidden in there. I'm just sayin'.

I really need a Wild Hair icon. Alas.

[silvarwyrm.livejournal.com]

Hm, I think the difference is not so much up/down as whether you give off the appropriately professional feel. If your hair looks well-kept and your dress is appropriate I don't see a problem.

I tend to avoid wearing my hair down at work, but that's only because it gets in my way otherwise. I guess the only line I draw for myself these days is showing up at work with wet hair that's down or hair that is down and looks a bit disheveled. Also, I do feel that if I go too long without a haircut my hair looks unacceptably shaggy when down. But like I said, it's all about looking... um... sheveled... and not about down vs up.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

Yes, technically, there is some guidelines to this situation that I used to "follow" when I worked at a bank. Basically, women's hair should neither be too short or too long. Shoulder length +/- 2" is a good guideline. I was not hip to this for a long time, since I had a crew cut. Imagine a baby emu in a wool suit.

That said, you don't work in a bank. You work as a teacher. As long as your hair is clean, neat, brushed, and not completely out of control, then you are going to be OK. If you would like to let your hair go out of control, I am sorry to say that you will have to get a PhD in Math and start teaching college.

[scottahill.livejournal.com]

...or physics. My mom constantly nags me about my hair being too long (and yes, I am 31); she just does not understand what physicists are supposed to look like! :)

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I continually get it wrong as an engineer. In my life in NM, I am moderately well dressed, in the sense that my hair gets somewhat regular hair cuts and at times wear dresses. In my current life as a DC temporary worker, the other engineers find the flip flops a bit unusual.

[shellaby.livejournal.com]

I agree with silvarwyrm here. If you keep it under controll, then your hair down can look professional. You can use a hair clip or some hairspray.

[coraline]

hair down is much more informal than hair up. i'd say anywhere where you're trying to exertr your authority and look more adult, hair up is definitely the way to go. i don't think you're full of it.

[wavyarms.livejournal.com]

Good to know. You have clout, as a member of the Hairy Scientists Club, or whatever it's called. :)

[sanj.livejournal.com]

Down can look professional as long as you put a barrette or mayhap a little product in it -- some way of saying that your long hair is a style rather than a default format. I wear mine long every day but it's only to my neck right now.

If you're comfortable in it and you're dressed professionally, I say go for it - you're not working in a bank, as noted above.

yukyukyuk

[ex-a517dogg70.livejournal.com]

I was unaware you wore a habit.

Badump ching.

Re: yukyukyuk

[sigerson.livejournal.com]

Heh. Wimple.
Wimple wimple wimple wimple wimple.


Also, your long hair is awesome, and having it say "Look at Me!" is an awesome thing. It's brilliant and blond and worth it.

Re: yukyukyuk

[wavyarms.livejournal.com]

Er, even saying it around teenage boys?

[meranthi.livejournal.com]

As long as it looks down on purpose, rather than just down because you didn't bother, you should be fine. My choir director in college had waist length hair which she kept in a pony tail, but that certainly didn't keep it from being down. When she got excited, the pony tail bounced around a whole lot.

[heatmhub.livejournal.com]

Having your hair down is not unprofessional (what did you teachers look like in high school?!). Your hair is long enough that it might get in your way when conducting if it is entirely unbound. Style it however you like and however allows you to discharge all your professional duties without causing a distraction to yourself or your students.

[moerikite.livejournal.com]

Do what you want with your hair as long as it's clean and out of the way. (Just repeating what loads of others have already said!) The hair question is totally valid as you're a working gal now. Like it or not, "professional image" is still something we have to deal with.

And, there's no such thing as you posting too much. I enjoy reading!