“The Pink Hair Problem”
- Kaya Cher shows off some pink locks of her own
As you may or may not know, I’m planning on coloring my hair pink this week.
Pink hair holds a certain symbolism for me – but that’s something perhaps I’ll share in another blog post (likely once I go through with the deed).
As I’ve been looking through photos for inspiration, I happened upon a blog post titled “The Pink Hair Problem”. It turned out not to be anything beauty or follicle related, but rather a posting in MIT’s Admissions blog.
Matt McGann (class of ’00 – which makes me feel a bit ancient!!) shares a question he received from an applicant
hey matt i’ve got a question. right now i’ve got a nose ring and bright black and pink hair. i’m applying EA to MIT and i was just wondering. for the interview…is that too unprofessional? the nose ring i could always take out but my hair?
Matt follows his point of view by sharing responses he received from other ECs (Educational Counselors, MIT’s alumni interviewers), representing various parts of the country and ranging from class of 1961 to 2003.
When it came to ear piercings, tattoos, “wild” haircuts or any other less-than-conservative-and-or-mainstream styling, my father always cautioned about first impressions and the need to get your foot in the door first, to work your way up to a place where you’re setting the rules, before limiting your opportunities because of your looks. Years later, I can’t say I entirely disagree, but was curious to hear what the good folks over at MIT had to say about the matter.
The responses include an interesting range of perspectives on the influence that less-than-conventional looks have on first impressions.
The common thread seemed to be
- first impressions do count
- demonstrate respect
- most important, be true to yourself
Regardless of age, we continuously find ourselves in situations where it’s important to balance putting our best foot forward, with letting our true colors shine through. The EC responses provide insights that can apply well beyond a college entrance interview and are worth reading.
You can find the full blog post here: MIT Admissions | Blog Entry: “The Pink Hair Problem”
What are your thoughts on first impressions? Have you had any “pink hair problems” of your own? Please share them in the comments!
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Responses to ““The Pink Hair Problem””
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Faryl I say just do it!
As a kid my parents went nuts every time I did something unique with my hair. From crazy colors to even crazier patterns / stylings. As I got older and started talking about getting tattoos my parents swore I’d be unemployable and that my unique appearance would leave me alone and homeless on streets of NYC panhandling or something. Now, years later m y hair is black, blue and blond and I’m not the only one in the office with my unique take on personal style. (my old boss had some awesome sleeve work done.
As more and more people have progressively started to change their appearance we’ve learned that you can be respectable and have pink hair or tattoos. As our generation grows older what is acceptable and conveys respect is changing.
Personally I believe that being unique, and standing out it breaks the ice and makes you more personable. BUT if I were to ever lose my job, I would dye my hair back to a natural color to avoid putting off any persons who were not okay with my unique sense of style. Money tends to be more important than self expression…most of the time. It just depends on who you are presenting your self to.