White collor employment reaction to hair growth??

• White collor employment reaction to hair growth??
  

  

  Jim Wheeler

  
  

  This question is for those who have dealt with trying to grow your hair long while working for a white collar employer. I work at a bank in New York State. I am the manager of the collection department (that's my "day job". I am also Process Server by night). My last hair cut was in November. At that time it was cut to about an inch. My pic that you see was taken about 3 weeks ago. Are white collar companies becoming more tolerant of men growing their hair long or are they generally still engaging in what I call "gender stereotyping", where it is ok for a woman to have long hair but not for a man to do so? I appreciate your thoughts on this topic.

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  • Re: White collor employment reaction to hair growth??
    

    

    James

    
    

    Jim,

    I think, and I hope, that the knee jerk reaction against long hair is almost over thanks to the pioneering leadershhip of many of our friends who grew their hair against all odds. Whaat I think this means in practice is that we keep our hair neat when dealing with people who have have an effect on our lives, whether we do this with gel, tails, pins, rollers, or whatever.
    When we represent our organization to the public, the focus needs to be on our professional goals, and not on us. I thinkwe have come to a time when clean neat are enough, and length does not matter.

    James

    This question is for those who have dealt with trying to grow your hair long while working for a white collar employer. I work at a bank in New York State. I am the manager of the collection department (that's my "day job". I am also Process Server by night). My last hair cut was in November. At that time it was cut to about an inch. My pic that you see was taken about 3 weeks ago. Are white collar companies becoming more tolerant of men growing their hair long or are they generally still engaging in what I call "gender stereotyping", where it is ok for a woman to have long hair but not for a man to do so? I appreciate your thoughts on this topic.

    reply close reply form
    • Re: White collor employment reaction to hair growth??
      

      

      Elektros

      
      

      Jim,

      I think, and I hope, that the knee jerk reaction against long hair is almost over thanks to the pioneering leadershhip of many of our friends who grew their hair against all odds. Whaat I think this means in practice is that we keep our hair neat when dealing with people who have have an effect on our lives, whether we do this with gel, tails, pins, rollers, or whatever.
      When we represent our organization to the public, the focus needs to be on our professional goals, and not on us. I thinkwe have come to a time when clean neat are enough, and length does not matter.

      James

      This question is for those who have dealt with trying to grow your hair long while working for a white collar employer. I work at a bank in New York State. I am the manager of the collection department (that's my "day job". I am also Process Server by night). My last hair cut was in November. At that time it was cut to about an inch. My pic that you see was taken about 3 weeks ago. Are white collar companies becoming more tolerant of men growing their hair long or are they generally still engaging in what I call "gender stereotyping", where it is ok for a woman to have long hair but not for a man to do so? I appreciate your thoughts on this topic.

      I have seen a male hispanic bank clerk in Virginia quite recently with waist length hair in a ponytail, so they are out there in banking. Pretty rare, though.

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      • Re: White collor employment reaction to hair growth??
        

        

        DarkWolf

        
        

        Are white collar companies becoming more tolerant of men growing their hair long or are they generally still engaging in what I call "gender stereotyping", where it is ok for a woman to have long hair but not for a man to do so? I appreciate your thoughts on this topic.

        Hey guys!

        I'm new here, growing my hair out, and have been since august...

        I'd just like to say, the fact that it's okay for woman to have long hair... It's actually never been a problem, because woman pretty much always have long hair. It's normal for girls to have long hair. However, the fact that it's okay for girls to have short hair, but men can't have long, that's when the discrimination comes in.

        I hate when pepople ask me when I'm going to cut my hair, luckily it dosen't happen to often, then again, my hair is only a little more then 6 inches.

        -DW

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      • Re: White collor employment reaction to hair growth??
        

        

        crfriend

        
        

        Jim,

        I think, and I hope, that the knee jerk reaction against long hair is almost over [...]

        I have seen a male hispanic bank clerk in Virginia quite recently with waist length hair in a ponytail, so they are out there in banking. Pretty rare, though.

        The computer field seems pretty tolerant. I got "dot-bombed" in 2000 and found another gig pretty quickly (2 months, when other guys had been out for 8 or more) even with a waist-length 'tail. (I actually had one fellow admin comment that "the length of an admin's ponytail is an indication of his status" -- whether that's actually true or not is a matter of conjecture, but was an interesting observation from inside the (then small) industry.) I also spent several years as a computer field-service technician (back from before they became "board-monkeys") with long hair; my clients appreciated my talents, and when it looked like the Boss was going to have an anuerism over my appearance a couple of big clients "put in a good word" for the kid).

        Personally, I wouldn't feel comforatble in the financial "industry" (engineering (civil/structural) being my preference) because, as an industry, they tend to be the most "conservative" (read, "it's how you look, not how you, or your creations, perform!").

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