Samantha Gogol’s 16-year-old sister has been dyeing her hair all sorts of “crazy” colors since they were young.
“She always inspires me to be on the outside who I am on the inside,” Gogol, a senior studying anthropology, said. Her sister’s hair color inspired her to dye her own hair a “light blue sea foam green.”
Gogol will be graduating in December and said she’ll be dyeing her hair back to brown because “as a woman in science, I want to look professional so people take me seriously.”
“The people I work with now, they know me as a person,” Gogol said. “They know my strengths and my weaknesses. They know I work hard for what I want.”
However, that may not be the case once she graduates and enters a male-dominated field where her potential employers may have more conservative values, Gogol said.
“This is the only time I have to dye my hair,” Gogol, who is also a student worker at Alden Library, said. “I’m commemorating the dying of my youth.”
At the Career and Leadership Development Center, Erika Peyton, the assistant director for employer relations and marketing, said the way students may choose to present themselves is a personal choice.
“The impact it can have on professional opportunities and the attitudes among employers vary,” Peyton said in an email. Factors such as the industry and the company’s culture may influence an employer’s attitude towards employees with dyed hair, she added.
Krissy Lotthammer, a senior studying integrated media, had once been told by her manager at work that it was against the rules for employees to dye their hair. Despite that, she later found out there was no specific rule against dyed hair in the workplace.
“There’s that stereotype that if you have bright hair, tattoos or anything, you’re not going to be accepted as a professional,” Lotthammer said. “(But) I always thought, 'I don’t understand how it affects your ability and skills.' ”
Sabrina Suman, a junior studying forensic chemistry, has been dyeing her hair different colors the past two years. Her bright red hair color was self-dyed and costs roughly 15 dollars to be re-dyed every three months, which she said is a lot more affordable than the average salon visit that could cost approximately $200.
“I think (dyeing your hair) is a really cool way to differentiate yourself from the society at large,” Sam Redfern, a freshman studying theater, said. Redfern dyed his hair purple after his friend had leftover purple dye from her own dye job.
“It’s cool, it’s fun, (and) it’s a nice way to change things up,” Redfern said. “(And) it’s just hair.”
