Hello Lovelies!
Kellie M. has sent me a question about long hair that I’ve heard many times and one I’ve struggled with myself. Kellie asks:
I am in the process of growing out my long hair, and I’ve gotten many great tips from your site. The thing is, I think longer hair will hurt my career. I’m in corporate finance, and the women here all wear their hair really short, even the “feminine” women who dress really nicely and love fashion wear short hair. I used to think it was due to our busy schedules, but I now think that it’s due to the fact that our field is male dominated. One lady who I am very fond of made a comment about my hair getting long, but she said it in kind of a disapproving way. So, what should I do? Can my long hair still be professional?
Hi. Kellie! Thank you so much for your question. Wow! This is a big one. Unlike the desire to grow your hair long after a certain age, wearing your hair long while you’re working in a corporate or more professional field is a whole other ball game. This is something that will impact your income, not just your appearance, so you want to tread very lightly when it comes to long hair and the corporate world.
There have been actual studies that have proven wearing longer hair will hurt a woman’s career. Studies have shown that people actually believe women who wear long hair in corporate positions appear high maintenance, less powerful, and dare I say fertile, as in likely to take maternity leave in the near future. It’s one thing to say be confident and wear your hair the way you’d like. It’s another thing when peer reviewed studies show that wearing your hair the way you want will affect your career. Just check out Forbes Magazine’s List of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, only 8 out of 50 of some of the most powerful women in the corporate world wear their hair past their shoulders. Eight out of 50! That’s very telling. I mean just look at the flack Hillary Clinton has received since she decided to grow out her hair. There are real consequences for professional women who dawn longer locks.
So here’s my advice, and it comes from experience. Can you wear “longer” hair in the corporate world? Yes. Can you wear super long hair in the corporate world? No. I would only wear my hair a few inches past my shoulders at most. Now if you decide to wear “longer” hair, I would never play with it or twirl it. I wouldn’t even touch it or do anything to draw to much attention to it while I’m at work. Speaking of attention, I would aim to take as much volume out of my hair as possible, too much volume and you’ll borderline on the bombshell look. Keep your ends perfectly trimmed at all times and keep your hair cut neatly shaped to avoid the frumpy and disheveled look. If you want to totally break the rules and grow your hair out longer, consider wearing your hair in a french roll, simple and neat up-do, or a sleek bun while at work, and enjoy your long locks when you’re off the clock.
I really hate that things are this way, and it’s part of the reason why I left the corporate world and opted to work at a smaller company. Corporate culture is already set and the pressure of corporate culture makes it hard to break the rules and win, so leaving the corporate arena or starting your own business is always another option, but it’s up to you to decide if a long hairstyle is worth the change. I hope this helps you make the decision that works best for you. Good luck, Kellie, and I wish you much success in your career.
