4 ms·

I don't think it's that ridiculous. You buy a new suit to look professional, shave for a new date, why is dying your hair that crazy? We all do plenty of things

I don't think it's that ridiculous. You buy a new suit to look professional, shave for a new date, why is dying your hair that crazy? We all do plenty of things for appearance purposes.

tyingq 9y ago
I see your point, but shaving, clothes, etc, aren't altering the natural appearance of my body. It feels similar to a woman feeling some need for breast augmentation. Silly and superficial, and lots of work to please others for no reason.
- ghostbrainalpha 9y ago
  Breast augmentation has been proven in studies to result in higher income over the long run. So maybe superficial, but definitely not silly.
  - tyingq 9y ago
    Not arguing that it might "work". Dying my hair might have raised my salary too. But both are still silly to me. Similar, tall people make more money statistically. Real? Yes. But still silly.
  - gaius_baltar 9y ago
    > Breast augmentation has been proven in studies to result in higher income over the long run. So maybe superficial, but definitely not silly. Did this study check for the obvious possibility of women of higher income being more inclined to pay for a breast augmentation? I'm sure any serious journal will require this before accepting such paper, but the amount of junk science being published in humanities journals forces me to ask.
9889095r3jh 9y ago
There's a big difference between wearing a suit and dying your gray hair. Dying your gray hair hides your age. Age is a protected class. It's illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of age. It's not illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of what suit you wear. Can we all agree that nobody should have to dye their hair to get a job? The fact that people on this site act like this is normal is very disturbing.
- fencepost 9y ago
  I'm torn on the question of dye - not so much for my hair (where a braid to the middle of my back is more likely a concern than silver temples) but for my beard which has by now turned mostly white. I'm half wishing I'd grown it out and bleached the last few bits this past winter to start establishing as a part-time Santa. "No, it's white because I'm also a volunteer Santa during the season."
- snowwrestler 9y ago
  Sadly, at least in the U.S. it is normal for many professional women to feel like they need to dye their hair. It is part of the general U.S. cultural bias toward youth in women, which is pretty obvious in popular media but also makes itself felt in the workforce. Grey hairs can start showing up as early as late 20s for some people. I work with a number of women over 35 and I'm having a hard time thinking of one with a single grey hair showing. For a few I'm friends with, I know that dyeing their hair feels like an important part of maintaining their professional appearance. Even Ginni Rommetty, CEO of IBM, probably dyes her hair. She has blonde hair without a strand of grey showing, which would be pretty extraordinary for someone who is 60.
  - jessaustin 9y ago
    That's nothing compared to women who read the news, sports, etc. on TV, most of whom have to get breast implants. And yes, it is the older women with thicker torsos who have to do this to preserve their "feminine" appearance. Young women can often get by, just by being slim.
  - 9889095r3jh 9y ago
    You're unfortunately correct. More people should be outraged at the expectations employers place on women to look "professional." It's enough that some employers mandate high heels and make up in their dress codes. Dying one's hair should be a personal choice, and no woman or man should feel required to do this for their employer. I hope this changes some day.
- pm90 9y ago
  While good in principle, we are human beings after all. There are many dimensions on which we judge each other, many of which aren't fair and/or accurate indicator of our true skills or abilities. We've managed to legislate against some of the more egregious dimensions, like age, race, national origin etc. but there will always be other dimensions. One of the important once is appearances, demeanor, posture etc. While those of us who know about these things take care not to place too much emphasis on these things, they're still used by most people, mostly subconsciously, in making hiring decisions.
ema 9y ago
I think the difference is that wearing a new suit and having a shaved face signals that one cares enough to make the effort to appear neat. Dying ones hear (with a natural color) however is a modification of one's appearance that one whishes to remain unnoticed. Not that I think looking neat is super important (my own appearance is just one step above "hobo") but it feels acceptable to me that some jobs require it because it correlates with other personality traits which are important like self-discipline and not being a "precious snowflake" for example.
- gowld 9y ago
  It correlates with traits like being a dependent conformist, which is generally good for employees you want to exploit.
- itronitron 9y ago
  if the dye job is noticeable then it just looks like the person is stuck in the past and will amplify the ageism. It should be easier for women to dye their hair well (so that it is not noticed as such) because a) women of all ages changes their hair color, b) they are willing to shell out the big bucks for a professional, and c) they are less likely to have graying facial hair :{>

I don't think it's that ridiculous. You buy a new suit to look professional, shave for a new date, why is dying your hair that crazy? We all do plenty of things for appearance purposes.

tyingq 9y ago

I see your point, but shaving, clothes, etc, aren't altering the natural appearance of my body. It feels similar to a woman feeling some need for breast augmentation. Silly and superficial, and lots of work to please others for no reason.

ghostbrainalpha 9y ago
Breast augmentation has been proven in studies to result in higher income over the long run. So maybe superficial, but definitely not silly.
- tyingq 9y ago
  Not arguing that it might "work". Dying my hair might have raised my salary too. But both are still silly to me. Similar, tall people make more money statistically. Real? Yes. But still silly.
- gaius_baltar 9y ago
  > Breast augmentation has been proven in studies to result in higher income over the long run. So maybe superficial, but definitely not silly. Did this study check for the obvious possibility of women of higher income being more inclined to pay for a breast augmentation? I'm sure any serious journal will require this before accepting such paper, but the amount of junk science being published in humanities journals forces me to ask.

9889095r3jh 9y ago

There's a big difference between wearing a suit and dying your gray hair. Dying your gray hair hides your age. Age is a protected class. It's illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of age. It's not illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of what suit you wear. Can we all agree that nobody should have to dye their hair to get a job? The fact that people on this site act like this is normal is very disturbing.

fencepost 9y ago
I'm torn on the question of dye - not so much for my hair (where a braid to the middle of my back is more likely a concern than silver temples) but for my beard which has by now turned mostly white. I'm half wishing I'd grown it out and bleached the last few bits this past winter to start establishing as a part-time Santa. "No, it's white because I'm also a volunteer Santa during the season."
snowwrestler 9y ago
Sadly, at least in the U.S. it is normal for many professional women to feel like they need to dye their hair. It is part of the general U.S. cultural bias toward youth in women, which is pretty obvious in popular media but also makes itself felt in the workforce. Grey hairs can start showing up as early as late 20s for some people. I work with a number of women over 35 and I'm having a hard time thinking of one with a single grey hair showing. For a few I'm friends with, I know that dyeing their hair feels like an important part of maintaining their professional appearance. Even Ginni Rommetty, CEO of IBM, probably dyes her hair. She has blonde hair without a strand of grey showing, which would be pretty extraordinary for someone who is 60.
- jessaustin 9y ago
  That's nothing compared to women who read the news, sports, etc. on TV, most of whom have to get breast implants. And yes, it is the older women with thicker torsos who have to do this to preserve their "feminine" appearance. Young women can often get by, just by being slim.
- 9889095r3jh 9y ago
  You're unfortunately correct. More people should be outraged at the expectations employers place on women to look "professional." It's enough that some employers mandate high heels and make up in their dress codes. Dying one's hair should be a personal choice, and no woman or man should feel required to do this for their employer. I hope this changes some day.
pm90 9y ago
While good in principle, we are human beings after all. There are many dimensions on which we judge each other, many of which aren't fair and/or accurate indicator of our true skills or abilities. We've managed to legislate against some of the more egregious dimensions, like age, race, national origin etc. but there will always be other dimensions. One of the important once is appearances, demeanor, posture etc. While those of us who know about these things take care not to place too much emphasis on these things, they're still used by most people, mostly subconsciously, in making hiring decisions.

ema 9y ago

I think the difference is that wearing a new suit and having a shaved face signals that one cares enough to make the effort to appear neat. Dying ones hear (with a natural color) however is a modification of one's appearance that one whishes to remain unnoticed. Not that I think looking neat is super important (my own appearance is just one step above "hobo") but it feels acceptable to me that some jobs require it because it correlates with other personality traits which are important like self-discipline and not being a "precious snowflake" for example.

gowld 9y ago
It correlates with traits like being a dependent conformist, which is generally good for employees you want to exploit.
itronitron 9y ago
if the dye job is noticeable then it just looks like the person is stuck in the past and will amplify the ageism. It should be easier for women to dye their hair well (so that it is not noticed as such) because a) women of all ages changes their hair color, b) they are willing to shell out the big bucks for a professional, and c) they are less likely to have graying facial hair :{>