Out of curiosity, what color is "hair-colored"? I am not being snarky, I am actually seriously wondering.

I would be pretty upset if I so much as even felt that I needed to change my appearance in order to be a competitive applicant/interviewee, and to be honest I am not sure what I would do if I thought that was necessary. Probably cry. Depending on my circumstances I might feel as if not doing so would significantly hurt me; for example, if not getting hired would mean not getting a job that pays money I need.

In your situation, I doubt cutting your hair will make one bit of difference. I'm not at all trying to imply that hiring committees for LGBT organizations or other public interest orgs don't profile their interviewees, but it's [and you probably already know this, judging by your post] not the same game as it is in the really "elite" firms. If you think having short hair will help your chances, even if they are profiling you, I doubt that will matter. Much to my annoyance, a lot of LGBT groups, orgs, etc, have adopted this strategy that putting "normalized" individuals at the forefront of their campaigns will help them somehow. If that is the case, having the more "feminine" long hair would give you an edge.

It's not worth it. Really. Changing your hair is part of your physical BODY. Theoretically you can change it back, but you can't put it on and take it off the way you could an addition to your physical body, such as clothing. To me, anyways, that is very different.

I don't think dressing a certain way is akin to dying and cutting your hair. Dressing is fitting societal norms in terms of formality, whereas cutting your hair and changing the color is fitting standards of physical appearance.

I don't think it's fair to blame anyone for it, though. You've earned the right to be considered on an equal ground and if being blonde and having long hair will affect that, then definitely do it! It's sad that we live in a world that sees a blonde with long hair (or a man with long hair) and doesn't take her as seriously, but that's how things work and sometimes we have to let our idealism slide for realism.

I have dark brown hair down to my butt. I love long hair on women and men. If the only reason you'd cut your hair is to appear more appealing to the people who are interviewing you, and not because you yourself want short hair, I would say don't do it.

I am a little confused from your post, as well. Are you contemplating the cut because you would appear more professional or because you would appear more... for lack of a better way to put it... butch, and therefore more desirable to groups that advocate for LGBTQ rights?

See, I wear my hair up all the time. I rarely go out in public with it down. I know a lot of updos. Most of them are not difficult at all and only take a couple of minutes to do. So, if this is a professionalism thing, there are plenty of sleek, professional updos that you can learn, and it's not like going to a salon and spending a hundred years while they bobby pin and hairspray you to death.

Um, if you'd like more info on long hair care and styling, let me know and I can give you a really great link. :)

LlesbianLlama (I love your handle, by the way!) - "hair colored hair" is a dark blondish brown that doesn't really kowtow to any other descriptors. HTH!

That should read "is dark blondish/brownish," not "blondish brown." *doh* I was paying more attention to how much I liked your username than to what I was actually typing. :P

Hi there :] Hope I can help a little bit- I'm a hairdresser after all.

I've had this conversation with several of my clients before.

From my personal experience, it doesn't matter what *color* your hair is, as long as you have a cut and style that works with it. By cut, I'm not saying go short or anything like that. Whatever *you* want is what you should get. But make sure it's a clean cut. Even if you want it long with your natural wave, make sure you don't have dead, split ends on it. It looks bad on anyone, no matter what they're doing, from going to the mall or interviewing. Other than that, style it however you want. People realize that hair is hair. As long as you don't "slop it up" into a ponytail every day, you should be fine. (If you do wear a ponytail though, make sure it's frizz-free, aesthetically pleasing, and not too tight, which will break your hair.)

I know it's not really much of a feminist response, not what you were looking for anyway. But really, a good haircut makes a difference for EVERYONE, man and woman alike.

Thanks nightengale! And thanks for clarifying "hair colored" hair. I am not in the know about these things.

As a soon-to-be law student [hopefully in 2009], law and hair is one of my pet issues, and has been ever since I studied gender and law in an undergraduate course. There was a whole section dedicated to women's appearance and its impact on treatment [read: discrimination] of women in the legal field. It made me so sad, because it's as if women can't ever be good enough. Very common incidents included hairstyles that were either mandated or "suggested": hair that was specifically NOT long, as it was apparently seen as overly sexual, specifically NOT short, as that is considered too harsh and "masculine," and hairstyles common in certain racial groups, such as cornrows or afros were outright forbidden.

Given that stuff, I wonder if there is anything you can do that would please the "top firm" people. It boils my blood. In your case, though, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt and simply go as you are.

I think as long as it looks neat and professional it is fine. I stressed way too much over this. My lack of permanent employment out of law school had to do with the state of the economy and the fact that there are people out there with better resumes than mine. Period.

A student I know went to work in a large Philadelphia firm - and she has dreadlocks. Neat and professional.

Hair does matter. There's no good reason it should, but among men and perhaps especially in high profile companies (like law firms) blonde hair is a sign of breeziness, a vapid personality, and unseriousness.

There's a reason I dyed my white-blonde hair brown and later on black. I got sick of being treated like a cheap prostitute, and whaddayaknow, when suddenly my hair colour was dark, it didn't matter what I wore, the opening line would no longer be "My place or yours?" but rather an intelligent attempt at striking up a conversation.

The first time I dyed my hair, I was so shocked at the effect it had on how I was treated. I didn't want to believe it. But after several times going back and forth between blonde and darker colours, I have to say that it's been confirmed: A lot of people and especially men buy into the myth about blonde = stupid and cheap, brunettes = smart and sophisticated.

I've completely ruined my thin hair with all the dye and length I kept it. So now I'm back to being blonde, but now I keep it short cropped as that also seems to take away from the blonde bombshell stereotype. The blonde myth only seems to count if the hair is long.

It doesn't make sense to me, but those are my experiences. I wouldn't ever change my looks for a job interview. When I did it, I did it to avoid 70% of the street harassment I get.

I have a question , slightly off topic... my bf has longish (almost shoulder-length) hair, and frankly, he rocks it. (His previous cut of choice was a military-style buzz, which combined with his unibrow gave him a rather... hardcore look.) What can a guy do with long hair, when it comes times for interviews? I think it's interesting that women have the option, long/short/long-worn-up, while he's probably going to be stuck getting a standard male 'do, until he lands a job. Or should he just keep it combed back and neat looking, and not care what anyone else thinks - same what I do with mine? (BTW - he's in engineering, not sure if that makes a difference.)

So, my take on hair and interviewing as someone two years out of law school. If your hair is very long, (i.e., waist-length, or even below the middle of your back) like mine, you really should wear it up for interviews/courtroom appearances. If you are going to wear your hair down, like the stylist upthread recommended, the cut should be good. I can't speak to hair color. Another thing you can do if you're worried about your hair is make sure that the rest of your outfit is very professional (not at all trendy) i.e., well cut classic black suit with a white blouse, sweater, or shell, I recommend against pink or trendy colors if you're worried about how you'll be perceived.

Of course, as an undergrad., the first legal job I got involved me finagling an interview, showing up in a light suit, pink sweater (that I'm wearing today, actually), white sandals, and w/my hair down. I wasn't interviewing for a lawyer position, but it was a non-profit which I think means they are more laid back with everyone.

Good luck.

Cordi,

Regarding your bf, I think it might depend on what part of what country you were in---in the bay area/silicon valley, neat long hair should be fine, I think. Not sure about the rest of the country or about other countries.

cordi, I'd recommend a simple ponytail at the nape of the neck for your bf.