How can i wear long hair to work

Hi Kir

Wear your hair with pride, sister!!!

You can check out the hairstyle galleries here at HairBoutique.com.

Also, this site has pics and instructions of updos/styles for mid to long length hair.
I particularly like the Braided Bun and the French Loop, however the basic and double buns are the easiest to do.
http://www.dressytresses.com/dwp/hairstyles.asp

Hope that helps.

I wish you all the best in your career and with maintaining your long hair.
The presence of longhairs in professional life will challenge the prejudices we all face at work - so I class people like yourself as Longhair Ambassadors.

Take care

Uzma

Good luck in your new job.
I am a nurse and have hair almost to classic length. I often wear a ponytail, a braid, a braided bun, regular bun, figure 8 bun, French twist and French twist pony. Any of these last 5 are updos and would look professional.
Do not cut your hair off and look like everyone else. Who knows, maybe you will become such a fine lawyer and your long hair will be your trademark!!!!! (The other side will see you come in the courtroom, see it's "that long haired lawyer" and run for the hills!!!!!lol)

SuperGrover wrote: My boss has long hair, and she's an assistant VP! She always looks professional and sophisticated.

Hey SuperGrover! I have long hair... I'm also an assistant VP... I always look professional at the office... maybe having long hair is a requirement to looking professional and holding positions of responsibility...?

I'm sad for Kir, but not suprised that she chose to cut her hair.

I've seen this happen too often in the UK.
Kir's colleagues will probably compliment her shorter hair and encourage her to cut it into a shorter and more stylised shape. If she re-grows it, she will be faced with scowls, snide remarks and patronising attitudes.

A classic case of group conformity and control vs individual self-determinism.

Having worked in 4 large corporations in mid-management/consultancy roles, I know the (not so secret) hair code.

The bias runs like this:-
Long hair is associated with traditional femininity which is aligned to a degraded status.
So (mostly) female cleaners have long hair, as do secretaries and administrators.
Mid-length to short hair for grad students and junior managers.
Middle and senior management wear it short and sharp. The women and men both in suits with short cuts - hardly different from each other. Corporate clones.

My friends and family in the professions (medics, accountants, barristers) face a lack of credibility if their hair is longer than jaw length.

Any expression of individuality in matters of chosen physical characteristics that are outside of current trends is subject to a range of responses from disapproval to punishment through the denial of opportunity and progress.

I wish Kir had made a different choice and stood firm in keeping her length. However, I totally understand her decision.

It is particularly difficult for minority/ethnic/non-white (pick your term) women to keep long hair as it has the association of cultural backwardness.

Those of us who are established in our careers need to break the back of these attitudes within the workplace and help destroy the myth that professionalism is in any way indicated by the length of hair. This belief is illogical, stupid and damaging.

Uzma

Good for you, Karrinne.
I admire your resolve to keep your hair long despite the pressure to conform.

The social and professional dictats that short hair is required/appropriate for corporate workers and post-menopausal women is a recent phenomena.

In Britain, prior to the 1920s arrival of the flapper, short-bob and flat-breasted look for women - long hair was the norm.
And you only have to walk through the National Gallery or Hampton Court to see that long-haired men were the norm for centuries. I knew I was born too late (sigh).

In a lot of eastern cultures, women wear long hair all their lives, although they too are increasingly under pressure to conform to short hair which is falsely correlated with modernity, progress, wealth and development.

Lets you and I and all the other longhairs and wannabe-longhairs make a pact to challenge these prejudices with our Shining Intellect and Big Smiles in the face of long hair hating frowns.

Boo to the hair haters!

Hail the Long Hair Liberation Front !!!

I think every woman who grows long hair past 45 deserves a medal and every man who does so regardless of age deserves a medal and a kiss.

Uzma
(rocking on her heels and LOL)

Good for you Karinne!! You wear that gorgeous hair proudly!
I am for Long Hair Liberation!!
So wierd to be saying that - I am hispanic so long hair was always expected, but lately (since I turned 35) it has been "why are you growing your hair long?" so I guess after 35 you are not supposed to have it long anymore. What is that about?

Oh yeah, the last office I worked in I was the only top level person with long hair - THE ONLY ONE!!m there were about 20 women in the office. I wore my hair in a low ponytail with a 4 inch thick strap (leather or fabric) Think horsetail wrap. Then I would put oil or gel on the rest of the length to keep it all together and it would just sit on my back. It was a great look and so easy.
Watch old episodes of Ally Mcbeal for lots of great hair ideas - Portia DeRossi had really long hair and wore it in the coolest styles.

take care.

jacqui

Karrinne, kudos to you for sticking with your wishes!

uzma wrote: In a lot of eastern cultures, women wear long hair all their lives, although they too are increasingly under pressure to conform to short hair which is falsely correlated with modernity, progress, wealth and development.

There may (or may not!) be a correlation, but I firmly believe there is NOT a cause-and-effect relationship. On the contrary, I would hypothesize that people are more truly happy (free of commercial inducement and from spoken and unspoken societal pressures) and productive when they feel free to choose voluntary aspects of their own appearance.

ets you and I and all the other longhairs and wannabe-longhairs make a pact to challenge these prejudices with our Shining Intellect and Big Smiles in the face of long hair hating frowns. Boo to the hair haters! Hail the Long Hair Liberation Front !!! I think every woman who grows long hair past 45 deserves a medal and every man who does so regardless of age deserves a medal and a kiss. Uzma (rocking on her heels and LOL)

LOL. I'm with you in spirit, Uzma.

Lady Maria wrote: Well I guess I could care less if women have long hair or not because I'm hetrosexual, so I don't care how women wear their hair .

That reminds me of something. (and p.s. the following is not directed at you personally, Maria)

There's a theory that (heterosexual) women primarily try to look good for other women, that male opinions are less important in that respect .
It's a well known fact women can be absolutely ruthless when it comes to another woman's appearance, way harsher than men.

Dave - So wonderfully well put. I so agree.

jacqui

Although I have "long" hair for corporate America (shoulder length and working toward another 3-4 inches longer....eventually...) I think there's another reason so many gals around me cut their hair short around birthday #30: I live in Michigan where summers are unbearably hot and winters cold and windy. Less hair is easier to deal with. Sure, some people say you have to style short hair for hours a day but everyone I've talked to at my office this week disagrees. They say they keep it short because they've got kids who would otherwise be yanking on it, they don't have time to work with it and it really is easier than long hair. I don't think it is entirely about conformity--there's an element of convenience in there. Personally I would love to try short hair someday just to experience it....but not now because I love having long hair!