In Working Girl, when Tess famously lops off her below-the-shoulder tresses for a chin-length bob, she proclaims with resolve, "You wanna be taken seriously, you need serious hair." The notion hasn't changed much since the box-office hit first debuted in 1988. "Hairstyle and hair color may not be accurate indicators of personality, but society's stereotypes can sometimes influence how various styles and colors are perceived," says Erin Bogart, colorist at Sally Hershberger Downtown New York. And in the professional world, where first impressions are everything, your hairstyle can easily work for—or against—your chance of success.
"Though policies on what hairstyles are acceptable in the workplace have loosened, hair can still signify certain levels of professionalism," says Midge Wilson, PhD, professor of psychology at DePaul University.
The question is what sort of messages are your tresses sending? Is your hair helping you rise to the top—or holding you back?
BLOND VS. BRUNETTE
Experts agree that blonds tend to be seen as more fun than brunettes. "Of course they have more fun," says L'Oréal Professionnel INOA colorist Jonathan Gale. "They're radiating light everywhere and beaming energy."
And dumb-blond jokes still have a way of creeping into conversation—just ask Amber Porter, a Web editor who has highlighted her self-described "dirty dishwater" strands for nearly half her life: "People make a lot of comments, from `Oh, you are a blond' when I say or do something silly, to giving me a nickname like Blondie during business meetings."
But now there's evidence that blonds are beginning to get a more serious rep. While a 2002 survey by Clairol revealed that of the 1,000-plus women interviewed, 76 percent believed the first female president of the United States would be a brunette, a similar survey by Clairol in 2008 yielded split results between a brunette and a blond. "Today blond women are the new brunettes, and they have Hillary Clinton to thank for that," says Franco Della Grazia, senior stylist at Cutler Salon in NYC. "She's a powerful woman, telling it like it is, sitting down with heads of state from all over the world. I don't know how much fun she's having, but she's being taken seriously."
Interestingly, if you're in a creative or artsy field, says Wilson, it could be to your advantage to go either superblond (think Agyness Deyn's platinum phase) or superdark (note Nicole Richie's deep brown locks), rather than choosing an au naturel hue, which tends to send a neutral message. "While a natural-looking color fits in better at more conservative offices, bold color can be an asset in the creative workplace," says Bogart.
Blond or brunette, a strong statement that doesn't bode well is grown-out color. "If you attend an interview and your roots are blatantly showing, you will not be called back for a second interview," says Della Grazia.
REDHEADS
The majority of women surveyed by Clairol in 2008 said that if they could change their hair color for a day, they'd go red—and it's no wonder: "If you look at the major fashion campaigns this season, you'll see that the hottest color is red," says Della Grazia, who cites Tom Ford's leading lady and current Bulgari spokesmodel Julianne Moore, an actress whose auburn locks are coveted the world over.
In the workplace, those with Moore's fiery hair color are seen as "strong, passionate, and goal-oriented individuals who get the job done," says Bogart.
Tapping into this strong, passionate presence is exactly what Lili* was going for when she made the transition from brunette to redhead last October after being laid off from her job in the ad sales department of a publishing company. "I was a redhead for a time in college, my so-called glory days," says Lili. "On some level, I wanted to reconnect with that person because I was never more self-aware and confident than I was during those years. I'd lost sight of myself when I was in sales. I felt out of place and as if I was playing a part. Going back to red was just one step in rediscovering the artistic, adventurous me—someone who's willing to fight for what she wants."
SHORT HAIR VS. LONG HAIR
Like Lili, ELLE's own Johanna Cox made a dramatic hairstyle change in the hopes of forging a fresh start. Referring to her decision to get a close-cut pixie as "heartbreak-related," Cox says her inspiration came from a photo of a short-haired model she saw on TheSartorialist.com: "I printed it out and chopped at least 12 inches that afternoon." Of course, sporting such a noticeably short do garnered some strong responses from coworkers.
"I cut it when I was working in defense in Washington, D.C., and the male reaction was pretty chilly," says Cox. "There were maybe one or two male law-enforcement agents who were complimentary and said they preferred short hair, but the rest were openly perplexed. I found the majority of men preferred women to appear traditionally feminine, and they didn't get and certainly weren't drawn to any androgynous bent—be it hair or dress or whatever."
"A lot of men in the workplace make assumptions about a woman's sexual orientation based on the length of her hair," acknowledges Wilson, who says that fellow female employees tend to be more embracing.
"All the women I worked with liked it—every single one," says Cox. "Even those who couldn't bear to cut their own hair an inch totally supported my decision to go short."
While Cox's decision to go short was fueled by the desire for a fresh start, stylist James Vides of Sally Hershberger Downtown New York adds that there's also an implied confidence about a women who wears a shorter cut. "It always seems that in a group, it's the girl with short hair who comes off as the most confident, youthful, fun, and flirty," says Vides. "It takes a lot of self-assurance to pull off a short hairstyle, but as long as you love it, you can rock it."
For her part, Cox is rocking it—two and a half years later, the breakup-induced pixie remains. "I've woken up every morning really liking the way my hair looks with my face, my makeup, and my clothing," she says. "I never felt that kind of confidence with medium or long hair."
But just as Cox is most comfortable with short hair, there are those who feel their best with longer hair.
Regardless of length, Wilson says the key is giving the impression that your hair is low-maintenance: "Short and manageable or, if it's long, pulled back into a chignon or low ponytail—so that you're not shaking it out of your eyes, tucking it behind your ear, and wrapping your finger around it," she says. "These kinds of things can be very distracting and can send the message that you aren't task-focused."
Della Grazia agrees: "A woman who turns up for a corporate job interview with long, superstyled hair will be perceived as high-maintenance. And, unfortunately, a woman who labors over her hairstyle and appearance will be seen as someone who might spend too much time on herself—and not enough on her work."
