• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Men with long hair still looked down upon?

The idea that your appearance should be restricted for any kind of job where your specific appearance isn't directly related to the job you're performing is ridiculous and anyone defending it is ridiculous.

Also lmao @ "you have to look good in retail" - I've seen some of the ugliest people in the world working retail. No one cares what your checkout cashier looks like as long as they are polite and efficient.
 
Part of the reason a lot of guys look bad with long hair is because they don't bother to really maintain or properly style it in a way that works for them. They think if they just grow their hair out long it'll automatically look good. Nope. I've grown out my hair a number of times and it's a pain in the ass every single time. It's really given me a whole new appreciation for what women have to go through in order to style long hair. It's hard as hell to get right, even more so if you're a man trying it out for the first time.
 
My only objection is that men seem to completely not know how to take care of longer locks.

Thank you Jared Leto for not being afraid to condition and curl and colour:
rexusa_1692116ae_a_p.jpg
 
FUME5 said:
I don't recall.
Click to expand...
It's an important distinction to make; if you have to shave your hair or wear it a certain manner for reasons that would actually impact your job performance, then you should absolutely adhere to the rules. But, if the excuse is to merely "look professional," then the meaning is ambiguous.
 
FUME5 said:
Huh? I'm speaking of the broad landscape of employer expectations, not my personal opinion.
Click to expand...
I'm talking about rules that either apply to everyone or certain groups. I have an issue with this particular rule about long hair because it only applies to men. Same thing with appearance rules that apply to women only. These rules should be either for everyone or no one.
 
it's a lot more accepted than it was 10-15 years ago. i remember when walking into a store with long hair caused a record screeching *brrrrppt* and the manager would tail you as if you were about to shoot up the place

perhaps because it's in vogue now (admittedly with the more acceptible "man bun" or some variation) but since i grew my hair out once i was assured job security i rarely get a second glance. i wouldn't go into a job interview looking how i do now but it's definitely not what it used to be
 
Jarrod38 said:
No. If I was a owner of a business and had people running the front I want someone with clean cut and clean shave or at least a well kept beard. Having clean employees versus dirty ones can hurt your business.
Click to expand...

Are you implying long haired people are dirty? I'm literally the cleanest person I know.
 
Loxley said:
Part of the reason a lot of guys look bad with long hair is because they don't bother to really maintain or properly style it in a way that works for them. They think if they just grow their hair out long it'll automatically look good. Nope. I've grown out my hair a number of times and it's a pain in the ass every single time. It's really given me a whole new appreciation for what women have to go through in order to style long hair. It's hard as hell to get right, even more so if you're a man trying it out for the first time.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's really hard to pull off long hair, whether you are a man or a woman. I just chopped my hair back to a chin-length bob, because to my surprise (even though I get the same bright idea to grow my hair out every couple of years), I do not have the time to properly style long hair every day and it looks terrible on me, because of that. Especially if you're talking about waist length hair, OP, it probably doesn't look that great...

But it's not something I would deny someone a job for, on a conscious level.
 
nkarafo said:
Universal for men only though?

Also, long hair on men is officially bad looking then, so it's a policy?
Click to expand...
Men and women have different requirements in what they are expected to look like. Women are expected to wear makeup for example. Like it or not, people make judgements based on how you look, and since long hair looks terrible on most men, it isn’t allowed for any man. Appearance matters.
Poor GRIMES said:
If the primary requirement is to "look professional" on the job, then you can absolutely accomplish that requirement regardless of other people's opinions on whether or not you look "professional" to them.

To elaborate:

When people say be "professional" the connotation is actually meant to be "hygienic." You can be hygienic regardless if people think of you as looking professional or not. Looking professional is an arbitrary excuse that bars certain types of people from entering certain types of industries.
Click to expand...
But looking professional to others is what looking professional actually means.
 
Timeaisis said:
Are you implying long haired people are dirty? I'm literally the cleanest person I know.
Click to expand...
No. Maybe I should have worded it better. If you were working for me and had long hair and a beard I don't care. Now if you start to neglect it then I would give you a choice shave or go home and wash it.
 
Yeah well, it depends how old the managers are.

It's a pendulum. It'll come back in fashion. It only died in like, 2009.
 
Guess Who said:
The idea that your appearance should be restricted for any kind of job where your specific appearance isn't directly related to the job you're performing is ridiculous and anyone defending it is ridiculous.

Also lmao @ "you have to look good in retail" - I've seen some of the ugliest people in the world working retail. No one cares what your checkout cashier looks like as long as they are polite and efficient.
Click to expand...

Come on man, don't equate being ugly with looking dirty, dirty looks ugly but not the other way around.

The problem is that what people consider dirty is -sometimes- cultural, it even changes with time, like beards. The case of the hair is interesting because it doesn't matter if is well kept, some people think long hair on men looks dirty just because, gonna admit guilty to this but in the case of women that have their hair until their ass, is a weird sight but for some reason i think is dirty, minds are weird.
 
jfkgoblue said:
Men and women have different requirements in what they are expected to look like. Women are expected to wear makeup for example. Like it or not, people make judgements based on how you look, and since long hair looks terrible on most men, it isn't allowed for any man. Appearance matters.

But looking professional to others is what looking professional actually means.
Click to expand...
The concept of aesthetic professionalism is dubious. The template of a "professional-looking" businessperson is something mandated by the dominant power structures, and it is continually evolving based on which industries are dominating the economy.

Beards and casual business wear for men started to trend and become more acceptable when the tech industry began to dominate, for example. Traditionally PoC hairstyles are demonized in hiring as well if you want an instance of the dominant demographic policing and obstructing certain types of people from entering certain fields.

Further, if you're basing job performance based on appearance alone, then that is unfortunate. With that logic, when you base job performance on an employee's appearance rather than their output, then you'd find most people jobless because most people don't meet the idealized standard of what a businessperson should look like.
 
Poor GRIMES said:
The concept of aesthetic professionalism is dubious. The template of a "professional-looking" businessperson is something mandated by the dominant power structures, and it is continually evolving based on which industries are dominating the economy.

Beards and casual business wear for men started to trend and become more acceptable when the tech industry began to dominate.

Further, if you're basing job performance based on appearance alone, then that is unfortunate. With that logic, when you base job performance on an employee's appearance rather than their output, then you'd find most people jobless because most people don't meet the idealized standard of what a businessperson should look like.
Click to expand...
There’s still a reason that long hair didn’t come with beards and business casual.
 
jfkgoblue said:
There's still a reason that long hair didn't come with beards and business casual.
Click to expand...
The reasoning for that is simple. If you agree with the notion that old men dominate positions of power, then you would find most of those men are struggling to find a hairline. Thus, long hair didn't come with beards and business casual in the rise of the tech industry.
 
Problem is a lot of peeps just dont take care of their hair properly so they just wanna avoid dealing with it altogether. Sucks, but it makes sense IMO.
 
I'd cut my hair, but not because of the job.

It's just a pain in the ass to take care of and short hair just looks better.

#shorthair4lyfe
 
Poor GRIMES said:
The reasoning for that is simple. If you agree with the notion that old men dominate positions of power, then you would find most of those men are struggling to find a hairline. Thus, long hair didn't come with beards and business casual in the rise of the tech industry.
Click to expand...
Yep old men going bald is the reason.... lol
 
Does he look like chuck schuldiner? Cause if not the long haired metalhead look is going to be difficult to pull off.

That being said he shouldn't denied a job.
 
jfkgoblue said:
Yep old men going bald is the reason.... lol
Click to expand...
I don't see why you're handwaving that off as a major contributing factor as to why the standard hasn't changed though. Why bother redefining traditional standards of "looking professional" when you're most likely going bald or already there, to begin with?
 
Depends on the job, my hair is down to my butt right now and I cut off 12 inches tomorrow for locks of love like I have been doing every two years for a while now and it is still damn long after that. I'd imagine it would be hard to win an interview with super long hair like mine, even at metal shows I have long hair compared to others.
 
Poor GRIMES said:
I don't see why you're handwaving that off as a major contributing factor as to why the standard hasn't changed though. Why bother redefining traditional standards of "looking professional" when you're most likely going bald or already there, to begin with?
Click to expand...
Because it’s ridiculous, and I have already gone over the actual reasons.
 
TheTylerRob said:
Long hair implies you care more about your hair than looking professional. Also you look like a goob.
Click to expand...

Damn some of these posts are sad. If people on neogaf feel this way, I can only imagine what the general population thinks.

If I applied to a job and was told I would only get it if I cut my hair, I would sue and I think I would win.
 
ghostofsparta said:
Damn some of these posts are sad. If people on neogaf feel this way, I can only imagine what the general population thinks.

If I applied to a job and was told I would only get it if I cut my hair, I would sue and I think I would win.
Click to expand...
No you wouldn’t, long hair isn’t covered by discrimination laws.
 
I dont think so at all, but if you're interviewing for a job pull it back and keep it clean. Basically style it like any guy would with short hair, don't go into an interview looking like the lead singer of a metal band. Unless you're interviewing for the lead singer spot in a metal band.
 
Acorn said:
I refuse to believe you honestly think hair length is the legal equivalent of racisim or sexism.
Click to expand...
Hair length alone is not, but, when you take into account that it's part of a history of policing PoC styles of hair then you can certainly make a case for it if you're a PoC. These types of fingerwagging "look professional" policies specifically target PoC and those that lie outside of the gender binary as well.
 
Loxley said:
Part of the reason a lot of guys look bad with long hair is because they don't bother to really maintain or properly style it in a way that works for them. They think if they just grow their hair out long it'll automatically look good. Nope. I've grown out my hair a number of times and it's a pain in the ass every single time. It's really given me a whole new appreciation for what women have to go through in order to style long hair. It's hard as hell to get right, even more so if you're a man trying it out for the first time.
Click to expand...
This right here so damn much.

Men can look quite great with long hair. Long hair is not the problem. This problem is the way many men go about long hair, or rather, lack thereof.
 
Poor GRIMES said:
Hair length alone is not, but, when you take into account that it's part of a history of policing PoC styles of hair then you can certainly make a case for it if you're a PoC. These types of fingerwagging "look professional" policies specifically target PoC and those that lie outside of the gender binary as well.
Click to expand...
That's called racisim.
 
Guess Who said:
The idea that your appearance should be restricted for any kind of job where your specific appearance isn't directly related to the job you're performing is ridiculous and anyone defending it is ridiculous.
Click to expand...

fb10435f42735468aea2690184453dd9.jpg
Click to expand...

Eh, you're telling me that this guy walking in and saying...

"Hi, I'm Dr. Smith and I'll be performing your surgery today"

wouldn't give a you a little pause?
 
If they are talking about haircuts at a job interview either they have someone else in mind for the position or a trained monkey with a haircut could do the job.
 
I think that fit men with long hair are the absolute best a men can look.

I know this buff Turkish guy from my gym who has this straight, native American style, hair. He once let it grow shoulder length and it looked absolutely amazing. Dude was 40+ years old already at that time and it made him look like a fucking model (which he used to be in his youth I think).

I loved his look so much that it inspired me to grow my hair as well. 2 years later, mine is much longer than that guy had it and I don't think I'll ever cut them short again. Not once did anyone mock me because of the hair but I only got compliments so far - and I don't think it would have any impact on my job as there is much more to ones appearance than hair.

Downside to all of this is that washing long hair is a royal pain in the ass. Lucky for me I barely sweat and can easily come by with only washing them once a week without them getting smelly or greasy.
 
v0yce said:
Eh, you're telling me that this guy walking in and saying...

"Hi, I'm Dr. Smith and I'll be performing your surgery today"

wouldn't give a you a little pause?
Click to expand...

I have more problem with the facial hair here. He has to wear a mask. The hair can be tied or worn in a bun durring the procedure. I’d expect a female doc would do the same.
 
v0yce said:
Eh, you're telling me that this guy walking in and saying...

"Hi, I'm Dr. Smith and I'll be performing your surgery today"

wouldn't give a you a little pause?
Click to expand...

When I was a kid my pediatrician was a hippieish dude with long hair in a ponytail and a goatee. He was awesome. Though pediatricians are probably held to different standards than surgeons.
 
I doubt someone with metal head length hair is getting hired in most places. Fair or not, it reflects negatively on the persons frame of mind.

Now if you come into an interview looking like this guy, you're probably okay.

kit-harington-jon-hamm_612x380_0.jpg
 
The prejudice against men with long hair is irrational, unfair, and pathetically conservative. Fortunately, in some fields it's perfectly acceptable, and people like my boyfriend never had trouble getting a job in tech, but as this thread shows, society still has a long way to go.

FUME5 said:
Does he want the job or not?

Grimy metalhead hair huh? I can see why the told him he'd have to cut it.
Click to expand...
Jarrod38 said:
No. If I was a owner of a business and had people running the front I want someone with clean cut and clean shave or at least a well kept beard. Having clean employees versus dirty ones can hurt your business.
Click to expand...
Jarrod38 said:
No. Maybe I should have worded it better. If you were working for me and had long hair and a beard I don't care. Now if you start to neglect it then I would give you a choice shave or go home and wash it.
Click to expand...
These posts are disgusting. Why do you assume metalheads/long-haired men have dirty hair? Do you assume the same about women with long hair?

Goldfishking said:
What? It doesn't have anything to do with gender
Click to expand...
kirblar said:
That length of hair would probably be an issue for many women as well.
Click to expand...
LOL what is this horseshit. Women don't get jobs refused for having long hair the way men do. What a blatantly false statement.

Poor GRIMES said:
This thread and its replies are informed by conservative, traditionalist mentalities. Your hairstyle should not dictate whether or not you get hired, period.
Click to expand...
Thank you.

Rentahamster said:
Long haired men are sexy as fuck.
Click to expand...
True. <3

BobLoblaw said:
The Jesus look wouldn't really work for me either. Beard life is fine, but the long hair? Nah. I've never turned anyone down for a position on my team because of their appearance, but things like long hair and neck tats would probably warrant it.
Click to expand...
...Why

TheTylerRob said:
Long hair implies you care more about your hair than looking professional. Also you look like a goob.
Click to expand...
Do you feel the same way about women? If not, why?

v0yce said:
Eh, you're telling me that this guy walking in and saying...

"Hi, I'm Dr. Smith and I'll be performing your surgery today"

wouldn't give a you a little pause?
Click to expand...
If I were single I'd let that dude do alllll kinds of surgery on me
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

YouTube Down?
10
2K
AJUMP23 replied
The Ending to the "Long Good Friday" is a classic
13
370
Queso de Grande replied
ET The Extra Terrestrial is still a masterpiece
20
348
GateofD replied
Erika Christensen is still fine
26
785
Yoshi97 replied
Digg shuts down, claims decision was due to bots
31
561
StreetsofBeige replied
Top Bottom