Hairstyles for Business Women

Business woman with long hair and bangs
Photo: Stocklite/Canva
Presenting a Professional Profile: Hairstyle Tips for Business Women
 
Many young women today focus a great deal of attention on their appearance. They will spend hours getting their hair cut, colored, curled, straightened, and performing myriad other tasks all in the name of looking good.
 
Yet, surprisingly, many people do not take their jobs into consideration when choosing hairstyle options. In reality, your hairstyle can give an employer (or a potential employer) a greater impression of you than you may think. This may not be the impression you want to give.
 
Common Hairstyles and their Impressions
 
We will look at some of the categories of hairstyles and the general impressions they give in the workplace. Particularly when combined with different fashion looks, these styles can present unfavorable impressions.
 
Big Hair
 
The Big Hair look gets its name from the rural pageant circuit, where most contestants of any age have their hair curled and styled to have as much volume as possible. Such hairstyles may include the use of hairpieces and other accessories and always take a considerable amount of time. Of course, this isn't always "pageant hair". The "Big Hair" type includes any hairstyle that looks to take a great deal of effort to achieve.
 
Big hairstyles usually fall into two groups: those that are maintained and created on a daily basis, and those that are created and then reworked on subsequent days until they need to be redone.
 
Impressions:
 
The general impression created by the "Big Hair" look depends on which of the two groups an individual falls into. The impression of a Big Hair style that is recreated daily is of someone who takes a lot of time focusing on their appearance. It may give the impression that you are more concerned with your appearance than with performing your job well.
 
Big hair look for business women
Photo: Depositphotos
On the other hand, the "reworked" Big Hair style can present a more significant negative. When your appearance deteriorates day after day until you decide to make an effort to restore it, you leave an employer wondering if you can present a consistently good impression to clients. No employer wants to have to consider what state an employee's hair will be in when planning meetings.
 
Even when not dealing with clients, the big hairstyles can have a negative impact on the way you are perceived. When it is obvious that you spend a great deal of time on your hair each day, any time that you are late for work yet still appear groomed normally gives the impression that you did not manage your time wisely.
 
And the style that isn't maintained daily can have an effect on how your coworkers feel about working with you. How comfortable would you be in working closely with someone whose appearance deteriorates day by day?
 
I used to work in a small shop where the manager was an older woman who followed the traditions of her generation and went to the beauty salon once a week to have her hair done. She wore a beehive style that featured a Lucille Ball-red rinse. She looked wonderful every Wednesday after her appointment, but on the Mondays and Tuesdays before her beauty salon day, she looked completely unkempt. Customers would comment on her appearance, and they would actually try to time their visits for the day after she had gone to the salon, instead of the days when she looked her worst.
 
Super Trendy
 
The "Super Trendy" looks are the ones that follow the most current hairstyles in fashion and entertainment magazines or the iconic styles of a particular group. These looks can include a wide range of styles, from severe, angled bobs, to super-short, spiky cuts and even dramatic color techniques.
 
The key characteristic of these looks is that they are usually changing. As soon as the next big look arrives, the 'Super Trendy' individual will change their hair to match the new look, whether that means a whole new cut, a bold new color, or the latest technique.
 
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