Over the years, women have been judged on all manner of aspects of their appearance. Overall body size, the size of various different body parts, the length, color, thickness and style of their hair… the list goes woefully on. This International Women’s Day, could it be time to challenge these judgements?
Let’s start with one that we all have the power to change in ourselves: the hair color assumptions that are made in the workplace.
What Might People Assume, Based On Your Hair Color?
According to Psychology Today, some of the most common hair color assumptions are that redheads have fiery tempers, while blondes are dumb and brunettes are intelligent. And almost all of these assumptions relate to women. It’s hardly good news if you’re a blonde woman looking to be taken seriously in the workplace.
While there is certainly an increased awareness these days of how harmful such assumptions can be, many are still too deeply ingrained in our society. After all, large scale change takes time and not every individual is willing to analyze and challenge their own views of the world on a regular basis in order to try and make the world a better place.
Time To Brighten Things Up
This International Women’s Day, shall we turn things on their head? According to a survey by All Things Hair, 65% of people view their hair color as a form of self-expression that represents their personality. As such, it’s time to throw out the old stereotypes and introduce some new color to the workplace.
What color would your hair be if it truly represented your personality? Would you stick with the traditionally accepted colors of the workplace or would you go for something more exciting? Everything from rainbow hair to mermaid tresses is achievable these days and many modern hair colors will be kind to the hair’s condition, as well as coloring it beautifully. Why not sport the hair color of your choice on 8th March in support of the International Women’s Day goal to #BreakTheBias?
Forging Inclusive Work Cultures
One of the official missions of International Women’s Day 2022 is to forge inclusive work cultures where women’s careers thrive and their achievements are celebrated. As part of this, a range of themes and discussions are being pursued, from redefining what it means to be professional to tackling the ways in which menopausal women can be overlooked in the workplace.
There’s a huge amount of work to be undertaken when it comes to achieving equality in the workplace. Even in most nominally developed countries, women earn less than their male colleagues when in comparable roles. There are fewer female leaders in management positions and sitting in boardrooms.
Changing the way we think about hair color won’t change this situation overnight. However, it is at least a small step in the right direction and one that it is in the power of every individual to achieve, in support of the invaluable role that women undertake in the workplace.
