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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to have blue hair as a doctor?

257 replies

WiIdfire · 16/10/2016 08:22

I got hidden rainbow hair while on maternity leave, and it was fab. When I went back to work, I dyed it back to a boring brown.

As a doctor, it's always been fairly accepted that you should dress conservatively, that it's not acceptable to have bright hair, visible tattoos, eccentric clothing etc. and I've always stuck to that. However, since going back, I've seen 6 other members of staff (non-doctors, but patient facing, nurses etc) with blue or vivid pink hair, it seems to becoming much more mainstream. My husbands non-medical colleagues were baffled that I would even consider going back to brown just to go back to work.

So, would I be unreasonable to have blue hair as a doctor? Is it socially acceptable yet?

...to have blue hair as a doctor?
OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
pieceofpurplesky · 16/10/2016 10:53

Your hair in the pic would be fine ( and is gorgeous) all over blue -no.

Imscarlet · 16/10/2016 10:56

You might have thought that my post was a pisstake but I think it is important to acknowledge that while it would be fine for some people, it wouldn't be fine for everyone. And that was the point of the OP

OhTheRoses · 16/10/2016 10:58

You see I just can't agree. I'd feel far more at home with the op who obviously cares about and invests in her appearance than with a scruffy dowdy GP who looks like she could do with a good was and a personal stylist.

I've dealt with two lady surgeons in the last twelve months, both were impeccably dressed, gorgeous shoes, really nice people who obviously loved clothes and good clothes at that. One about to retire, one about my age. It wouldn't have mattered if they had had blue hair.

Also dealt with a scruffy, tieless paed consultant who didn't listen, didn't know his own hospital's policies, was arrogant, didn't bother using my name and the most inappropriate factor of all was that I had to ask him to repeat almost every sentence two or three times because his English was so poor I could barely understand him. And I'm not sure he understood what I was saying properly either.

Blue hair wins hands down every time.

Evergreen17 · 16/10/2016 10:59

I will say do it.
I say this because my job is to engage young people with science and inspire them to be scientists.
As part of my role I make a point of scientist coming in all shapes and forms, moving away from the 50 year old white male in a lab coat.
So I would say do it.
I am not pro wearing lots of make up or things like that, because I work with young girls and I want them to see my natural face.
But nothing wrong with having a bit if fun with your hair if you are good at your job and professional.
This is my personal opinion

Nurszilla · 16/10/2016 10:59

Haven't read the thread but as a mental health nurse this would not bother me. The majority of my colleagues (RMN's, OT's, SHO's, HCA's and consultants) are considered "alternative", with plenty of tattoos, piercings, beards and brightly coloured hair. So maybe it would depend on what field you work in?

I think I'd like my GP even more if she had secret rainbow hair, but I'd never feel negative about what anyone decided to do with their own body. However I'm quite young, and without meaning to sound ageist I can imagine that some older generations may find issues with such things.

megletthesecond · 16/10/2016 11:01

It wouldn't bother me. As long as you were professional, a good communicator, listener and washed your hands I'd not bat an eyelid.

NoahVale · 16/10/2016 11:01

op, show us a picture of it as you would wear it at work? i.e tied up?

if you like of course Wink

NoahVale · 16/10/2016 11:02

because you say it is hidden rainbow but later on do say it wont be hidden when up.

perhaps you could try it and see what your senior consultants reactions are?

shovetheholly · 16/10/2016 11:03

It wouldn't bother me in the slightest (I'd just probably think you were really cool).

I think your hair in the picture is actually far more subtle than your thread title suggests! It looks great.

KindergartenKop · 16/10/2016 11:04

A primary school local to us has a head teacher with blue hair. She's very professional!

Jaxhog · 16/10/2016 11:05

I wouldn't mind. Much better than Tattoos to my mind. And definitely better than random piercings. It looks so unhygenic.

gallicgirl · 16/10/2016 11:05

I think it's sad that people are still judged by their appearance rather than their abilities.

At what point are we going to start looking beyond people's clothes and accord them the merit their behaviour and experience deserves? I appreciate that certain professions should dress neatly and doctors need to look clean and tidy but I don't think hair style matters in the slightest, I'd prefer clean blue hair to greasy brown hair any day of the week.

OhTheRoses · 16/10/2016 11:08

chewingthecrud. The starting point of trust is treating the patient as your equal. The next is about professional competence, communication generally and kindness. I'm also going to throw cleanliness in there because frankly I'm sick and tired of dealing with hcp's at all levels who look as though they could do with a good wash. Clean rainbow hair wins hands down imo compared to hair that needed washing yesterday.

I'd be happy with the op, the other factors are far more important. Am closer to 60 than 50 and very conservative.

LikeDylanInTheMovies · 16/10/2016 11:10

I can't see the problem, the effect is fairly subtle. Whatever you do there'll be some small minded busybody who doesn't like it. Should women doctors be prevented from wearing trousers or having pierced ears because some fuddy duddies object? Believe it or not some people still do.

Amax6 · 16/10/2016 11:13

Sadly I think if your asking the question you probably already know that some patients will it be comfortable. I personally wouldn't care I have had my gp for over twenty years and I don't think I ever really noticed her style other than maybe to think nice skirt once or twice , to me she does her job fantastically and that out ways what her style is , but I am non judgemental and ( if it didn't mean sitting in a salon for ages having my dark brown hair bleached ) wouldn't mind having rainbow hair myself.

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 16/10/2016 11:13

Your hair is beautiful. It wouldn't bother me a jot.
Could you perhaps tie it back, to minimise effect, at work.

CauliflowerSqueeze · 16/10/2016 11:16

There is a GP at my local surgery who dresses in fluorescent stilettos, fishnet tights, multicoloured clothes and whose hair colour changes every time I see her. She has bright lipstick and eyeshadow, huge false eyelashes and co-ordinating bright nail polish. She's probably late 40s early 50s.

The first time I walked into her surgery I was pretty shocked. She looked like "pretty woman's" madam. However she is a fantastic doctor and I enjoy seeing her latest look!

OhTheRoses · 16/10/2016 11:21

Let's take this a step further. If the op were transgender and returned from a period of absence having transitioned and seeing the same patients would that be unprofessional? Would superiors judge, would HR be involved? Would there be uproar with patient complaints being taken seriously? I hope not because under the Equality Act such responses would be discriminatory and illegal.

The NHS has embraced e&d so much, spent so much on it, every subgroup except ordinary folk has an inclusion policy and money spent on additional research.

.......and yet fabulous blue hair??????? Beggars belief really.

BishopBrennansArse · 16/10/2016 11:22

I'd think it's great (have turquoise hair myself).
Keep up with the maintenance though, nothing looks worse than washed out brights.

theXfactor · 16/10/2016 11:28

Lots and lots of posters asking for a photo of it tied up "as it would be for work".

Are GPs with long hair supposed to tie their hair back?

I've never seen that before. Confused

RaspberryOverloadTheFirst · 16/10/2016 11:31

Having blue (or any other colour) hair doesn't affect your work IMO, it absolutely wouldn't bother me.

nokidshere · 16/10/2016 11:35

I love the rainbow hair trend and would love to do something similar but fear I am too old or too conservative Grin

I have spent my life at various doctors and hospitals on a regular basis and can honestly say I have no idea what colour hair my doctors have, or whether they have tattoos or piercings. It wouldn't bother me at all.

sagethyme · 16/10/2016 11:36

Just seen your up-date, was going to say if you worked in Peads, then I think it would be cool and the kiddies would love it, But in any other area, I don't think it would be acceptable. Sorry OP it looks great but i can't see it going down well in other departments.

Sallystyle · 16/10/2016 11:38

I am only a HCA in a hospital but I have seen so many posts where people are saying the elderly won't trust someone with that hair and I think for the most part that is bullshit.

I have visible tattoos, some quite large and I have had so many elderly patients compliment them and want to talk about them. I am not making medical decisions but I'm doing all the personal care and many of them feel vulnerable and need to trust me to a certain extent. My tattoos haven't been an issue and like I said, so many elderly patients actually like them and seem to trust me regardless of what image I might have.

Paramedics in my hospital are well known to be heavily tattooed and many have bright coloured hair. The elderly seem to trust them.

TeachingPostQuery · 16/10/2016 11:39

I love your hair, and wish I could carry it off myself. It wouldn't bother me if you were my doctor, and indeed I'd probably find it refreshing that your department allowed it.

However. DFIL has recently been ill, and DMIL has really struggled with it, understandably. She took an instant like or dislike to each doctor they met, and found it much harder to accept what the ones she disliked were saying, even when it was positive! I know she would be distracted by that hair, and wouldn't trust you or your professional judgement. She would be in the wrong of course, and we would all try and persuade her otherwise, but deep down she would find it jarring. Where you stand on that and whether it affects your decision is up to you, I think.

I don't know anything about hidden rainbow hair - is it the bottom layer of hair that's dyed? Would it be possible to dye hair in the middle instead, so that most of the dyed parts were hidden when it was tied up?