Blue hair

[Myleftfoot39]

I know a lot of people mid forties dyeing their hair blue or pink, I don’t get it. Why? It looks awful growing out and their natural colour is better.

I do find it very weird that the OP thinks brightly coloured hair is attention seeking. I think one of the reasons why it's more common now for people in their forties is simply that we started doing it at teenagers and haven't stopped. I'd get far more attention now if I died it back to my original colour.
In fact, last time I had it done I needed a darker base colour, so my hairdresser took my lightened hair to an in between stage of mousy brown (my natural colour) I snapped a photo and sent it to a couple of friends pretending I was going natural after lockdown. Had a few politely encouraging comments but the reality is my natural hair colour makes me look quite washed out and it really isn't flattering at all!

I'm nearly 60. I have had brightly coloured hair for years. It's currently a pink buzz cut.
No, it's never been for attention - I just like it, that's all.
I'm just a human being with different hair to you, that's all, and I'd never judge you.

I have blue/turquoise hair, OK so I'm 25 but I'll actively encourage anyone of any age to dye their hair whatever colour they damn well like.

I work in a professional role and I always get compliments on both my hair and my ability to do my job.

I can't believe there are still people who think hair colour has any bearing on how professional a person is. Have my first .

@Myleftfoot39

I wouldn’t say I’m bigoted or feel superior I just think that having blue hair in a professional capacity is not something I see as right.

In fact, I don’t know many professionals with blue hair.

Well it’s a good job it’s not up to you then isn’t it?

@Myleftfoot39

If it was your GP, solicitor, etc with blue/purple hair. How would you feel?

I'd feel that they were not likely to be stuffy and old fashioned. I also would not care as the colour of their hair has no effect on their ability to do their job competently.

I'm off to buy some purple hair dye now as I feel obliged to rebel against societal expectations of a fifty-something SAHP.

So basically anyone with bright coloured hair they must be incompetent? Your a judgemental twat!

There is a local woman with really bright magenta hair. I don’t know whether it’s a wig or her own dyed hair because it always looks so bright and rich and pink is notoriously difficult to keep. Anyway, she looks amazing, it really suits her.

I the non-natural coloured dyes can really ‘wear’ the person they’re on sometimes and look a bit try hard or sometimes can feel a bit midlife crisis-esque but some people can really pull it off. I’m not being ageist or looks-ist here, I think it’s down to choosing the right colour, right cut and having the whole ‘look’ and confidence to go with it.

@Myleftfoot39

If it was your GP, solicitor, etc with blue/purple hair. How would you feel?

My (50ish) GP has purple hair. Hair colour is probably the very last thing I'd consider when deciding how good someone is at their job. She is an excellent GP and she looks fantastic, incidentally.

(I'm 49 with dyed jet black hair and absolutely no plans to go natural)

I’ve never done it because my hair can’t handle the serious bleaching that’s required beforehand.

If my solicitor, GP etc. had brightly dyed hair I would comment on how cool they looked.

People's appearance doesn't define their professional or general worth. It's sad that you have been raised to think that it does.

My husband’s oncologist has bright blue hair. The treatment she has overseen from his saved his life. Get over yourself, OP!

I'm 42 and have wanted to dye my hair pink fkt twenty years. The only reason I haven't is that my very fine flyaway hair would probably die during the process.

Do you work in a school OP?

I never understood why schools are so horrible to children about their hair, when as adults it matters not one jot.

I've had blue hair, and purple. I'm in my 60s. I can honestly say it made absolutely no difference to my ability to do my job. It doesn't leach into your brain you know. And it's not about attention seeking either. I just don't like the 'washed-out' look I have, and slapping on make up has never been my thing.

@Myleftfoot39

I see it as very unprofessional, I wouldn’t trust someone’s judgement if they had very brightly coloured hair. I would see at as attention seeking/instability

Have you always made superficial judgments about people based on their appearance, OP?

I think making psychological assumptions about people based on hair colour is a very weird thing to do and says more about you than the person you're judging, tbh.

I dye mine bright colours because it makes me happy. My late DH used to love my bright hair and when he was diagnosed with cancer, I said I would keep it one particular colour until he was well again. It became a bit of an emblem. He died, but in his memory I still keep the bright colours because it reminds me of my happy life with him. I've got to a senior role in a government department with no trouble so it clearly doesn't mask my brain and ability.

@Myleftfoot39

I wouldn’t say I’m bigoted or feel superior I just think that having blue hair in a professional capacity is not something I see as right.

In fact, I don’t know many professionals with blue hair.

Neither have I. Neither have I noticed a lot of people in their mid 40s with blue or pink hair. So I think your thread itself is somewhat flawed.

Personally I'm glad the world is slowly changing and even the fuddy duddy UK is learning that what you look like has nothing to do with your skills, talents and abilities. Give it another 50 years and we might finally do away with this style over substance culture that we still have here.

@Myleftfoot39

If it was your GP, solicitor, etc with blue/purple hair. How would you feel?

The incredibly wonderful nurse who has supported me through my recent mental health difficulties has a slice of pink hair.

Turn it around. If you were lying ill on the ground, would you like to be refused treatment because you act like a twat on the Internet?

I kind of associate it with the type of person who will tell you their pronouns and also that they are gluten free within minutes of meeting you but do accept that that's my issue and I know people who that certainly doesn't apply to.

It's a look that takes a lot of work though and most people don't bother which does end up looking less than good.

I am a HCP, mid 40s, qualified 26 years now, who went grey at 15 so have dyed my hair all sorts of colours over the years. Right now im purple but i have been pink, blue, piller box red etc. Lots of patients compliment me on the colour. It does not impact on the fact i am extremely professional. I take offence to you assuming otherwise. My own boss is very happy with my hair colour so i am not changing for anyone!

@Myleftfoot39

I see it as very unprofessional, I wouldn’t trust someone’s judgement if they had very brightly coloured hair. I would see at as attention seeking/instability

I wouldn't trust someone who judged other people and their abilities based on their hair colour

Sadly this post says so much more about the very closed mind of the OP than the open-minded choices of the women and men who dye their hair pink, blue, green, orange Etc.
By the way, older women in various business professions dying their hair with streaks of different rainbow colours has been a thing in Germany for over 20 years - perhaps as a backlash to the now mostly-defunct strict rules on colours allowed as office wear (which have, according to friends over there, been relaxed in response to the brave dye-jobs)...
If you are concerned about professionalism, OP, it is normally found in the person’s attitude, competence and manner, not their Barnet...

If it was your GP, solicitor, etc with blue/purple hair. How would you feel?

Seriously

I think you missed the lift back on the Ark 🙄

Nobody cares, it has absolutely no baring on professionalism at all