Earlier today Julie pointed me to an article that said 31% of UK women who were blonde have recently gone brunette, hoping to be taken more seriously at work.
This may have surprised many but not me because a year or so ago when Clairol relaunched their Herbal Essence Hair Color line I was asked to speak at a media event titled “Live Like Your Hair Color” and researched the hair color/personality connection.
Of course, I was aware of the stereotypes of bubbly blondes, feisty redheads, sophisticated brunettes, or black-haired exotics but was there any truth behind these assumptions about the personalities beneath the hair color? Surprisingly my research found that in fact some of these snap judgments are rooted in reality.
What I discovered is that hair color plays a uniquely important role in our personal identity. Perhaps more than almost any other physical feature our hair shapes the way we see ourselves and, as researchers have discovered, the way others see us.
Recent studies have shown that hair color not only impacts the way others see us, but that it may also shape our self-image, and thus, the way we think, act, and relate to the world around us.
This morning’s article points to research commissioned by Dan Hadley of Superdrug, and says: “The study shows that brunettes seem to be taken more seriously, which is causing a rise in the number of fair-haired women dyeing their hair.”
“Those who have changed their hair color reckon it has paid off, with 38 per cent believing they are now taken more seriously by their boss.”
Can color save the day…or in this case the pay?
It appears that if all other factors are equal that it could make a difference. Who knows for sure but a few bucks spend on a box of Herbal Essence “Brainy Brunette”* hair color might just be a good financial investment.
*A note from our lawyers: Brainy Brunette is not a real hair color name although we think it would make a darn good one. For all of the current brilliant brunette choices visit the Herbal Essences website
PS: If you are interested in learning more about hair color and personality you might like this article I wrote: Live Like Your Hair Color
Yes, it is hard to believe but we all make many unconscious judgments everyday that serve as a shorthand for getting through life. Since many people won't ever take time to question their thoughts and judgments or change the resulting behavior this response might just be a way of beating them at their own game.
You might be right about the eyeglasses since it seems that studies also show we think people that wear glasses are smarter and this judgments isn't just among adults. A study done at Ohio University found that young children tend to think that other kids with glasses look smarter than kids who don’t wear glasses.
Children between the ages of 6 and 10 who were surveyed for the study also thought that kids wearing glasses looked more honest than children who don’t wear glasses.
While it makes sense to want to base our impressions of people on actually who they are it takes some real effort to re-wire some ideas that have been in our minds for a long time.
PS-You're still a redhead in my mind but I'm working on it. :-)
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