Hair-do you do?

           A person’s hair acts as a medium in multiple ways in everyday society.  Whether it is the hair on your head, facial, or even another part of your body, people view hair as a message in which others decode in a variety of ways.  People most likely see another’s hair as a stereotype in which they stereotype a person into a specific class.  On a simple level, as we grow up, so do our hairstyles.  At younger ages boys spike their hair up in order to impress girls and look ‘stylish’, while girls are more accepted to have pigtails or other such hairstyles that are viewed as more ‘childish’.  As we grow older, we are expected as members of society to be more “landscaped”, having a more professional style.  Furthermore, a white male with a style such as corn rows may be viewed as someone trying to act more African American or even mocking them.  A female with shorter hair may be falsely stereotyped into being a lesbian even if she is not.  Since one’s hair is the first thing a person notices about someone, this is one of the first messages that is decoded. 

                Some people use these stereotypes to their advantage.  For example, someone into punk rock music may color their hair in order to express their interests.  While the style is purely up to the individual, there are many social standards that have been put in place for us to follow in order to be viewed as ‘normal’.  Men should be clean shaven for their jobs, or at least maintain a clean design, while women are expected to shave their legs and armpits.  People usually interpret these qualities as taking the time to look so called presentable to others, but who’s to say our comfort is not the most important aspect in our lives. 

                Hair is not as an important aspect in my life as it once was, I now wake up for class and make sure it doesn’t look like I just woke up, where I once thought it needed to be perfectly gelled for society.  As a person that has grown up in warmer climate and now lives in the northeast, I have found that is more acceptable to grow a beard and use the excuse of 'warmth' in order to have longer facial hair that may appear more unkempt, but has an actual purpose.  Our hair acts as an unspoken voice for ourselves in which we mold to fit our beliefs and interests.