I’ve been dying my hair for about a year now- mostly it’s been a dark red that eventually fades into a slightly more natural looking orange-ish brown. My  hair was also a more purple red at one point and then most recently, I dyed my hair a bright purple-y pink. It’s way brighter than anything I’d tried before and it’s been an interesting experience, that’s for sure. I expected surprise from my friends, and knew that there would be a few who weren’t a fan of the bright color.

What I wasn’t expecting were the constant (and not very positive) comments from people I didn’t even know. When the first words from a newly introduced stranger are, “Wow. You have very red hair”, it tends to throw me. If someone had really long legs, or had crooked teeth, you wouldn’t dream of commenting on it, especially when you don’t even know the person. But somehow, that doesn’t apply when the unusual feature is on purpose; like dyed hair, or tattoos, or piercings, or unusual clothing decisions. Those sort of choices become free game for discussion, and too often, judgement.

^^^The hair dye I used- Manic Panic’s Hot Hot Pink. Keep an eye out for a post in the near future talking about what I thought of Manic Panic’s dye.

Don’t get me wrong- I’ve had a ton of positive feedback- the majority of the people actually do seem to like my hair. If nothing else, they think it’s fun for a short period of time. In fact, it’s started some interesting conversations with complete strangers who I would have never talked to otherwise. Like the gal at Costco who I talked to for 10 minutes just because she asked about my hair. It seems to be a good ice-breaker 😉 And I really do love to hear people’s thoughts about my hair color- it’s interesting to see the variety of opinions.

The comments and the strange looks I get have begun to open my eyes to how judgmental I myself can be. I see someone who looks a certain way, and I immediately make a snap judgement of their character and personality. I always knew that wasn’t a fair or accurate representation of anyone, but until I was in their shoes, I didn’t realize how annoying it can be. None of the comments I’ve received are downright rude, or mean, but they still hurt- knowing that the only thing someone knows me as is “the girl with the purple hair” is a strange experience.

The qualification of, “You can take her word for it. She’s actually a stand-up person, despite her hair”, was one of the more shocking things I heard in regards to my appearance. It made me realize that every time we do something to our bodies, or wear certain clothing, we are directly influencing how others perceive us.

All in all, I just want to be better about giving people the benefit of the doubt. I need to stop judging people by their appearance, or by their actions. I need to wait until I have more information about a person before I decide what I think of them.

Like I said, having a bright hair color has been interesting. Despite the sometimes negative responses, I’m so glad I did it, and hope that I’ll  to continue to have fun, unnatural hair colors. I wonder what people will think about rainbow hair? 😉

Jordan