Funky-colored hair: Bad idea for rush?
 

Hey everyone!

I'm a sophomore at Syracuse University, and I'm signed up to participate in next semster's formal recruitment.

I'm planning to get my hair dyed this week. I have a funky/unique taste in styling my hair, and I'm hoping to dye my hair purple and black. Mind you, I'm going to a professional place to get this tastefully done, and I'm not going to look like a 12-year-old My Chemical Romance fan who shops at Hot Topic.

Ideally, my appearance shouldn't affect my admission into a sorority- but will it? Will some houses not want a "weird" looking girl in their house? How does *your* sorority look upon girls with alternative looking styles?

I want some opinions, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! :)

You'd really need someone from SU to answer - anyone? It would certainly make you stand out - (just know you will be "the girl with the purple hair")plus some of it will depend on how you dress. If you have tons of body piercings, tattoos and black leather clothing - uh, no. But tastefully funky hair - I'd hope it wouldn't ultimately hurt. It will certainly give you something to talk about at first!

I'd think that "tastefully funky" like you describe would be cool at a school like Syracuse, but bottom line, if a chapter doesn't want you because of your hair color, then why would you want to be in that chapter?

If I were planning something different with my hair and had events where being seen and making impressions goes with the territory, I would give myself time for a test run, having it done at a salon you're considering. That way, if something goes haywire, there is time for your hair to recover and get it redone.
I am glad we were between semesters this past week, or I would have gone around with a paper bag over my head. I've been going to a salon for awhile where they do weaving really well, but the last time, the girl was on the cell phone while cutting my bangs.:eek:They came out weird and short. I said, uhmmm, can you wait on these calls before the bangs were whacked.
Angry, I tried a new place, for weaving. My hair came out blothcy, down right odd. I went back, it was redone, but now I have to get it reconditioned.
Good luck with your coloring.

I know absolutely nothing about that school, but I will say, that recruitment is a lot like a job interview. If you would go into a job interview with purple hair, then go for it.

I have no idea what rush is like at Syracuse but I know at some schools they memorize PNMs pictures to match sisters up...if you had to send in a picture and your hair is drastically different then the picture you sent in girls may not have that "face to put with a name" when discussing, voting, etc. But like I said I don't know how Syracuse does it, just that some other schools do that. Then again, purple hair would probably eliminate the need to put a face with a name since you'd be, for better or for worse, "purple hair girl".

I'm treading lightly here, but I think you've almost answered your own question. I do not know what rush is like at Syracuse but I agree with the others have said above. Truly, what is your purpose for getting an alternative hair color and then going through rush? You are a sophomore so you may have had an opportunity to observe some of the girls that are active in their respective sororities. What have you observed in terms of their appearances? If you've observed that some of them have Betsey Johnson-like hair and dress, then I'd say go for it :) Otherwise, I'd err on the side of conservative caution.

I think it depends upon the sorority and how openminded the sisters are to it. One of my pledge sisters had some streaks of hot pink in her hair and while that was a hot topic her big later told us when voting she still got a bid and pledged.

If tastefully funky hair is something you normally do then I say go for it. I'd hate for you to have normal hair during rush and then find out your new sisterhood is adamantly against that type of thing.

I agree, this would be my only hesitation to dying your hair right before recruitment. That being said, you should always be yourself. If a sorority looks down upon you because of your hair color, then obviously it is not a place where you want to be!

Betsey Johnson - Alpha Xi Delta, I believe at Syracuse??

I went to school about a half hour outside SU (Cortland) and while SU recruitment is pretty different from my school (from what I can imagine) I would treat recruitment as more of a job interview, but if this is something you do on a regular basis (in fact, I wish I had the guts to! lol) and have time to do a test run and get a good response from friends, etc, then I say go for it.
SU has a thriving greeklife but I think the campus is unique enough to embrace something like this.

Good luck to you and it would be fantastic if you could post your recruitment story! I know I'd love to hear a story about a campus that I actually know! :)

As far as the "job interview" thing goes - remember, how you dress for the interview depends on the job for which you are applying. Corporate would be one thing, graphic design would be another. That said, I'd check to see what the prevailing "look" for sorority women there is.

Again, I too am not familiar with SU recruitment. I can tell you, however, when I was helping out with recruitment this year at a local school, there was a brunette PNM that came through with blue highlights (she was sort of Goth looking). I do know, that the collegians in our chpater did identify her as, "the girl with the blue hair", but it was in no way different than, "the girl with the cool green shoes".

She did not pledge our chapter, but did pledge another.

DO NOT HAVE PURPLE HAIR!
its so unatural that no one will be able to take you seriously. really we are in college now not some rock band. im sure you would not look bad with purple hair (or why would you do it!;)) but dont do it for rush!!!:)

Ok, so say she doesn't have her hair purple and black for recruitment. She gets a bid, and then a few weeks later gets it done black and purple. Maybe her new chapter isn't cool with that. Isn't it better to just be yourself up front?

I know the culture at my school is probably VASTLY different than at Syracuse (it is the south after all), but members of my chapter and several others that I know of are not allowed to have any "non-natural color" highlights in their hair during formal recruitment. That doesn't mean they don't have them at other times during the year but they know that for recruitment they have to grow it out, cut it off, re-dye it, etc. It's a presentation thing, not stifling of self-expression or limiting individuality - PNMs will cut based on some pretty ridiculous things and we don't want the streak of lime green in the girl she was matched with's hair to be why.

I agree with everyone else who said to look at the prevailing culture of sorority women at the school. Look at chapter websites, do a little facebook stalking, see what you can figure out and then make the decision.

Don't dye your hair an unnatural color if you want a bid from a top tier sorority. No offense but it comes off as kind of trashy when someone has a weird haircolor.

I go to school in the south, but Greek Life on my campus is not as conservative nor as selective as many southern schools. I'm not sure how relevant my answer is for someone at SU. However, on my campus, it would be possible for the right woman to get a bid, even with "crazy" hair or piercings. In fact, my big sister dyed her hair purple right before formal recruitment! On the other hand, this is no guarantee--recruitment is NEVER guaranteed--and I personally try to err on the side of the conservative.

i would not go completely purple maybe get some purple streaks or something

Some people don't care if the chapter is "top tier". Read the recruitment stories on the forum. Many, if not most PNMs want a place where they feel comfortable. If she was to pledge a "top tier" that does not mesh with her personality, then changes her hair color, would she want the girls to reject her just because of the hair color?

I'm sure if she wanted the, so to speak, "top tier", she wouldn't consider asking the question.

My honest take on it is that, as a member of a sorority (and many other organizations), you may have to act on official "business", where business attire (and hair) is expected.

I know that there is a contingency of people who like to color their hair in non-traditional colors, have lots of visible tatoos, etc., especially in the artsy majors. A lot of times, people will say, "oh he's an art major" or whatever.

The truth is that most people judge you on your initial appearance. Whether it's hair color, mismatched clothes, holes in your socks, or dirt under your nails - people expect a certain amount of professionalism (not necessarily conformity). If you can get away with purple hair and still carry yourself professionally, then go for it.

But I am one person and I am in my mid 30s. You see things quite differently at my age than you do when you are 18.

My issue isn't so much the purple part, but the black part. If you're not a natural dark brunette, or very pale, don't do it - no matter how much you pay for it, you will end up looking like Marilyn Manson.

Honestly, I've never seen a black + color hairstyle that DOESN'T scream "I shop at Hot Topic".

My best friend is at Cuse. I can tell you from her experiences and stories that their rush is pretty competitive and large. Most of the sororities would cut on the dye job.

What's wrong with Hot Topic? lol

Nothing, if that's what you're into. However I always feel like a weirdo when I go in there to by clear spacers for my nose piercing. The only reason I even go there is because they sell 3 spacers for the price that most other places have for 1. Although, being that I have long blonde hair, usually wear khakis/polo and the like, and only have one piercing other than my ears, I probably do look like a weirdo to most of the people in there.;)

I've seen people who look gorgeous (and not gothic- depending on what they wear) with black hair and pale skin. You just have to have the right kind of pale skin for it to look good. (Not to imply that gothic is not beautiful)

Betsey Johnson =/= Hot Topic. I think it depends more on the clothes worn.

In my opinion, don't do anything before rush you wouldn't do any other time of year. If it's something you're likely to do at any time - you're trendy, or impulsive, or whatever - do it.

Any rush instructions that start with anything other than "Be Yourself" are suspect.

Heh, I'm not exactly the best person to ask about this...my hair was RED (not necessarily primary color red, but very visible, very red natural) during recruitment and during my active years. It's only recently grown out because I can't spare the funds to buy dye at the moment. And I work in art. And I have a proclivity for punk rock (and a distaste of hot topic).

Again, I think it boils down to two factors, campus culture and your desired sisterhood. At my alma mater, we're ridiculously laid back (sometimes to our detriment) about recruitment, and girls with crazy hair, piercings, tattoos and weird socks get bids, as do girls with Betsy Johnson and Lilly what'sherface clothes, sometimes in the same chapter! My own personal feeling is that I'd be extremely uncomfortable with a sorority that didn't take me as I was or that couldn't see my underlying potential. If the exterior is a reason to write off the interior...then I don't want any part of that.

I know, I know, presentation is important, but it isn't everything. If a PNM is intelligent, creative, and fits the ideals of my chapter but doesn't have a natural hair color, hell yes I'd vote for her. A girl that looks put together but has the personality of road apples? nope, no thanks. Ultimately, you end up covered in modge podge, sleep deprived, and desperately trying to start a fire with wet kindling with these girls. In these situations, I'd rather be comfortable in my self, rather than in my appearance.

That all being said, the above posters have spoke the truth. It may hurt your recruitment results. If you're ok with that, then great, on with the dye. If you're not ok with that, then reconsider.

Well I doubt that she wants to be in a crappy sorority when she can be in a good one where she'll feel comfortable. She will be disabling herself from having a chance to be in about half of the sororities, one of which may be the best fit for her. If she felt really strongly about having the weird haircolor and really wanted to keep it then I doubt she would even consider getting rid of it.

I've been lurking for awhile, but I really felt the need to voice my opinion on this subject. I am a guy and although I do not understand all the details of sorority rush, I know most of the ins and outs, at least on my campus.

This is all subjective and can vary from campus to campus. But, as a general rule, you should treat rush exactly like a job interview. If you go into an interview at a big time law firm (or anywhere outside the performing arts, etc) with purple hair, you are NOT going to get the job, no matter how qualified you may be. Rush is the same way, at least at moderately to extremely competitive campuses. Purple hair looks bad, and it makes the organization look bad, whether that is a law firm or a sorority or anything else. If you don't get the hypothetical job, you're not going to say, "well if they're gonna judge me on my hair, maybe the firm wasn't the right fit anyways".

Also, I think another dimension to this issue may be how girls view rush. I go to a very competitive school in the SEC (let's not turn this into another South vs North thing, though) and about 90% of girls who plan on rushing want to pledge one of the big 4 (the top sororities on campus), even after rush starts. It seems like at smaller schools or school that aren't as competitive rush is more about "finding the right fit". The truth is...sororities are big enough here to where girls will find their niche group within any sorority they may pledge so "finding the right fit" becomes a moot point. I can see how purple hair may not be such a problem at a school where a girl's main goal is to find the sorority that best fits her.

I'm trying to put my thoughts into words, but it's been a long day and I'm having a hard time doing so, but hopefully what I wrote makes sense.

I'd like to say that your hair doesn't matter, but let's face it -- first impressions are huge. Unfortunately, some people won't be able to see beyond that. If your hair isn't an unusual color right now, why not wait until rush is over and then decide what to do with your hair?

I am in a sorority at Syracuse. While blue hair might make you stand out, it might not do so in a positive way.

At my chapter I can't imagine it hurting your chance of getting a bid. At my school there are girls with unnatural haircolors in 2 of the other 3 sororities, so presumably they wouldn't care either. If it looks classy, or at least more so than not, it should be fine, so long as you don't have a negative attitude, or go into recruitment expecting to be cut because of it. The way you present yourself as a person matters a lot more than things like haircolor.

This isn't necessarily about hair, but when I went through rush in the fall, I was cut from at least one sorority because I have a lip ring. The sorority I know I was cut from for that reason was the one with 10+ of my friends, one of which cried when they cut me after the first day. The chapter advisor wouldn't let them take on any girls with facial piercings or oddly colored hair.
I did find a sorority who accepted me for who I am, which is great! It really hurt to have a 3.75 GPA, been a member/leader in 7 clubs in High school, and graduated early, but still not being "good enough" because of a lip ring. Oh well. The girls in that sorority and I are still great friends, so it all worked out. :)

how do you know that? Member selection is among members, not advisors...they are there for well..advising...not picking who shouldnt be selected..

Several girls told me that was why, independently of each other. They said the advisor also made an active of that chapter dye her hair back after she'd put pink streaks in it.

Hmm that is quite unfortunate.. that advisor shouldnt be getting so involved like that honestly.

Also, you might want to let your sorority friends know that they can get into trouble talking about member selection to a non member...