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.