Pink, green, blue and even all at once - this is how fashionable it is to dye your hair today. Trend on bright colors for hair has reached Primorye: more and more girls are experimenting and dyeing their hair unusual colors.
The editors of PRIMPRESS decided to find out why girls need this, what bright colors on the head mean and what psychologists think about it.
Personal experience
Most often, girls go for this change of image. In Vladivostok you can easily meet ladies with pink hair, for example.
By the way, the fashion for colored hair has also reached men. Guys are increasingly starting to bleach and even dye their hair.
Painting in all the colors of the rainbow is also in fashion.
Express your individuality
Psychologists believe that hair color (acquired, of course) can tell a lot about a person. For example, red is the color chosen by leaders and cruel people. Pink - friendly and frivolous people. Purple hair conveys sensuality, which is on the verge of individuality and is defined as suggestibility. Green is an indicator of stability and selfishness.
According to psychologist Oksana Losova, people want to be noticed, to express their individuality, peculiarity, and difference. There is a need for attention, for recognition. For some, this may be an expression of internal protest against any framework, a manifestation of independence and adulthood.
“Or maybe they lack protection, this is their way of showing their courage and strength. Many people are looking for their own kind.”
“There is no such person for whom bright hair would not suit a priori”
Hairdresser Yulia Gerasimova has been dyeing hair for many years, including extreme colors. According to her, in our coastal environment, the fashion for bright hair has been present for about three years, but in the European part of Russia it appeared much earlier.
“I think the point is that fashion over the last few years has been moving towards naturalness. We enhance everything and don't add anything obviously artificial to our images. Girls still stopped drawing themselves blue eye shadow and pink lips, hair colors bordering on bright, “eggplant” and “mahogany” stopped being fashionable. As an alternative to this “natural” fashion, bright hair appeared.
There are always those who want to stand out. At first, bright hair was on the bravest people, and they found it strange. Then they appeared on public and media personalities, and after a while we can see a fairly conservative girl with a serious position with a rainbow somewhere in the depths of her hair. She will finish her work day, lift up part of her hair so that the rainbow can be seen, change her clothes and go to a party, or maybe even a date.”
As Yulia said, both girls and boys often come to her with the desire to dye their hair in a bright color.
“There were even children brought by their mothers. Only the most conservative group was missing - men over 35, but some of my colleagues even had men in their 50s with bright hair, although this is rather an exception.
There is no such person for whom bright hair would not suit a priori.
The main thing is that everything is harmonious and correctly chosen; the hairstyle should complement the overall image. The degree of “harmfulness” of such coloring does not exceed the degree of “harmfulness” of many others; it all depends on the specific case, the initial data and the desired shade. Everything is always different."
I believe that a bright person should be bright in everything. This can be achieved, for example, by using bright hair color. In my opinion, people with such a hairstyle are like rays of light and happiness in gray everyday life. You remember them and definitely won’t confuse them with anyone.
IN in social networks I am a member of many groups dedicated to informal youth. Sometimes I subscribe to the pages of the most interesting guys. In the group on the VKontakte website “Colored hair: pink, purple, red” I found several young people who clearly stand out from the rest. Each of them has its own special story. Some unusual names and last names are part of their image.
Maria Saniks, 20 years old, student:
I dyed my hair in different shades: from natural to unnaturally bright. I was trying to figure out which color makes me seem more attractive to myself. In the end I settled on blue; this color is very nice to me. My parents react ambiguously to my hair color, my dad is against it, but doesn’t show it, my mother is also against it, but in her youth she herself was blue-haired, and she can’t forbid me to follow in her footsteps.
Daniil Taroyants, 24 years old, student:
I'm a fan of cyberpunk, and colored hair is welcome there. I've already changed three hair colors, and now I've decided to go with red. People tend to pay attention to people with bright hair and expect crazy behavior from them.
Alexandra Divina, 24 years old, journalist:
I have long dreamed of bright hair, but then school, then college, then work with strict rules... Finally, I quit my dull job and celebrated this freedom with a pink hairstyle cotton candy. The last argument in favor of changing my image was that if I am afraid to realize even such a tiny dream, then I will live a boring and ridiculous life. And now every morning my reflection in the mirror lifts my spirits.
Nika Kars, 25 years old, hairdresser:
I dyed my hair a long time ago, and I’m definitely not going to change my hair color yet. In my green life, almost everything is painted this color, from my hair to my green shoehorn.
opinion of residents of Vitebsk and the region
What they can’t come up with now. If you want summer shoes with fur - great, if you like to combine sweatpants with heels - yes, please. Tucking a T-shirt into tights has now also become fashionable. Piercing of all parts of the body, an incredible number of tattoos, bleached eyelashes, false eyebrows... And this is not the whole list. And here fashion trend- colored hair, although the majority, in the old fashioned way, dye their hair in natural colors or purposefully grow it for sale.
Lily, a hospital administrator and mother of two children, has had colored hair for 5 years. She wanted to change for a long time and nothing could stop her.
Lily Lynx on vacation in summer. Photo from the girl’s personal archive
The first bright color was not easy to do, it took me two weeks to dye it bright red. My friends and family are only surprised by the color change, but they speak only positively about it. Some of them even ask for painting tips. At work, colored hair doesn't bother me at all. Only one boss is concerned that the condition of her hair may worsen.
Colored hair and Elena Petrovich(28 years old), who works as an operating nurse:
I have long wanted to change the color of my hair, but I was a little embarrassed by my age. Usually teenagers wear makeup this way, as I noticed, but this is just a stereotype. I started with small strands, then more and more. At first everyone is surprised, and then they say it’s beautiful and cool. I don’t know about those around me, I don’t pay attention to them. My job requires me to wear a cap, so my hair is practically invisible. Dyeing is as easy as shelling pears; personally, it’s not difficult for me, since colored hair is only on the bottom. I think if you put on all the makeup, it will be more difficult.
Elena Petrovich Photo vk.com
Dyeing your hair a non-standard color is not at all difficult, and living with colored hair is not a problem either.
Natalia(44 years old), BTI employee:
A colleague and I recently discussed this topic and came to the conclusion that, in principle, we like such experiments. I would even like to go with a bright hairstyle, but for me personally there are some “buts”. First of all, it's work. When communicating with people of different ages, levels of life and “advancement” in general, in order to achieve the proper attitude towards oneself as an official of a particular organization, one has to comply with certain generally accepted standards of appearance. Secondly, the result of the experiment is a little scary, that is, it’s scary to end up with something completely different from the beautiful image that you saw and wanted to try on yourself. So for now all that remains is to admire the beautiful bright looks on the Internet and admire the brave people you meet on the street.
Boris(44 years old), works in the energy sector:
Wearing colored hair is a personal decision. The degree of such self-expression depends on upbringing, taste, personality maturity and self-sufficiency of the person. If the hair color is in harmony with his formed image, then for God’s sake, I don’t see any problem.
Olga(22 years old), young mother:
It’s quite normal if they are young people. I still dream about lilac color hair or at least a few blue strands. The only thing is, I don’t like it when grandmothers wear eye-catching pink, purple or bright red, it looks kind of stupid. If the grandmother is a modern rocker or biker - why not? But most of them are “God’s dandelions”, which, sorry, do not at all correspond to their appearance.
Veronica(20 years old), student:
I'm actually pretty good about colored hair. Why not? Everyone decides for themselves what they like and how they want to look. It's a kind of self-expression. The only thing I love is when my hair is dyed neatly. And if colors still suit a person, that’s generally wonderful.With our capabilities, you can change your hair color even every day, for example, hair chalks. And it does no harm and is bright.
Igor(50 years old), driver:
It's a kind of self-expression. The main thing is that there is good master who can choose the right hair color so that it matches the style, manners, and personality of a person.
Snezhana(36 years old), mother on maternity leave:
Any self-expression of a person is interesting to me; being different from others makes a person stand out from the crowd and from the general gray mass and makes him an individual. This is amazing. I,Before, in my youth, I experimented, but not radically, but for a while. I bought paints in spray cans that wash off after a while. She was not pink Malvina for long. WITHNowadays I have other opportunities to stand out and be noticed, so I don’t want to experiment with my appearance, especially with my hair. I currently have long natural blonde hair, which I protect from any chemical damage.
Which hair color to choose is up to you. Don't be afraid to experiment. Perhaps it will not be hair dye, but just special colored crayons. Make your life brighter!
Throughout the USSR, generally accepted standards regarding the appearance of schoolchildren were in effect. No one violated them, since the slightest deviation from the Charter was publicly condemned, and a “non-standard” student could become an outcast. Nowadays, you can increasingly meet students with tattoos, piercings, and non-standard hairstyles. Often, the appearance of teenagers becomes a reason for penalties from the school administration, for example, girls are not allowed to go to school because of their hair color. Whether this is legal and how it all ends, we will find out later.
Girl with pink hair
In the spring of 2017, in St. Petersburg, a 15-year-old girl was “terrorized” by representatives of the educational institution she attended. The class teacher categorically condemned the transformation of the girl who dyed her hair in pink color. The teacher tried to achieve a return to her previous look by threatening to cut off her locks of an unnatural shade. The head teacher of the school supported the teacher, promising the schoolgirl expulsion.
The father took charge of defending his daughter. The parent contacted the Ombudsman for Children's Rights. The dad defended not only the interests of his child, but also approved of his daughter’s act of changing her image. After the commissioner's intervention in the case, representatives of the school administration showed leniency towards the girl's appearance. The teenager continued to attend school without changing his appearance.
The peaceful resolution of the issue did not give the matter wide publicity. The issue was closed without further proceedings. Representatives of the educational institution stopped “harassing” the girl, and the student’s father did not seek punishment from the school administration.
"Malvina" from St. Petersburg
On the line dedicated to the Day knowledge, on September 1, 2018, a high school student from one of the schools in St. Petersburg was demonstrably removed from class by her classmates for having hair dyed in Blue colour. School representatives took the girl outside the gates of the educational institution, depriving her of the holiday.
The child’s parents sounded the alarm when they contacted Svetlana Agapitova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the region. The official understood the situation. The girl continues to attend her school without changing her hair color.
The child’s parents decided not to “inflate” the scandal. An explanatory conversation was held with the administration of the educational institution by higher authorities. The participants in the incident wished to hide the name of the main defendant, school number, and other details.
“The bright hair of teenagers is not a reason not to let them into schools,” said Elena Spasskaya, deputy chairman of the Education Committee of St. Petersburg.
Case in Perm
On September 7, a similar incident occurred in exemplary gymnasium No. 4 in Perm. A school student, 15-year-old tenth grader Zina Agisheva, came to class with pink hair. The schoolgirl dyed her strands unnatural, but soft version colors. The girl was prohibited from attending classes. The schoolgirl demanded that she be given a written order, signed by the director of the gymnasium, to suspend her from school. Zina received the document.
Photo source: Nadezhda Agisheva’s Facebook page
The teenager’s mother, Perm City Duma deputy Nadezhda Agisheva, was outraged by the situation and launched a fight for her daughter’s rights. Thanks to the active mother, the case received wide public attention. Agisheva Sr. brought the proceedings to prosecutor's check educational institution.
The result of the case was the appointment of administrative responsibility to the school director. In addition, the prosecutor's office forced changes to be made to the local document of the educational institution regarding the requirements for the appearance of students.
Legal side of the issue
The main document regulating the appearance of students secondary schools, is Law No. 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation”. The document confirms the right to education for all, regardless of various external and other characteristics. The law prohibits discrimination against students. School representatives have no right to restrict the right to education for informal appearance.
Attention! All local acts that establish specific restrictions for schoolchildren are advisory in nature. Administrations of educational institutions can demand compliance with standards, but the use of any disciplinary sanctions is contrary to the law.
"In the charters educational institutions There is no specific prohibition against dyeing hair bright colors, the wording is limited to “neatness” and “ business style“Explains Deputy Chairman of the Education Committee of St. Petersburg Elena Spasskaya.
For violation of the law for responsible persons responsibility has been established. Article 5.57 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation provides for punishment for violation or illegal restriction of the right to education.
Psychological aspect
There is not only a legal side to the issue of self-expression of adolescents in terms of changing their appearance. Psychologists remind us that adolescence is a difficult time of personality formation. Psychological trauma resulting from public criticism from teachers can have a detrimental effect on an immature personality.
If a student appears at educational institution with an informal appearance, then teachers are obliged to conduct an explanatory conversation with the “criminal”. You can appeal to the student’s reason or hold parents accountable to have an impact.
Teachers and school administration do not have the right to suppress a child’s personality. Teachers cannot even demand that you change clothes or wash off your makeup. The conversation with the “violator” should be built in a positive direction. Teachers can appeal to compliance with ethical standards, but not trample on the personality of a teenager who has not had time to strengthen.
The position of school representatives on the issue of discipline is clear: children at any age must comply general rules. Public disciplinary punishment becomes an example for the masses, encouraging compliance. Now, only the legal and psychological side of the issue excludes such educational actions in relation to children.
Colored hair has gone from being an attribute of subcultures and teenage rebellion to a fashion trend that is increasingly being followed by adults, although there are still many stereotypes around it, like tattoos. We asked women of different ages and professions about why they decided to dye their hair an unusual color and how others reacted to it. An interesting picture emerged: it turns out that in Russia, because of colored hair, you can be labeled “inadequate” and even lose your job, or you can collect compliments, and it doesn’t matter where the person lives and where he works - in a bank or in the entertainment industry.
Yulia Ostapenko, Krasnodar, 28 years old, marketer at an IT company
The first time I dyed my hair bright color was at the age of 13 and since then I have been doing it periodically with breaks for blonde. I shaved my head once when my hair was destroyed. When I was little, it was some kind of protest for me, but now it’s just beautiful. I’m thinking about becoming a colorist, but I’m still constantly up to my ears in paint with my friends.
I had an orange mohawk and worked as both a store salesperson and a copywriter. Now she is a PR manager and marketer in an IT company.
In 2009, I was fired for having colored hair: I had a 6mm white crew cut and a pink spiral at the back of my head. I worked in a large (all over the Southern federal district) chain of CD and DVD stores. Now they have logically died out along with CDs and DVDs.
They called me to the carpet, the boss said: “Are you crazy to walk around like that?” Although I worked in the games and software department, I don’t know who could be embarrassed there. First they forced me to repaint my hair, then they transferred me to the store furthest from home, and at the end of the internship they dumped me under a plausible pretext. I'm very glad this doesn't happen anymore. And there are more colors to choose from.
By the way, IKEA didn’t hire anyone with strange hair back then either; they didn’t even hire me as a promoter with pigtails. In those immemorial times, such an appearance in our village was normally accepted only at TOPSHOP, and that’s where I went to work after my dismissal.
Now I adult woman and I do what I want on my head. Colleagues don't care, they are mostly programmers. But I can assume that some of the potential clients made a choice in favor of a more “decent” performer, to be honest.
Tata, 22 years old, St. Petersburg
My head went through color staining during my last year of study at a serious military university. So that you understand the seriousness, I’ll say that 40 percent of the classrooms were opened only by code, photography was strictly prohibited (which didn’t stop anyone, but I wouldn’t recommend getting caught), and it was common to see parts of rockets in the classrooms. I dyed my hair fashionable grey colour, and the front strands were burgundy. From my circle, only my dad did not accept the change of image. He shook his head, asked what scared me into turning gray at age 20, and mourned over natural hair, the color of which he really liked. My classmates were delighted. My colorist’s contacts quickly spread, and then several more people went to her for custom coloring.
Then I dyed it gray again, but left the strands near my ears blue. IN last time the color was already just gray all over the head.
I wasn’t worried at all about the reaction of others. Moreover, during that time no one said anything bad to me, even at my super-military university. Sometimes I received approval and compliments from passers-by on the street. It seems that even the opposite sex began to pay more attention to me.
I didn't get any grades lowered for my hair color. I was not scolded by elderly teachers. It was as if nothing had changed in my appearance. It seems to me that now you can get a barrage of negativity only for tattoos on your face, and colored hair - even if you cover your entire head with a rainbow.
My head girl dyed her hair and changed her hairstyles almost every two months. She probably had every possible color, dreadlocks, hair extensions... In my memory, only once did a new teacher joke that she didn’t have time to remember the head girl’s face because of the rapidly changing hairstyles. All.
The hardest part was maintaining the color. It lasted me for six months. Renewing the color every month is too luxurious a task for a student, and the aesthetics required updating even more often, because gray quickly turned into something unpleasant.
If we talk about the reasons for my coloring, then most will not like the following words and will consider me weak. But I'm honest with myself and I want to be honest with you. I just wanted to attract attention. Not even that, I wanted to hear: “You are beautiful.” This is actually some kind of wonderful phrase for woman. I really missed this at that time.
Now I go with my natural color and am happy. In fact, despite my dislike for informal appearance, I am very glad that things like piercings, colored hair and tattoos have become very popular, because they show us that it is not necessary to stand out. It is empty and will be forgotten. A whole and improving person truly stands out. The main thing is not to get hung up on just maintaining the outer shell.
Alena Ponomarenko, 28 years old, programmer, St. Petersburg
I am a game engine programmer, before that I worked as a mobile release engineer. The first time I did an “exotic” hairstyle (short orange hair) was in my last year of study. So almost all of my current colleagues have never seen me with “normal” hair. When I got a job new job, I had two interviews: technical - with former colleague, who had already worked with me before, and with the head of HR, who paid attention to the hairstyle, but neutrally, without negativity and without enthusiasm, she simply asked between questions about motivation and hobbies.
The management is rather positive - I work well, and the main thing is that I continue to work well. Colleagues are more emotional: some are inspired by my example to do something bright with their appearance, while others, on the contrary, regularly get involved in debates about naturalness. Strangers spoke to me several times with the words: “I really like your hairstyle, it’s a pity that I can’t do it” and “I really like your hairstyle, where and from whom can I get the same?”
Now, about colored hair as a frivolous act - my internal censorship is more about clothes. A couple of times in the summer I showed up wearing shorts just above the knee and got a few jokes about “no pants.” Usually I can quickly come up with a caustic response, but I can’t with clothes, so I just don’t wear skirts and shorts.
But colored hair, in my opinion, is a completely ordinary thing, I don’t react to criticism, I respond to attacks, and I can support a dispute with arguments.
I speak at professional conferences quite often, which is a very rewarding situation. First, the report shows that I obviously understand the topic. And then it’s very easy to find me if you have questions - by the color of my hair in the crowd.
I dyed my hair because of my brother. He is two years younger than me, but in the ninth grade he got dreadlocks and got his ears pierced. Then for some time he braided dreadlocks for other people, made new piercings for himself, and now he is a master piercer and co-owner of a piercing and tattoo salon. So, partly from the desire to support my brother in front of my parents (“Alena, talk to him, let him be normal”), partly from the understanding that my brother is so strange, but at the same time he is my brother, he is normal and cool - that means Is it all normal and cool to do this?
My parents are both military, and, of course, they don’t like it. But they are quite wise in this sense, “hair is not teeth, new ones will grow.” They are much more upset that neither I nor my brother give them any grandchildren.
Yulia, 21 years old, Novosibirsk, works in a coffee shop, before that she was an animator at an event agency
I wanted brightness and a change from the usual image. At the event agency where I worked then, my idea was perceived negatively: they said that if I changed my color, I would go look for a new job, that it would harm the image of the agency, that not all parents perceived it adequately, and so on. Then they argued for a long time when I changed my color, but in the end they reconciled.
Some clients really looked askance, but they were allowed to work; there were isolated cases when they refused, like “to my child inadequate person No need". We had to look for a replacement, but this happened four times, no more. But the children didn’t see the hair, because you always wear a wig during the program. Now I work in a coffee shop, but my hair is not visible to visitors: I clean it up.
Irina Seredina, 33 years old, leading economist at the East Siberian Railway, Irkutsk
I dyed the ends of my hair pink twice: once on vacation (no one reacted), the second time at work (people were surprised).
Such tricks with hair are not encouraged here. But then I was offended by the boss - he didn’t give me a bonus, and besides, it was the last day of the year. In “peaceful” times, everyone dresses classically, without a hint of extravagance. No one wears jeans to work, nor does anyone wear minis. The rest is ordinary clothing, it all depends on taste and upbringing. I can wear slip-ons with a dress, but the bosses are all in suits.
Our team is small, average age– about 40 years old. At any moment I can be sent to a meeting led by the head of the road or any of his deputies; heads of directorates and enterprises are present. At work I always have a cardigan and classic heels. So there was a risk that my appearance would not be appreciated.
Since childhood, I dreamed of pink hair. In 2000, I got highlights and tinted my strands with pink balm. Last year I found out about the dye and immediately bought it. I’m not wearing dye this year, there’s too much pink, green, and blue on my heads. Instead, I put on microdermal and pierced the tragus.
Microdermal did not find anyone who understood it at all; anticipating the negative, I placed it low between my breasts so that it was almost invisible. Tragus is in sight all the time, I see people looking askance. I have never joined subcultures. I have a husband who is a programmer and a 4-year-old child. There are no tattoos and I don’t see them on myself. I wear a biker jacket - this is also half a childhood dream, half a tribute to fashion.
I like to be different from everyone else, to have some difference from the people around me. With age, I became more courageous.
Elena Srapyan, 30 years old, ex-press secretary of the Civil Assistance refugee committee, journalist, Moscow - Latin America
When I worked as a press secretary on the committee, I dyed the entire bottom layer of my hair, and left the top layer natural so that I could make a regular ponytail. NPOs are, in principle, democratic, although the management is of retirement age. Of course, they asked questions like “what did you mean by this,” but we quickly got used to it.
She did her tail at important events - press conferences or courts on refugee cases, refusals of asylum, on the administrative expulsion of migrants, on attacks by nationalists on courts. I went to such processes infrequently, about ten times a year. Nobody advised me to tie my ponytail - self-censorship worked.
I hadn’t put on makeup before, but now I started going gray – well, I think it’s just a matter of walking. At first I made small strands, then they became more and more voluminous.
And then I went on a trip to Latin America and now I’m breaking away. My husband and I are journalists, we write reports, we visit officials - that is, we work here. (Currently Elena, together with photographer Alexander Fedotov, is preparing a report about the Amazon Indians).
In Latin America there are fewer reactions, but they are more immediate - a man doesn’t like to chat with you about hair dyes, for example.
Well, children - children constantly discuss me, they just don’t know that I understand Spanish.
In Russia, in general, they also react more positively. Colored hair hardly tramples our foundations.
Daria Lapteva, 22 years old, Moscow, graduate of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation
This summer I finished my bachelor’s degree, a double one at that, first I defended one diploma in England (in investment management), then within a month I wrote and defended a second one in Russia (in global economics). Before the state exams, in the midst of preparing and submitting documents to the Milan master's program, my soul demanded a holiday and something for itself. The first time the result was unconvincing: the pink tint was only slightly visible, so a few days later I dyed the ends again. I took the option that washes off in a week and very happily received a diploma with a pink tail. The reactions of those around me were very different, but I was not left without a wow effect: all my friends did not associate me with pink so much that the main question was: “Is this you forever?”
At the state exam they told me directly: “When you sat down, we didn’t know what pearls to expect, but you seemed to answer intelligently.” The dean shook hands, presenting the diploma, and, glancing sideways at her hair, wished him good luck in all endeavors in an indescribable tone. The science teacher laughed that a diploma on the topic of fintech and bitcoins was the only way to defend it. And my classmates, parents and family friends were having a blast on the topic of “my nerves blew my mind.” But the young man was brief: “It suits you,” and that’s it.
It was in Moscow. If I had done this in England, no one there would have raised an eyebrow - the local madams wear and dress so brightly and strangely that it is impossible to outdo them.
Nerves actually had absolutely nothing to do with it. Rather, I was tired of the fact that for four months everything revolved exclusively around diplomas, banks, and my entire appearance fit into the image of “high ponytail, trousers, slip-ons.” I wanted something bright that wouldn’t change the appearance as a whole, wouldn’t be uncomfortable like stilettos, for example, and would simply be a kind of joke: both to make me smile and to remind others that defending a diploma is still not working in a bank with strict training. code.
Alina Dolzhenko, 33 years old, teacher of English and German, Tomsk - Moscow
When I was an assistant professor at the university in Tomsk, I dyed my hair turquoise, blue and yellow-pink. I painted it because I wanted to, how could there be other reasons? My colleagues didn’t react in any particular way, but my students were absolutely delighted.
In September, I moved to Moscow with bright blue hair, and the boss at the new place of work sternly asked: “Is this normal in Tomsk?” And he said not to wear makeup like that again.
I teach corporate English, my students are adults, employees serious companies. They didn't react to the hair at all. And the boss once came to class and asked the group how they felt about “such disgrace.” The students said it was good. Now my blue color has already washed off, but I plan to dye it again.
Veta Velger, 24 years old, makeup artist – beauty blogger, Ulyanovsk
The story with colored hair began for me back in school, when I cut off my brown hair asymmetrically and dyed it black. Then it took a long time to come out of black - there were red ones, brick ones and now colored ones. I can’t wear the same color for more than six months, it’s some kind of personal quirk. At school, my mother was skeptical about all my experiments, but now she has become only a little softer. And my husband always supports me in everything, he is for harmony with himself. He called me an anime girl when he had bright pink hair.
In the summer, I was standing at the checkout counter in a store and behind me stood a mother and her little daughter (5-6 years old). I had bright pink braids on my head, some kind of summer dress, and I hear the girl say to her mother: “Mom, look - it’s a fairy!”
It was soooo cute! I'm also a magical unicorn queen for my son - colored hair, tattoos and a couple of unicorn t-shirts. I started going to training with my son - there’s a crowd of children around me, and they always tell me how lucky you are, such a beautiful mother!
From adults the reaction is slightly different, rather negative. Constant complaints: “Why are you so small? How do you walk with your child? Why exactly lilac?” I react calmly, because these people have driven themselves into some kind of non-existent framework and live, looking with anger and some envy at the bright, successful and beautiful.
I recently read a post on Instagram, one madam aged 33-35 writes that colored hair, tattoos and bright lips are a sign of vulgarity, emptiness inside and some kind of complex. I couldn’t help but comment: “I am absolutely happy and completely in harmony with myself. I’d rather live in my own bright world than squeal at everyone like a mouse, because I don’t have the courage to change!”
Ellada Alekseeva, 38 years old, freelancer, Rostov-on-Don
I wanted to paint myself pink since I was 18, but something always got in the way: I didn’t have the right paint, my mother didn’t allow it, it was inappropriate in the office.
I worked as an advertising executive for a restaurant company. We didn’t have any requirements for appearance, but such a bright transformation would have been inappropriate for me at that time. I looked quite informal and young; contractors often started communicating on a first-name basis and in a very friendly manner. This bothered me. For the last few years I have been working for myself, I communicate with some clients remotely, I meet with others very rarely, I already have a professional reputation, and changing my hair color cannot affect it.
This year a lot of new things have happened in work and life, I decided that I need to do what has been sitting in my head since I was 18-19 years old, after all, it’s such a small thing and everything can be changed if I don’t like it.
In the end, everything went well. Everyone supported it, there was not a single negative comment. My son is 12, he approved. For summer great solution. True, the wardrobe had to be reconsidered. The pink was very saturated, a delicate shade did not come out right away. Lilac is more versatile and washes off more beautifully. Now I'm blonde, I want to spend the winter like this.
It's funny that 5-6 years ago, when the wave of color dyeing began to rise, I thought that I was already too old for this.
My mother, whose natural hair color I had never seen in person, was always against my experiments. I only cut and dyed my hair when she wasn't around. She hasn’t influenced my decisions for a long time, but when I sent her a photo with pink hair, she asked: “Did you lighten it?!” And I automatically lied. Then, of course, she confessed. I say: “Mom, I’m almost 40, and I’ve always wanted to do this.” I remembered her non-native color, of course. She is brown-haired, but has always dyed her hair red. In the end, she said that it suits me.
I can’t say for sure whether it’s good or bad to prohibit such experiments for children. After all, as an adult it is much more difficult to decide on something, but on the other hand, it is very invigorating when you decide.
The other day I read an article on “Snob”, where the author condemns forty-year-old “girls”. But we are one of the first generations (in our country, at least) who are not burdened with heavy worries about daily needs. Our youth lasts longer, we find time for eccentricities and pampering. We are a generation that can lay new foundations and abandon age-related behavioral stereotypes from the past.
Vasilina Vorobyova, takes care of children, Paris, and Alina Shcheglova, employee of the press service of the mayor's office, Veliky Novgorod, sisters, 32 years old
Alina(pictured right): I’ve been wearing colored hair for two years now: I came out of maternity leave with this update. While I was on maternity leave, the head of our press service was changed, I was worried, to be honest, that there would be hints and all that. On the other hand, we don’t have a dress code, I’m a mother of many children with a younger one-and-a-half-year-old daughter - they wouldn’t be able to fire me if they wanted to. But the new boss didn’t raise an eyebrow. He is of Soviet origin, an experienced journalist, but a very kind and understanding person, I was lucky here. My colleagues didn’t point a finger behind my back, but no one said anything to my face.
I dyed my hair because my husband once told me: “You paint yourself red, it’s so banal! I wish I could dye my hair... uh... purple!”
And I set myself a goal. In my city there are very few people with colored hair (and after 30 years, practically none at all), but people around me react quite calmly. Only children sometimes look with delight and push their mothers in the side: “Maaaaaam, look, Auntie is purple.” I laugh, although I don’t really agree with the “aunt”.
Vasilina: Two years since Alina painted her hair, I looked at it and thought it was wildly cool. And she decided only three days ago. I don’t know how confident I’ll feel with them, but in the end, it’s just hair – which was the decisive argument. The need to maintain color was also stopped by the fact that France is a fairly conservative country. Of course, no one cares, but you feel like a “black sheep.” Here style and cool are only at fashion weeks. And the rest of the time everyone is relaxed, natural and natural.
Anastasia Seretkina, 29 years old, web designer, Novosibirsk
My hair has been green since June. I dyed my hair because partly I wanted to be frivolous, but partly it was a very rational decision: with green hair, my face was pinker, and it matched most of my clothes. Plus, for a brunette, this is the only way to change her color and not turn yellow, like Trump. I must say, I miscalculated with the clothes: I had to buy a lot of black and gray so as not to look like a parrot, but otherwise I was very pleased.
People turned out to be much more tolerant than I thought they were! A couple of times they called Malvina and Ninja Turtle (?!), but kindly. Once, a guy I met rolled his eyes and asked who mutilated me like that. Perhaps the most unpleasant thing is that several people decided that I had a wig. Even the neighboring grandmothers all praised me (at least to their eyes, haha).
This fall I went on vacation and it was a very interesting experience.
In Naples I was an absolute black sheep, there only tourists have colored hair, in St. Petersburg it became even uninteresting, because half the city is green and pink, but I received the most attention in the center of Moscow: on Pushkin Square, in two minutes, people picked on me three times and one They even took a selfie with me.
In general, colored hair in Novosibirsk, of course, attracts attention, but I have never experienced any inconvenience, fear, or rejection from others. Now, even if I'm riding in a minibus and I hate the world, I still kind of send the world a message: hey, hey, let's have fun!
Elena Gruzdeva, will be 50 years old in a month, copywriter, Moscow region
For four years now, on and off, I have been wearing colored dreadlocks.
My daughter started wearing dreadlocks in her first year of college; she is an artist and an informal girl. I liked it, she half-jokingly offered to try it, and I thought about it and agreed. She then wore “dangerous” dreadlocks for a while, but eventually returned to safe ones. It's comfortable. Usually we braid it in the fall and winter, unravel it in the summer - it’s too hot to wear. Out of habit, after braiding, my head itches for a couple of days, but then there’s no hassle, and there’s no trouble with washing either, and you can change it, unlike fears. And they look very interesting - with them, the Central Russian appearance turns into something exotic.
The husband and sons chuckle, but are calm. People around you usually react normally, many ask about the convenience and whether you need to shave your hair off later. A couple of times I even gave the master’s phone number to quite adult ladies. I am a copywriter, I work in SMM, I write on near-technical topics. Since I work a) remotely b) in SMM, clients also have no questions - creative person, all things. Although my main personal interest is the absence of problems with my hair, because my hair is thick, straight and unruly.
Maria, 32 years old, head of advertising and PR service, Nizhny Novgorod
I am a political scientist by training, I worked as a PR specialist, a brand manager, an IT specialist, and now I am the head of an advertising and PR service at a large enterprise. And I walk around with colored hair. I have nothing to do with bohemianism, but as far back as I can remember, I have always loved bright colors. I experimented a lot while I was studying at the university, then there was a period “ adult life" And then I just realized that colored hair, tattoos, etc. are a problem that lives exclusively in my head. And I regularly allow myself to be colorful. Right now I'm pink.
There were doubts about the carriage and the small cart. Starting from how disapproving of this is in my family and ending with the fact that I am quite ambitious and thought that this would interfere with my career. But I did it once, then again, and it turned out that sometimes it’s even beneficial to look a little strange.
You are not expected to be a competent specialist. Especially men in the regions. You are funny, small, and your hair is green, what can you know? And you are once - and on an equal footing - capable of speaking, and sometimes even finishing with an argument. The effect of surprise. It helps me.
My favorite is when, at a meeting on Skype, when I was arguing about a very serious problem in the launch of a new work regulation, the camera accidentally turned on and I became not only audible, but also visible. And on the side of the head office, after my tirade, they heard: “Mashenka, you are all lilac.” In response, I asked if there would be anything relevant to the case, and received: “Why didn’t you show us what you look like before? You make your point very convincingly.”
Once upon a time during an interview they asked how I would negotiate with partners and potential clients, if I look like a girl from a Japanese cartoon. Then I left this interview, then they called me to work, but I decided not to.
If you look expensive and neat, it doesn't matter what color your hair is. Overgrown roots, unclear spots and split ends are annoying regardless of the color, and if everything is neat, it only irritates the most notorious conservatives.
Daria Nekipelova, 25 years old, employee of a brokerage company, Novosibirsk
I wanted blue hair for five years. I started growing them especially for this purpose, so that I had something to paint. I've had blue hair for a year and a half now. I work in the financial sector, but I don’t communicate directly with clients. Although the team is young (23-33 years old), some conservatives did not appreciate my change of style, and when they found out how much money I paid for it (in fact, taking into account bleaching, coloring and care - not so much), they generally laughed .
Someone joked kindly, saying that for that kind of money we could paint you ourselves with a marker. One colleague actually spat and said, “I can’t look at you calmly, what a cruel thing.” But he got used to it too. I wasn’t offended, I knew that he liked something completely different, so I didn’t worry.
In our company we have a database with all employees - photo, full name, internal phone number, and so on. A couple of months ago we changed the photos on these cards. I mainly work with managers from Moscow by phone, that is, they have never seen me in person. And for some, the pattern simply broke - they called and asked, “Do you really have blue hair?” No, honey, it's an optical illusion. There were also those who spoke not very pleasantly in the spirit of “why are you doing this to yourself, huh?” The question, why and why, is generally asked quite often. I usually answer: “Why not?”
Another employee told me that a girl MUST be natural (apparently, she owes it to him personally): “Naturality is like the cherry on the cake.” Here's how.
But now they can’t imagine me with a natural hair color, they always ask: “What color is next, or maybe I can make you lavender? Don’t you want to make the transition to red?” Sometimes I think it's theirs own desires, they just haven’t decided yet and want to try it on me first.
Little children react funny: “Mom, look, auntie has blue hair, is she a fairy?” Nice as hell. Children love to stare, adults, on the contrary, try to show with all their appearance that they do not notice. In general, the reaction is rather neutral. Someone says: “Wow, cool!” Moreover, you will never guess from whom to expect what reaction. I was very pleased when the conductor on the tram showered me with compliments about my hair: “Every time I see you, I couldn’t be happier.”
Over the past year and a half, there have been many more people with colored hair in Novosibirsk, which certainly makes me happy. I would like to believe that I, too, pushed them toward some bright changes and experiments through my example.
