Social Experimentation

By Melissa Colabella


Today I was reading Colin Wright’s blog  on ExileLifestyle.com, titled, “I’m A Man of Many Experiments.” It got me thinking about all of the social experiments I’ve tried in my own life- all efforts conducted and completed without the awareness that I was performing an experiment at the time. 


Like Colin, I have also gone a year without television, just to see if it were possible. It’s actually a very easy habit to break when you live in NY. I also tried going on a raw food diet just to see if I could detect physical and emotional changes in my body. This wasn’t as easy.  An experiment that I’ve tried which Colin doesn’t mention comes from Dale Carnegie’s book, “How To Win Friends and Influence People.” Try to go a week without talking about yourself in conversation with others. Now try going another week without complaining (about anything), and yet another without making an excuse. This includes blaming the train for your lateness even if it wasn’t on time! I found that it was easier to dine on raw carrots for months than complete either of these tasks. 


You might be wondering why I’m discussing social experiments on a salon blog. I’ve been thinking lately about how hair consultations with clients are similar to social experiments.  Think about how significant your hairstyle is to your image. One of the questions I ask clients is whether or not they have a “professional” job, and what the corporate culture is like.  Or, if they work for themselves, what the image of their brand is.


It’s no secret that people assume personality traits based on image. For example, I’ve seen younger men completely transform themselves for an interview thinking that the image change will be more acceptable to their future employers. As a female, I’ve noticed a difference in the way I was treated by people when I wear my hair short as opposed to long.  


The truth is that this could go many ways. Does a funky hairstyle really mean that a person is an off-beat non-conformist, or are they trying extra hard to offset their normalcy through flamboyancy? Does a cookie-cutter hairstyle mean that the person wearing it has no unique or creative ideas of their own, or is his or her methodology so unique that they feel they must keep their style tame in an effort to not appear to overly eccentric? It could be neither. 


I would like to suggest a social experiment for our readers. The next time you think about your hairstyle, think about what it is that you like about it. Does it help you fit in where you would normally feel out of place? Does it make you stand out? Does it make you feel younger, older, or more successful?  Are you a minimalist and shave it off because you can’t be bothered? What is one personality trait of yours that you would like your hairstyle to speak to?  If you have made a drastic change, have other people’s first impressions or opinions of you changed? 


Let us know. Comments are welcomed!