Personal Brand Stereotypes #5: Only Punks Wear Mohawks
April 9, 2008 at 11:16 am | In Personal Branding, Positioning, Reputation Management | 7 CommentsTags: mohawk, punk, stereotypes
As we continue with the many personal brand stereotypes that plague our culture, I hope you’re being more observant as to people who are wearing pink shirts or glasses and are more understanding of their situation. No one wants to be made fun of or laughed at because of what they wear. People have the freedom and enjoyment of self-expression. I don’t think I would ever see a large corporate environment hiring a hippie, without forcing them to conform. As we drift into the realm of gen-y, you will see different cultures emerge. Managers that are accepting of such stereotypes, as long as they produce.
What I’ve posted about so far:
- #1 – Tall people are basketball players
- #2 – Glasses make you look smart
- #3 – Men who wear pink are homosexual
- #4 – The Hippie Phenomenon
Today, the discussion follows all of those people who wear mohawks. I was thinking about doing this post last week and Natasha Vincent commented on my blog to remind me. A mohawk is a hairstyle, which consists of shaving either side of your head, leaving a strip of longer hair in the middle. When I say longer hair, I mean shot straight up at least 8 inches tall. The first word that comes to mind when I see someone wearing a mohawk is “punk.” The reason for this maybe that there was a massive punk subculture in the early 1980s and the mohawk was adopted by various other groups during this time.
It is expected that an individual wearing a mohawk has a lot to maintain. There may be regular shaving to maintain a clear line down the center. I think you also need to put a lot of gel on to keep it straight up. I’ve seen anywhere from short mohawks to one’s that are various colors (maybe even rainbow).
Analysis
I’ll admit it right now that I’ve been to a punk concert, where Bad Religion and Rise Against played. Both are great bands, but it was a complete culture shock for me, as I was tossed into the “mosh pit.” It was almost like these people weren’t human, but monsters with the way they wore their hair. How could I possibly take them seriously? Well it didn’t really matter at a punk rock concert, but I just couldn’t imagine interviewing them for a job. Could you even picture someone with a mohawk on the other side of the table, while you read off their resume and ask them questions? Would you laugh and think to yourself “I wish he put his picture on his resume so I could have eliminated him already”?
We talked about hippie’s already and how they made a choice and how they are unique in their own way, well a mohawk certainly makes you stand out, but maybe not for the right reasons. If you want a career as a professional skater then it might make sense and be acceptable. On the other hand, if you are looking to work for a technology company, I think it would be nearly impossible to get a job based on your hair. I know it’s crazy but it’s our culture and how we are perceived. If someone walked into my office with purple hair that would be weird enough, but a purple mohawk would be pushing it!
Would you hire someone wearing a mohawk?
Coming up next
I really want to discuss why college students are forced to take entry-level positions. “She must be an associate because she has no experienced and just graduated with a BS in marketing.” There is a stereotype that people in gen-y have menial jobs. This is a stereotype of ageism and I’ve experienced it many times, as I’ve wrestled through the personal branding orchids (think sharp thorns). If you have any other ideas of what you want me to cover in this series, please leave a comment. Looking forward to unveiling more of these as we move forward.
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haha! Great post. I saw Bad Religion (for the first time) in 1985. And I had a mohawk.
I’ve found that my 20+ years of mixed hair colors and absurd dressings that they have proven to be tremendous social filters. The people who look past the mohawk and seek to get to know the individual are far better to know and develop a relationship with.
All my mohawk/hippie friends are lawyers, doctors, sentaors and entrepreneurs with lifelong friends and stable marriages. Gives new meaning to ‘wasted youth’!
Comment by David LaPlante — April 9, 2008 #
Dan,
I have to be honest here…I wouldn’t hire someone with a mohawk no matter how qualified they were. The reason I wouldn’t want to hire them is because as an employee they are an extension of the brand…and if I were a company looking for people, I know I would want to find other “better looking” people to be extensions of the brand to paint a more positive image of the company they were working with.
Comment by Scott Bradley — April 9, 2008 #
@ David, I was looking for someone with that perspective to chime in.
Thanks!
Comment by Dan Schawbel — April 9, 2008 #
Thanks for the shout out, Dan. While there is a lot to the argument that employers should have control over their brand (right down to how their employees “look”), allowing for diversity is important, too.
While my mention of mohawks may have been on the extreme end of the spectrum, there are folks who have problems getting jobs with modest hair color or even dreadlocks.
Interviewed an image consultant about the topic a few years ago: Dreadlocks at work
Thanks for your perspective! Now, on to your “oldies” debate in this series about GenX and Boomers (we’re lumped into the same group??) being ageist
Comment by Natasha — April 10, 2008 #
Scott, I totally respect your opinion and yet only partially agree. Some brands can’t take that risk or it’s not right for them. For others, it’s not only acceptable, it’s makes for great marketing and branding. I no longer have a mohawk. I know that when I get to hang out with Senator Reid, it’s not going to advantage me in my quest to gain funding for a worthy cause. (Truth be told, it probably wouldn’t hurt me ’cause he’s cool that way.)
Example: Vail Resorts. Market cap 1.8 billion. Heavenly Ski Resort is one of their flagship resorts. The #1 resort in all of Lake Tahoe.
Their Ski.E.O: Mr. Glenn Plake. Mohawk since 1984. He’s a legend in skiing. One of the most friendly, outgoing, genuine, successful personal brands in skiing. Grew up in Heavenly. Travels the world. Owns many homes. Soooper hot wife. Kids love him. My kids adore him. I adore him.
Visitors to Heavenly flock him. Seek autographs.
He blogs, too: http://blog.skiheavenly.com/2008/03/25/glen-plake-checks-in-3/
Business isn’t always about suits and ties. Just ask Jake Burton. Richard Branson. Hugh Hefner. Malcom MacLaren. Red Bull. IMG. Benneton. Rock Racing. To name a few.
The point is not whether it’s right or not, it’s whether it’s an advantage or not for the brand(s) that you aim to enhance or extend.
I only hope that I don’t lose all my hair before I can shave another in my life. Mohawk toupee’s are hard to come by LOL.
Enjoy!
Comment by David LaPlante — April 10, 2008 #
About a year into my employment at my current company I wore a mohawk. Not a total hawk, but more than just a fro-hawk if you know what I mean…
One day the company president came it to speak with us and in talking to him after our staff meeting (not even my boss had a problem with my hair) he had trouble concentrating. He wasn’t listening and every 10 seconds he’d drift back into staring at my head, perhaps thinking, “we hired this guy?”…
Lesson: it’s distracting for others, whether they have anything against it or not. I would never have attended a formal event, presentation, meeting or anything with that hawk – but even for regular business it was proving distractive to others.
Comment by torbjornrive — April 10, 2008 #
Wow. Not sure how I have not come across this blog before, especially since your first blog (which I have to read) is about being tall, and now one about Mohawks. I’m 6′11 and have a huge mohawk that puts me over 8feet tall, I also run the mohawk hair social network at http://www.Mohawksrock.com.
My full-time job however is with pharmaceutical companies working in healthcare IT in a company with a conservative base. The people here are very comfortable with the mohawk, and really enjoy it. I think it has more to do with the way I carry myself and my disgression. I don’t wear it everyday, and certainly would not wear it on a day when clients may be visiting the office. I would also have to highly consider the culture of an office before wearing it to an interview.
I’ve had many funny encounters with the hairstyle, but more positive than not. Again, its how you carry yourself, and I usually wear a suit jacket when the mohawk is up. The contrast is interesting, but also takes any edge off of people worrying about you being a “monster in the pit”, especially at such an imposing size of 300+ pounds.
Surprisingly, one of the big topics always on mohawksrock.com is talking about companies and how some people are required to shave their mohawks off for some jobs. The people there wish they wouldn’t have to, want to find jobs where they can have it, but are also very understanding of the corporate culture.
I look forward to reading more of this blog.
Comment by Giant Mohawk Man — April 15, 2008 #