The bright and the bold: Hair trend makes its way through Middle Georgia

Self-expression allows us to be the most authentic versions of who we are. We become the best versions of ourselves when we freely express our inner thoughts and feelings.

Commonly, freedom of expression manifests itself in our choice of clothes, shoes or hairstyles. A trendy form of self expression that has risen in popularity in recent years is nontraditional hair colors.

This bold form of self-expression is no longer a trend seen only on celebrities like singer Katy Perry, who has sported every shade under the sun.

Bright hues of purple, blue, green or pink can be seen dancing around the faces of women in Middle Georgia more recently than in the past.

As few as 10 years ago, nontraditional hair color was frowned upon in the professional workforce and being successful was difficult unless one assimilated to society’s limitations on self expression.

“I am surprised in places that it is still taboo,” said Macon’s Leila Regan-Porter, whose current tresses range from purple to blue. “Accountants and lawyers compliment my hair and I wonder why they compliment me and can’t do what I do with my hair.”

Professions focused in arts and creativity such as photography, fashion or music have been more open to the trend.

Hayley Williams, singer in the alternative rock band Paramore, has rocked flaming orange locks for the majority of her career. A freedom that her career choice has given her, the music industry has praised the striking nature of her hair. From articles in Spin Magazine to Buzzfeed, it’s a frequent topic of conversation in interviews with Williams.

Regan-Porter began her journey with vibrant hair when she was a hair model for Vidal Sassoon as a college student in Atlanta. The stylist dyed Regan-Porter’s hair bold shades of orange and red, and she said her colleagues didn’t hesitate to to comment with conflicting opinions about her hair.

“When I got back to work they said, ‘You look like a pumpkin.’ And I said, ‘But a cool pumpkin, right?’ ” Regan-Porter said.

Now, Regan-Porter works as the administrative assistant for the Otis Redding Foundation, and is the marketing co-chair for Bragg Jam.

“I am very lucky that my job allows me to be more expressive with my hair,” Regan-Porter said.

Throughout the years, she has watched as popular opinion of nontraditional hair colors has shifted.

“Quirky fashion and hair colors are something that is the norm. I think it is becoming more popular because of websites like Pinterest,” Regan-Porter said.

She uses Pinterest to create “boards” of different hair colors she would like to try. This feature allows her to simply “pin” something she likes and access it later to show her stylist.

“There is a massive freedom in finding different fashions and there aren’t the same rules anymore. It is cool to do what you want,” Regan-Porter said.

The expressive nature of unnatural hair colors can be seen in more places than ever before. It has reached further than simply the creative professions.

Jessica Davis, a financial secretary at Judd Publishing Company, teacher at Pure Barre Macon and a mother of three, has dyed her hair vivid colors since age 13.

“It is fun; you should be able to be different and not judged for it,” said Davis, whose hair is currently a deep shade of eggplant.

From a young age, Davis has fought against the idea that people can judge you based solely on your appearance. The spectrum of possibilities that hair dye provides inspires her to continue to challenge others’ perceptions of her.

“It is the one part of me that I can change at will and not have terrible consequences,” Davis said.

This attitude is one that is definitely permeating the professional world, but at a slower pace. In traditionally-conservative professions such as law or medicine it is difficult to express yourself in an outward fashion and not get push-back.

Sarah Gerwig-Moore, a law professor at Mercer University’s School of Law and local lawyer has had a variety of hair colors ranging from turquoise to red. Currently she sports bright green highlights in her brown hair.

“It is an interesting conversation starter. I tend to work with open-minded people. Law is a more conservative profession but law teaching is more progressive,” Gerwig-Moore said.

Nontraditional hair colors are Gerwig-Moore’s non-permanent form of self expression.

“I have been in meetings with judges where I felt like they were wondering why I had purple hair,” she said.

Although she knows her colleagues could be judging her character because of her appearance, she remains unapologetic for her choices.

“In the fall when I am teaching, I have been asked if I will dye my hair brown for incoming students so I will look like a traditional professor, but I think (students) can figure out how to show respect to someone with turquoise hair,” Gerwig-Moore said.

This story was originally published June 25, 2017 at 10:10 AM with the headline "The bright and the bold: Hair trend makes its way through Middle Georgia."