SOUTHWORDS
December 1969
Hair length hinders job seekers
Many boys are being faced with the decision between getting a ob or cutting their hair. Segveral Park Ridge merchants are not interested in hiring boys with particularly long hair or "just a hippie" as one manager put it.
The manager stated, "I want a boy to look like a boy. If he looks like a girl, I won't hire him."
Another manager, when asked if he took appearance and particularly hair into consideration when he hired a boy, said, "Definitely. He must be clean-cut, well-groomed." He mentioned that if an employee grew his hair while he held the job, he would have to choose between losing his job or cutting his hair.
Though such an attitude seemed to be prevalent, there were other opinions. One employer stated that he didn't think hair was a fair basis to judge anyone. He remarked he hires boys with long hair and reports that he has never had any customer complaints about it. He said that he wouldn't fire a boy for reasons concerning his hair, no matter how long it was.