Hair Accessories?

I pause in my Sabbath preparations to ask the PeaceBangers of Beauty:

What hair accessories are appropriate and inappropriate for women of the cloth?

Plastic banana clips – tacky and 1980’s.
Headbands — can be lovely, can be too Alice In Wonderlandy.
Cute barrettes in short hair — nice if you’re under 30, and then only off-duty
Nice barrettes in long hair — just fine
Bobby pins — not if they’re visible! For the love of God! (Reminding PB of the time she watched a senior female colleague preaching with lank, grey hair held back by at least 20 bobby pins that glinted every time she turned her head)
Vaguely ethnic cotton headwrap – fine if you do it neatly, but it should be a comfortable, confident part of your “look”

Comments? Opinions? Thoughts on hair management in the pulpit?


PeaceBang recommends:
Aveda Firmata hairspray

One Reply to “Hair Accessories?”

  1. Hair in the pulpit is tricky. Putting my long hair in a standard bun makes me look severe, putting it in a pony-tail generates comments of “cute,” and leaving it down keeps people from being able to see my face as I preach. (I have big hair.)

    I’ve found some hairstyle solutions in buns and twists reminiscent of the Victorian era. The “Gibson Tuck” is a good start for a tucked-in bun–looks less severe than a standard bun. A French Braid with the bottom of the braid tucked under and pinned works well. A partial French Twist works, too, but not the full French Twist which looks too stewardess-like on me.

    As for accessories, I agree with PB’s suggestions, and emphasize that bobby-pins ought to match hair color when used–it makes them blend in a lot better. I’ve seen the pins in black, blondish, and silver. I’m also big on wearing metal-free ponytail holders that match one’s own hair color.

    I think that, ideally, there is some degree of softness and accessibility in a minister’s hairstyle, whether male, female, or transgender. Perhaps this search for softness is what makes so many of short-haired men ministers grow beards. Hmmmm… I’ll ponder that.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *