Beauty Tips for Ministers

Pigtails May Be Hip, But They’re Not Ministerial

May 8, 2008 on 3:36 pm | In Clergy Image, Hair |

SweetieBang and I are heading into a time of “see ya later, Stranger” because of his work hours combined with the intensive course on congregational discernment I am starting tomorrow (with a paper due every day!!). Since we both had yesterday relatively free we decided to go sightseeing in Salem, MA. I knew I’d be far out of town and put my hair up in little pigtails, wrapped with a print cotton scarf:

The scarf routine is my typical vacation look.

A pretty, zaftig gal about my age working at the local cafe was wearing long pigtails and I thought they were cute and told her so. “You’ve got to stay young somehow!” was her reply, and I thought exactly…and there’s a time for that and a time NOT to do that. This type of hairdo is fun when we’re not in work mode, but pigtails and derivations thereof can scream “LITTLE GIRL” and should therefore be assiduously avoided when we’re pastoring. That goes for cutesy barrettes and any style that prompts you to look in the mirror and say, “I wonder if that looks too immature for me.” Fellas, you can look too boyish, too, if you slick your hair to the side like a first grader going in for his school portrait, so keep an eye on your own mop, too. And for God’s sake, no pigtails on you!!

And no, braiding the pigtails doesn’t make them any more appropriate for professional wear, nor does wearing two messy buns as I did a few months ago when I was trying new fun clips and was enjoying my longer hair. Hey, how can I advise you if I don’t make some bloopers myself?