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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

If you wore it the first time around...

krishnidoux

Veteran

... this time, do it better!

Playing with my Japanese Fontaine wig (featured here https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-style), I somewhat stumbled on this look and it's growing on me!

Here I am using the wig as a hair topper. The ginger longer strands underneath are my natural hair. The whole thing has a vague Theresa Caputo shape, yet to me it feels more like a die hard rocker Quebec girl from the 20th century. A kinf of midlong mullet ... and I'm digging it!

Please, please, tell me: have I become completely delusional?

The edginess of this "do" prompted me towards more 80's punkish attires such as the one below, hence the title of this thread.

Do you think I can go teach like this?

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Dressing

17 replies

Latest reply was from shiny

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I think you could probably teach in this if this was who you were every day. Right now, though, I feel like you’re using your wigs and your wardrobe to “try on” different identities. I seem to recall you’ve been going through a transitional phase in your life, and the wardrobe play seems like a healthy way of experimenting with your identity and making the most of this time.

I wonder, though, if such radical shifts might hinder your relationships with students, or make it hard for them to relate to you because they feel like you’re in costume? Or maybe you’re already comfortable in a reputation as someone who is constantly changing and presenting different faces to the world? It just seems like something to think through one way or the other.

Joy

Veteran

Jenn makes some good points. Maybe ask some of your colleagues what they think

Kathie

Veteran

I think it really depends on the students. My middle schooler would think a teacher who changed their hair and look every day was fun. And, having just been to back-to-school night, there. are definitely a few teachers with quirky personalities, including a Latin teacher with a modern retro, somewhat bouffant ‘do. But, we live in an area where being an edgy public middle school teacher is ok, and the kids generally have very stable lives, so they can distinguish between fun/trying on identities and something that’s more chaotic. My husband teaches high school in a different demographic, and I think the kids there gravitate to his geeky, “always sipping tea in a button-down, tie, and khakis” persona. Which is a long way of saying that it really depends on your context. The good thing about the age you teach is that I doubt they’re shy on sharing opinions. So, they’ll probably let you know when it’s too much.

krishnidoux

Veteran

I forgot to mention I teach college level.

Are you put off by this shaggy mullet though?

cindysmith

Veteran

I like the shaggy 'do.

And we had a French professor at LSU-Shreveport who would wear these wild color wigs from time to time. Like, she had a cotton-candy pink wig, a cotton candy blue wig, and a green one that was tonally similar. She would match most of her outfit to the wig.

It was random and it was weird, but it was fun. Had she been a professor teaching accounting or marketing, it would have been a bit bizarre & hard to take her as seriously. But she taught French, and studied French literature and authors, so it was ok.

That said, your wig isn't green or purple, so I wouldn't think it would be a problem to wear to teach.

Kathie

Veteran

I’m truly not qualified to comment on mullets, much less two-toned ones. But, I’m not put off by it, more thinking, “Hmm, that’s interesting.” If I worked with you, I’d probably enjoy seeing which wig you wore each day. There’s one woman on my floor who changes up her hair almost daily- sometimes natural and short, other days chin length and blow-out smooth, and other days a mass of long blond curls. It’s clearly not her real hair, but I love that she has fun with it.

Style Fan

Veteran

I think you look amazing and I love how your creativity is showing in the outfits.
I don't know how to answer your question about teaching in this outfit and your institution. Jenn made some good points. I had a philosophy professor in university who wore different wigs (I am assuming she had some sort of condition that left her with sparse or no hair) to lectures. Her life and ideas were more interesting than her appearance but university students might be at a different stage in their development than your students.

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

I absolutely love this mullet look- very Joan Jett, or something. No opinion on whether it is work appropriate, but definitely try it for a full-on punk night out, live music show, something like that!

Jules

Veteran

I’m not sure about work either. I really have no sense of what CEGEP culture or student/teacher relationships there are like. Do you have rapport/relationships with individuals or is it more of a lecturer on stage type situation? Do you feel the students respond differently to teachers based on their style?
I love this look however! Love the ‘mullet’. You’re really so pretty and I like what you’re doing with your eyebrows. This look has a strong style while still harmonizing with you.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Susie Quattro lives!fab tartan strides!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

The mullet looks very 2018.

LaPed

Veteran

Agree with you, Jessikams and Cardiff Girl. Definitely a girl rocker vibe here. Love it. Especially with the plaid pants. That long black coat is amazing, too.

Re: teaching, I'm not sure how comfortable I would be changing up my appearance on a daily basis. Like Jenn and others have mentioned, it depends on the students and your relationship with them. Right now I work with much younger children who really benefit from consistency and predictability in order to establish trust. But even with young adults, I always want to maintain some level of consistency and stability in the classroom; I try to be a constant in a room full of variables. Teaching is, of course, a performance, but I want the ideas to be the focal point, not my appearance.

Gaylene

Veteran

I believe everyone ought to have fun with fashion, even if it’s the second—or third—or whatever— time around. So big thumbs up exploring your different options!

The teaching question, though, is a bit more nuanced. It’s my experience, after spending most of my life in front of college and university students, that , regardless of what you do, 15% will love you for it, 15%will detest it, and the remaining 70% will tolerate or ignore or just get on with it. The only hesitation that I would have about constantly changing up how I present myself to a roomful of college students is that it could be distracting and make me appear unsure of my role.

In my experience, college students are still in a formative stage of their life. They can become attached to a teacher who seems to understand their need to explore and take risks, but it can backfire on the instructor if a student has difficulty understanding the power distinction between the two roles. Having fun is important, but learning is also serious work for many students. It can be a tricky balancing act for a teacher who wants to show a playful spirit. Good luck in figuring out your boundaries for your situation.

rachylou

Veteran

Ha! I love it!

Anonymous

LOVE!

Anonymous

Not sure. I think if the wig bit had some blonde hilights it would tie it all together more. But enjoy the experiment:) Its fun to try on different identities, and no need to commit to just one!

shiny

Veteran

I love it.

I'm envious you can rock so many different looks. Have you ever considered a career in modeling or acting?