Dreadlocks in Finance

Im a  freshman undergrad. I have short dread right now ( above my shoulders) also keep them braided on the back of my head so it wont cover my ears and people can see my face. I know my hair style isnt "client friendly" but will it play a huge part in internship offers. p.s im looking to go into s&t or Ib

 
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If you are black, I think that this is not as bad an idea as if you are white. Dreadlocks are a common hairstyle in the black community. With all the DEI stuff going on these days, I don't think it will put you out of the running. Different ethnic groups have different types of hair that is managed differently and dreadlocks work well for certain types of hair. Although, short crop hair is likely your "safest" bet. 

 

I think I’ve seen one analyst with them. You’re  good as long as it’s well maintained, relatively short, and looks clean. You don’t want to look like Derrick Henry.

 

If you’re wearing a suit, it should cancel out lol. Definitely keep them tied back. If you have glasses or can wear some blue lights or something that could actually give you a unique look that would still make you look “smart” with the glasses. Just my 2 cents with the info I have though. Like someone said above, clean cut is best, but you can definitely make it work

 

Have never seen them in finance but as other posters have said just keep them tidy, naturally colored and back/off of your face and behind your ears. Could be a pretty dope look paired w/ suit or businesses casual and maybe even glasses. Clean cut is always the safest bet however, goes for all races/ethnicities. You don't want to be the guy that gets remembered for physical appearance whether its a flashy suit, watch or hairstyle etc. Same rules apply to college athletes with lax flow haha. Don't roll in the office looking like Fernando Tatis Jr or Trevor Laurence for that matter. 

 

The tough answer is no, it's best not to have. Despite all the progression the industry has seen / is going through, finance is still conservative and yes unless you are African American then having dreads will work against you. It's unfortunate but a reality 

 

Have a black friend in IB with a hairstyle similar to how you described, I think it should be fine. To be fair though, they only started the look after they got a FT offer. It just comes down to your risk tolerance. In this day and age, there’s a 99% chance dreads won’t affect your shots at high finance. But, it’s possible and if that’s something you’re afraid of then go conservative. It’s easier said than done, but I think a firm/industry that would ding you for dreads is one worth avoiding anyways. Same goes for POC girls with historically “unprofessional” hair, brown guys when it comes to shaving/turban, etc.

 

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