I overheard a conversation at Ripley today between two female singers about bangs and how they affect your appearance. One girl walked into the holding room and spotted a friend she knew and they ran towards each other and did the greeting thing. Then the other girl said, “Omg, you cut your bangs, I love them!” to which the first girl responded, “Ugh, my agent is going to kill me.”
She proceeded to tell her that she had done this once before and that her agent straight up told her that bangs make you look too specific and that she wasn’t supposed to cut them, at least during audition season. She told the other girl that, sure enough, the first time she cut her hair, she actually booked less work when she had bangs than she did with the more neutral long hair.
The other girl was shocked. She actually said, “BANGS?! Come on, BANGS?!” To which the first girl replied, “I know…I absolutely love my bangs and it makes me so sad that I can’t have them all the time.”
Damn. I was as taken aback as anyone else, but man, did I relate. Every day I worry about how my hair color, lip color, hair style and length, clothing, and skin shade will affect the opinions of casting directors. With my purple hair shift last year, I developed a bit of a darker look and I constantly worried that my look didn’t quite match with the brand that I was trying to portray, based on my type. Were my purple hair, dark eyes, and black lip making it that much more difficult to be mentally placed in anything but contemporary pieces? It’s a tough dichotomy between going in the room and “being yourself” verses going in there suggesting a legit character like Marian Paroo or Laurey Williams. This worry alone has delayed me from getting the tattoos I’d like or cutting my hair shorter than shoulder length. I know many would argue that I need to just be myself and do what makes me happy and let the casting directors take it or leave it, but this one is tough for me. I don’t mind keeping a more neutral appearance for now if it means more job opportunities in the future. I’ve tried instead to express myself outside of the audition room with clothes/accessories and keep my natural features as much as possible (at least during audition season). I know many will have stronger convictions about this than I do, but being in an image driven industry means that sometimes we may face these types of challenges. Would you consider altering your appearance to fit your type as another method of sacrifice for your career?
