The elephant, the ponytail and the PR professor

I turn 57 this weekend, so don’t call me on Saturday. I plan to drink heavily.

The year without a haircut

This week also marks the first anniversary of NOT cutting my hair. Yep. Been groomin’ the freak flag for 12 months now. And I’m standing by the rationale I laid out in this post last February.

Because I can.

The elephant I spoke of last winter remains in the room. Few people comment on the hair thing. Some, I’m sure, think it impolite to ask about my eccentricity. Those who’ve read my bio or follow my Twitter stream know I’m just an old Dead Head who’s truckin’ through the last decade of a long strange trip.

Thanks for humoring me.

But what about the kids? As an educator of tomorrow’s PR professionals, the long hair and cargo pants don’t exactly present a role model for the business. On the other hand, as Kent State’s resident social media personal, I gotta be authentic. What you see is what you get.

Spiritually, this ponytail has been on my back since I was 13 — and the first kid in the neighborhood to wear Beatle boots and bell bottoms. I couldn’t physically grow the tail thanks to my while-collar career. But I knew it was back there, and it gave me the courage to rise above the corporate and agency drones. (That didn’t always go well!)

To be fair, a 50something professor with a ponytail isn’t all that unusual on my campus. This is Kent State, after all. If you can’t be a little radical here, there’s something fundamentally amiss in your soul.

Is a ponytail a good look for me? Hell no. But I’m committed now. There’s no turning back. No admitting defeat.

So as I celebrate yet another birthday this weekend, I look forward to another year of growth — straight down the middle of my back.

Of course, if my wife says it has to go, it has to go. I’ll do anything for that lady. But she knows better than to ask.

11 thoughts on “The elephant, the ponytail and the PR professor

  1. Looks great Bill. Who says it’s not a good look for you? If you like it, that’s what matters. Your appearance and career aren’t truly dissonant. I see you as a great role model – students need to realize that professionals should be selling their skills, and hopefully not their soul. Might your appearance cost you a few accounts? Probably yes. But are those the accounts you would be comfortable working with? Probably no. The cannabis industry is budding very nicely and will certainly need some skilled PR pro’s in the months to come.

    Jerry

  2. @ Kami. I’ll take all the love I can gather!

    @ Jerry. PR for Pot! Hey, someone’s gonna may a ton of money on that campaign, though it could be argued that the product kinda sells itself. Lot of regulatory issues lie ahead, which means an acute need for PR counsel. If Prop #19 passes, we enter a new era.

    @ Blair. I’m ready to fire all of my guns at once, but a little hesitant about “exploding into space.” But WTF?

    @ Breeze. You Xers are just to young to be “groovy.”

  3. Bill, think of all the cool stuff you’ll be able to do with your waist-length hair. Braids of all styles, up-dos, not to mention using it as a duster … the possibilities are endless. 😉

  4. Albert. You are the second person today to grant me a doctorate. I don’t have one (nor do I particularly want one), but I’m guessing KSU will come up with an “honorary” provided I pony up enough cash. I’ll consider it, but I want to be commencement speaker and use the president’s parking spot.

    Back on campus? I am. Did I leave?

    As for Outlook? My MacBook doesn’t get it, so let’s make it by email. Look forward to it.

  5. My husband says you’ve been flying your freak flag for closer to 20 years… Way back in the day when you came onto the campus.

  6. Do you still believe having a pony-tail in the PR-business is such a negative trait?

    Guess mine needs to be cut of soon in that case since I’m starting to get more and more contacts in the business life now…

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