Officials facial hair and hair style

[Texas Aggie]

We have white guys that ***** and moan about grooming standards. Some want to wear their hair longer and have beards. It isn't a racial thing -- I wish I had enough hair for cornrows. I'd have to think about whether I would wear them if I could.

Anyway, a lack of conservative grooming (and I'm being broad here) will only hurt you. John Malloy wrote a book on Dress for Success in the '70s, with updates later. He painstakingly took surveys from individuals shown pictures of men dressed differently -- different color over coats, different color suits, etc. He didn't ask "which one looks better." He asked questions like, "which one makes more money," or "which one would you respect more as a boss," or "which one would you buy (x) from?" He laid out clearly what type of people (mostly by income) like what type of clothing. When you watch a Presidential debate, the candidates will ALWAYS be wearing a dark navy suit (and white shirt). There's a reason for that. As a trial attorney, I wear dark gray suits (I don't like navy and have never owned one) and a white shirt to every trial. I don't wear anything but a white shirt with a suit, though I'll wear something else with a sport coat -- almost always without a tie.

You can't change your race, gender, height, hair color (for the most part), etc., but you can change your grooming appearance, weight, etc. Your navy blue suit for officiating may be a little different than mine (depending on location), but its pretty similar: conservative grooming, no facial hair, short hair, and no pop culture icon styles -- regardless of which popular culture you follow.