Open Thread — Ponytails at the Office: Yea or Nay?
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Recently, we were watching the trailer for the new Sandra Bullock movie, The Proposal, and were struck by the fact that, yet again, Hollywood portrays a savvy business woman wearing a high ponytail. Which brought up a few questions in our minds — are high ponytails appropriate? What about low ponytails?
{related: easy office updos (which included some ponytail looks)}
We've heard of some girls who have a limit on the number of days a week they can wear a low ponytail at the office — yet another, curly-haired friend of ours said she felt it made her hair look neater than if she wore it loose, and, thus, always wears a ponytail. Similarly, some of our friends insist a low ponytail makes them look older and more professional, while other friends worry the ponytail makes them look younger.
{related: how to style long hair for interviews}
For our $.02, our dislike of the high ponytail has always been more about comfort — the elastic always starts to make our head and our hair hurt after a while. Also, that's our general look when we work out, which makes it seem too… depressing, given that working, working out, and sleeping are the main things we do, with a few nights of “going out” thrown into the mix, as well.
{related: do ponytails count as professional hairstyles?}
As for the low ponytail, we have no problems with it. It's certainly our look of choice after the secretaries have left for the day and we're settling in for a long night of work (that or a very messy bun) — but that said, as long as the ponytail is neat we see no reason why women can't wear it as part of their working wardrobe.
Personally, both as a way to deal with layers and as a way to add some volume to the look, we've been a fan of what we've always thought of as a half-Gibson Girl ponytail, twisting the hair back around itself, as better explained in this YouTube video by xFLYNNIEx (end look pictured at right). But then we worry that we've looked a bit like John Adams or something . (We've worn it with the ponytail in the back, not to the side, as she does.)
What do you guys think? Are ponytails acceptable? Should there be a limit on days, or on timing that you wear it? Is there an age limit on certain styles, in one direction or the other? Are there any comfortable elastics you use? What about the side ponytail — they're definitely coming back. Is it inappropriate to be worn at an office where people inevitably have actual memories of the '80s? (Should we run a poll on this? Let us know in comments.)
Psst: Below, find some of our favorite hair accessories for work as of 2025. Note that some of our long-standing favorite brands for quality, durability, comfort and styling include Ficcare and France Luxe. For more affordable options (which may not last as long), keep an eye out at Anthropologie, Ann Taylor, and J.Crew stores (including J.Crew Factory and Madewell). Also: Kat loves these flat elastics.
Some hair accessories we've featured recently include these!
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I wear my hair up almost every day. In fact, I recently wore it down and was asked by no less than 4 people if I had gotten a haircut/told my “new” haircut looked nice. It hadn’t been cut at all, but it was such a change of pace to see it down everyone assumed I had done something new to it. My hair is too fine and easily tangled to wear down all the time, plus it tickles my face if I am trying to read, and I play with the loose strands. I have kept it long most of my life and have quite the collection of hair bands/clips/claws/sticks etc, so I can always make it look professional if need be. For others with long hair, or thick hair that causes headaches when pulled up all day, I recommend a loose braid, starting low on the neck. It keeps the hair back and tidy, but with less pulling on the scalp.
I think that this article is evidence that Corporette should have an article about what we SHOULD be doing with our hair. I am a 30 year old government attorney with a LOT of long, thick, semi-wavy hair. (Stylists make me book extra time for the cut and style). I have a two year old and workout in the morning and simply do not have the minimum 1 hour (really) it takes to do a blowout. Even when I cut my hair shoulder length it took forever to make my hair look smooth and polished. Typically the semi-wave kicks in after a few hours and it looks messy again. The only solution is the flat iron but for that my hair has to be completely dry … and again it takes about 30 minutes for that. The ponytail has been my savior. It’s quick and polished. So if that is off the table … now what?! What is a young professional working mother supposed to do?! How about a powdered wig?
I prefer ponytails, low, with all the hair firmly secured away from the face, with no obvious accessories including: scrunchies, bows, clips (large or small), or chopsticks. High ponytails can do that swinging back and forth thing that reminds me of Jan Brady. A french twist where all the hair is secured away from the face (and where no accessories are visible) or a bun is okay too. Generally speaking, I just hate it when women have hair all over the place, whether her hair is up or down. It looks sloppy!
Also, am I the only one who thinks bangs look really sloppy and unprofessional? I know they’re in right now or whatever, but I hate seeing them, especially considering so few women wear them well or keep them from being all over the place!
Not too many guys jumping in so I guess I will. High tails seem fitting for young, active lifestyles, careers or activities. Low is more professional or formal but certainly not indicative of older or slower lifestyle in my opinion. I also believe high tails look best on slender neck lines.
I think low and high ponytails are perfectly acceptable for the office. There are a variety of styles that are all perfectly acceptable. I worked at BigLaw years ago and some of the associates (who were well regarded) had very long hair that they wore down loose. Long hair down is definitely not a problem in many (if not most) firms. Sandra Bullock looks very professional with her high pony and also very current and younger than she would look with a bun. She personally looks more attractive with the high pony that she probably would look with a shorter hair style. I do not want my hair falling in my face when I am working because it is annoying to me. I do the pony or the front half up/back half down style. The low ponytail is probably a bit more conservative so perhaps better for formal meetings. Several commented that the problem with the high pony is that the tail moves. I have thick, curly hair that does not really move at all when it is in the high ponytail so the swishing of the tail is a non-issue for me. I think some swishing on straight haired women would be fine too — especially if you are dressed professionally and carry yourself with confidence.
I have no problem with pony tails (either high or low), as long as they look professional. For me personally, a pony is only an emergency option because my shoulder-length wavy/curly hair doesn’t lay smooth.
My usual hair style is a french twist held with a variety of combs, pins and chop sticks. I will, on occasion wear a banana clip, and let the curls go in the back. I don’t wear it loose for work because within a few hours, I look like a refugee from the summer of love. At a minimum, I’ll pull the sides back with some combs to reduce the volume.
About two years ago, I went to a business leadership conference where we specifically had a seminar on women’s workplace attire.
We were taught that women with hair longer than 2 inches below the shoulder should always pull their hair back, as loose hair was considered unprofessional. I was used as an example for appropriate hair – I was wearing a high pony with my hair looped around the elastic to cover it. I’ve kind of stuck to that ever since, and I feel that as long as your hair is neat and out of your face, it shouldn’t be a problem.
I ride a motorcycle and work in an office so I wear ponytails when I ride to work. I really don’t see anything wrong with it. My hair stays out of my face and looks neat not wind blown.