The importance of good hair care in Mumbai.

by Really1234
(Nashville, TN)

I like to think of myself as “no nonsense”-- and I often do so to my own detriment. As a woman in engineering management, I kid myself too often into thinking that I am just being true to my “geek cred.” by not paying too much attention to style or appearance. But, the “geek” in me should know better. While on an international trip with my mid-career MBA class, I was having a really terrible set of bad hair days in humid Mumbai. I was tired and out of hair straightening product and had lost my straightening brush in Turkey. So, during a long lunch break-- I stopped in a little hair shop in the basement of the hotel we were staying in and had a “blow out”.

That evening, we had a social gathering-- which I am terrible with normally. But, I noticed that the whole evening was going better. People were coming over to talk to me, staying longer, being happier around me. And, during this successful evening, the conversation turned to the book “Blink” where the author talks about how most decisions are made with first impressions. And, the geek in me realized that I had been failing to take this into account. Taking care to look like I cared was a way to signal my other “primates” that I was someone who they might like to spend time with. The blow out was not a miracle-- it didn't make me beautiful. But, I certainly felt the benefit of being more attractive that night. I attracted others to me and had a wonderful evening because of it.