Daily affirmations of a word mercenary
I have this long-standing rule about not writing about work on Electrolicious, but I have to bend the rule for a moment to make this statement: Microsoft loves pink hair. Seriously. There is not a single day that I work in Redmond that someone doesn’t dish the love for my pink hair. MS sets the standard on casual workplace attire, and while I knew that shoes were optional, I wasn’t expecting the levels of excitement over the hair — it feels like any day my colleagues may strip off their clothes with sheer glee and dance down the street singing about pink hair and waving their arms. Who needs Silverlight when there’s PINK FUCKING HAIR?! I’m starting to think the Evil Empire’s reputation may soon be crushed by its secret obsession for rainbow hair. I am now picturing Steve Ballmer curled up in his office with some My Little Ponies, braiding their tails and cooing “pretty, pretty pink hair.”
Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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harryh
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:23 pm
When I first interviewed at MS I had a mohawk. No one seemed to think much of it one way or the other.
Restless Reader
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:54 pm
When I started working as a contractor for MSFT in ‘97, I had lavender hair. Most people seemed to like it.
lily
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:07 pm
see? everyone loves your pink hair! LONG LIVE THE PINK!
Ellen
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:10 pm
My grandmother loved my pink hair. It was only pink for a year or two but she talked about it as if that’s how I always kept it. I think it encapsulated something about my… My Little Pony personality? And she was proud that she MIGHT BE A GRANDMOTHER, but she’ll have you know, she LOVES HER GRANDDAUGHTER’S PINK HAIR!!! (Same story for the full-back tattoo.)
So maybe - they MIGHT WORK AT MICROSOFT, but they’re goofy-cool enough to LOVE PINK HAIR!!!
Sara
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:54 am
The only reason I want to work for MSFT is so I can wear my flip-flops and favorite jeans to work EVERY EFFIN DAY. For real. Casual dress code = my idea of heaven.
DOUG.
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:11 pm
You work at Microsoft?!
Ariel
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Yup: since February!
dr.dave
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:36 pm
My question is… if they wear “casual attire” to work… how can you spot the Microsoft employees? Or is it just that within a certain radius of Redmond EVERYONE is a Microsoft employee. Inquiring minds (who are visiting Seattle this week) want to know!
Ariel
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Pretty much everyone in Redmond works for Microsoft — 75,000 employees vs. 46,000 residents. When you get into Seattle it’s harder to tell. Look for the teal parking cards on people’s rear-view mirrors.
Kell
May 25th, 2007 at 9:58 am
My friend Hannah has pink hair and has worked there for years. Although they laid her off and rehired her a few times, I think.