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Opinions: Would you have sacked this man?

Saturday 04 July 1992 23:02 BST
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Kevin Lloyd won compensation after being unfairly dismissed because he has a 12in pony tail.

JOOLS HOLLAND, performer: I wouldn't say 'Get that hair cut' but I would say 'Get that hair down'. I do have a problem with pony-tails on contemporary men: they smack of trendy American executives. I had one man in my band who wore a pony-tail and I told him he looked appalling. He did let it down, he looked far more sexy, and the acoustics were better too.

BARONESS DENTON, Minister for Small Firms and Consumer Affairs: I can't think of anything I would draw the line at, and if a man in my employment had a pony-tail I would probably admire his style.

PATRICK HALPIN, image consultant: I might say something like 'In my opinion, you won't represent me well with long hair.' For some jobs, long hair is like someone working in the City of London wearing greasy overalls, or a car mechanic in white tie and tails.

ROSE DEAKIN, computer executive: A mohican or blue hair wouldn't really be acceptable, but a pony-tail would be fine in our company - provided the man didn't carry other associations of hippiedom. We have a lot of very traditional customers, and part of what we're selling is our image.

GEORGE THOMAS, barber: There is nothing wrong with a man having long hair any more than there is with a woman with very short hair. If you go back in history men always had long hair, and women sometimes didn't have any - they wore wigs.

SARA CORBETT, student: That pony-tail probably represents years of achievement - hair grows very slowly. A pony-tail is hardly outrageous, of course he shouldn't have been sacked. If they didn't like his nose they wouldn't ask him to have a nose job and it's that kind of personal thing. Long hair isn't sloppy, it takes a lot of upkeep.

ROY WOOD, rock musician: A computer engineer can look like a giraffe so long as his programs work. A pony-tail is a very practical way to have long hair: I always have one when I'm in the studio, then take the elastic out at weekends. Nowadays people tend to take the mick and say it's a yuppie thing.

JONATHAN SAYERS, stockbroker: It would not be acceptable at my firm. People would fall about laughing. It's too trendy and we're a serious oufit. Having said that, you shouldn't sack a man for it.

(Photograph omitted)

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