For over a year Maren Stumme-Diers (‘08) has been known as “the girl with the dreads.” Her hairstyle has given her an identity at Luther, and she is not alone in her choice of an interesting and unique hairstyle. From dreadlocks to mohawks, shaved heads to manly ponytails, Luther students and staff exhibit an array of different hairstyles out of convenience, self-expression and rebellion.

Two of Stumme-Diers’ friends spent a total of six hours forming her dreadlocks the fall of her junior year.

“I thought they’d be easy, convenient, fun and different — something I couldn’t do later in life, so I thought, ‘why not?’” said Stumme-Diers.

Stumme-Diers acknowledges the stereotypes that accompany many hairstyles, especially the environmentalist, hippie, pot-smoking, radical view of those who have dreadlocks (She does not attach herself to many of these descriptions).

“It’s interesting to have a hairstyle that has a lot of preconceived notions with it,” she said.

Assistant professor of Sociology Brett Johnson uses hairstyle in a lesson to teach students about societal norms within cultures.

“For most people, unique haircuts are a way to stand out and get mostly positive attention,” said Johnson. “I decided to shave strange, random patterns in my hair, go to class and analyze the arbitrary cultural standards of grooming habits.”

Johnson usually keeps his strange haircut for about 24 hours while introducing the topic of cultural differences.

Visiting Instructor of Philosophy David Reed-Maxfield, who cuts his hair only once every two or three years, takes a more permanent approach in violating the norms associated with hair.

Although Reed-Maxfield says he simply likes long hair on men and thinks that long hair is a part of gender rebellion.

Teaching gender studies has prompted him to ask, “Why should men have short hair and women have long?”

Reed-Maxfield, who has not cut his hair for three and a half years, says that another part of his motivation comes from not wanting to grow up. He acknowledges that many think it is acceptable to be rebellious and “bohemian” in a person’s younger years but then one is supposed to mature.

Reed-Maxfield, who has worked to defy the necessity to conform to the corporate look, says his hairstyle involves a “refusal to look respectable.”

Carson Bruns (‘08) also boasts a long head of hair, but for a different reason than Reed-Maxfield.

“I hate haircuts, that’s the main reason,” said Bruns. “I’d rather go to the dentist [than the barber shop].”

Bruns, who has chin-length hair with a bit of natural curl, has gotten it trimmed once in the past two and a half years.

“I always feel like I made a mistake when I get [a haircut], like I look stupid,” said Bruns. “It kind of hurts too, because since I don’t take care of my hair they have to comb through the knots.”

Bruns finds his carefree hairstyle convenient, as he can just wake up and go without even brushing it.

In contrast to Bruns’ low-maintenence hairstyle, student Brent Gerike (‘09) was forced to shave his temporary mohawk because it was too demanding.

“I had to say goodbye because it was just too high-maintenance for me,” he said. “I’m not a gel person, and I just got sick of putting it up every morning.”

Originally Gerike had planned to buzz his hair, but he decided that was too boring, and just cut the sides instead.

“Consciously it wasn’t an expression of myself but I guess it was more than I thought,” said Gerike. “Some people see me as this tip-toeing pastor’s kid, but who knows, I just might show up with a tattoo next fall.”

Despite the conscious effort to stand out made by a number of Luther students, there are also those, like Isaac White (‘08) whose uniqueness is not a matter of choice. White says his quirky, curly locks are completely natural.

Although he has grown to accept and appreciate his curly hair, it wasn’t always easy in the past.

“I was called ‘Curly Sue’ for the first eight years of my life,” said White. “When I was younger it was kind of traumatizing.”

Fortunately, White has been able to adapt and appreciate his uniquely curly hair.

Similar to White, Jacob Hellman’s (‘10) choice to grow his hair out was largely based on his childhood experiences.

His attendance at a private Catholic high school forced him to have short hair, so he took advantage of the new freedom of expression when he arrived at Luther. He cut his shoulder-length hair over spring break, donating 10 inches to an organization that provides hair prosthetics to children with cancer.

“It was just long enough to give to Locks of Love,” said Hellman.

In addition to meeting the minimum length requirements to donate to the non-profit organization, Hellman also knew he would have to cut his hair for internship interviews and job purposes.

Johnson says the college atmosphere is a common and socially acceptable place for students to experiment with different or unusual lifestyle choices before they enter the secular world.

“You see many unconventional haircuts and piercings disappear as people enter the job market as interviewees attempt to portray themselves as conventional, hardworking and willing to conform to the norms and authority structure of the institution,” said Johnson.

Luther College proves to be no different in the experimentation of new and unique hairstyles, and who knows what styles will be seen on campus next?

“Not to say I’m a trendsetter, but there are a few more mohawks now than there were before,” said Gerike.