When pop music superstar Britney Spears enbaldened herself at a Tarzana, Calif. salon last month, many media watchers and fellow celebrities were quick to categorize her actions as a cry for help or evidence of mental instability.

In a country that collectively supports a hair care industry worth $8 billion in annual sales, hair is serious business. Public response to Spears' actions seemed to highlight the consequences of forsaking creme rinse and the feminine ideal.

Deborah Tolman, director of SF State’s Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality explained that the importance of women’s hair is a message that has been reinforced through time.

“Just look at Rapunzel,” said Tolman, a professor of human sexuality studies at SF State.

In a common version of the classic German fairytale, Rapunzel is punished for disobedience by a witch who chops off her hair and casts her into the wilderness.

Although Tolman acknowledged that appearance expectations for men are becoming an increasingly salient issue, women are generally held to a higher standard.

“It’s not just expected; it’s demanded,” Tolman said. “You are supposed to spend time on your hair.”

Tolman contends that hair care for women is not an area where society is tolerant of inconformity.

“It’s not like the decision to wear contact lenses instead of glasses,” she said. “There’s no moral imperative defining how good a woman I am if I choose to wear contacts or not.”

“We express ourselves through our hair, even if we don’t want to,” she said. “You are your hair.”

Kanako Abe, 22, is an international student from Japan studying costume design at SF State.

She wears her hair up in a loose twist with a layer of thin braids that fall over her shoulders and hang almost to her waist. She said the braids are the product of hair extensions and her own impatience.

“I want longer hair, but I can’t wait,” Abe said.

Abe said her instant long hair also brought her instant attention.

“Now people talk to me that I don’t even know. They say ‘You’re in the theater right? I recognize your braids,’” Abe explained.

Abe said she thinks there is more pressure in the United States to express femininity through your hair.

“Back in my country, girls are not like ‘I’m hot, I’m sexy.’” Abe said while pantomiming a sexpot hair toss. “Most girls have short hair. I think it’s different here. Girls and boys look at each other differently.”

Amanda Lynn, 18, theater arts major, has been experimenting with bold hair color since her first dye job at the age of eight.

“My first color was green,” she said.

Through her spectrum of color changes, she’s noticed a change in people’s perceptions of her.

“It definitely changes the way people treat me,” Lynn said.

Whether her hair is a feminine pink or a punk green, she finds her choices can push the limits of people’s tolerance.

“I’m surprised sometimes, especially here where I’m expecting people to be just a little more open-minded,” Lynn said.

Marjorie Conrad, 18, said she’s been wearing her hair short since she was 13.

“Mostly because it’s just less hassle,” she said.

But it’s not a choice without social contentions.

“I’ve been singled-out for it,” Conrad said, but brushes off comments like ‘G.I. Jane’ and ‘hippie’ with a shrug.

As a cinema major and aspiring filmmaker, Conrad seems to subscribe to a more sophisticated aesthetic.

“I like portrayals of women with short hair in film,” she said and notes the work of French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. “Like Winona Ryder in’ Alien: Resurrection.’”

Not everyone gets it though, and Conrad doesn’t think short hair is perceived as sensual.

“My boyfriends haven’t liked my hair,” Conrad said.

Conrad’s current style frames her face to just below her ears and is long for her taste.

“I’m growing it out now for my boyfriend. This bob is as long as I’ll go,” she said.

Conrad does think her short hair helps her to be taken more seriously.

“It’s more about business,” she said. But Conrad clarified, “It’s an illusion, of course, I’m probably not more businesslike than a woman with long hair.”

“You play within the stereotypes,” she added. “You can’t change the system so you pick a stereotype that suits you and mold it to your image.”