It's no secret that tips are absolutely essential for hospitality workers, but what if your hairstyle could hinder or help the amount you walk away with at the end of a shift? Ellie Rose, an 18-year-old from Missouri, knows this more than most: she has been running an experiment to see which of her hairstyles leaves her with the highest amount of tips—and which leaves her empty-handed. Her challenge has since gone viral, gaining millions of views across her "hair theory" videos as she keeps track of how much money she makes with each style, like the clip below, which amassed over 16.5 million views and 1.
6 million likes since it was shared in mid-May. my hair plus tips for the week ✨😎 Hair theory isn't a new concept, with the term referring to how hair impacts the way one is seen and treated by others, as well as affecting self-confidence and social perception, and holding cultural significance for many. Rose's content (shared on @ ) takes this theory and applies it to real life through her work.
Her experiment revealed some interesting insights into how strangers subconsciously react to different hairstyles over a week of work in the form of However, it is unclear if hairstyle was the only factor affecting the decision of how much to tip the worker. Although she did add to the style with the addition of a bow in the back, Rose didn't make any tips whilst sporting this hairstyle, although this was out of her control after being sent home by her employer. When asked why.
