Journalism major Eddie Ebbert, 21, recently sported a mohawk to his interview for an internship at Esquire. His mother had suggested that he get a new, more conventional haircut, but he refused. “If you’re not going to hire me because of my hair, I’m not going to work there,” he said.

Three interviews later, no one mentioned his hair, and he got the position. The first day of the internship, Ebbert, with his Mohawk still intact, showed up in a button-down shirt and pressed pants, following the example of his 35-year-old boss.

Generation “Be Yourself”

Since Gen Y entered the workforce, conflict over casual or self-expressive dress has been a major issue for older management, for whom the depoliticized mohawk might still appear countercultural. Millennials may bring creativity and enthusiasm to the office, according to experts, but they also show up in flip flops, jeans and “extreme” hair.

Millennials value self-expression at work more than any generation before them, according to psychologist Nicole Lipkin, who co-authored “Y in the Workplace”. “This generation has been taught to express themselves no matter what,” she said.

However, Lipkin said that self-expression through clothes or hair shouldn’t overshadow the dress code at work. “The people who are going to be successful are those who respect the culture at the corporation,” she said. “In the creative industries, it’s a different story, but in more formal industries, there are presentation standards that need to remain in place. It’s hard to trust someone who looks like a punk.”

The New Punk Professional

Daniel Martinez, a stylist at Astor Place Hairstylists in the East Village, has cut mohawks for many young professionals. “Because it’s trendy, you can be taken seriously,” he said. “You can look punk rock but keep your nine to five.

Mark Heiner, owner of Slate Salon, also in the Village, said that clients who requested mohawks were men aged 20 to 40. During consultations, Heiner said that he asks clients where they work and how extreme he can cut their hair. “Guys in this area want to wear it conservative for work and funk it up for night,” he said.

Different definitions of “extreme” might account for some of the conflict over appropriate appearance at work.  Older generations distinguish punk from professional based on whether a candidate wears a mohawk or a crew cut. But for Gen-Y, that distinction isn’t so rigid.

Author Rebecca Huntley notes in “The World Acccording to Y” that employers have to change management styles to fit the new work ethos. “They are going to have to keep a long leash on Generation Y employees or risk losing them altogether,” she writes. Whether or not that means loosening company dress code from “business casual” to “business anything goes” is still uncertain.

Some experts, like Alexandra Levit, author of “They Don’t Teach Corporate in College,” see a trend towards casual dress. “Regardless of the work environment, I think that millennials are more likely to wear what is actually considered very casual (jeans, tee-shirts) as opposed to the more traditional casual of khakis and button down shirts,” she wrote in an e-mail.

However, Levit advised young employees against wearing a mohawk to work. “Look at how everyone else is dressed, and aim to fit in as seamlessly as possible,” she said. “In the business world, the goal is not to make a statement with your dress.”

Corporate Crackdown

When Gen Y was just getting comfortable wearing jeans at the office, the recession changed dress expectations and behavior. “I have seen organizations cracking down on all sorts of behavior that they let slide before because they feel more in control now,” said Levit.

Gretchen Neels, the founder of Neels & Company, a business etiquette consultant firm, said that young people today should look conservative in order to get or keep a job in corporate America.  “In this new economy, it’s folly to express yourself by [wearing extreme hair] and tick off your employer,” she said. “For the past 10 years, employers have bent backwards for the millennial generation. Now, employers are less inclined to accept an employee who looks so different so as to be disruptive.”

Still, some millennials, like intern Eddie Ebbert, disregard expert advice and pull off extreme hairstyles at work. After wearing the mohawk for several months, Ebbert tired of the cut and buzzed his head. “Every six months I try something else,” he said. “With the mohawk I had style, but now I’m classy.”