Chicago Tribune columnist opens up about baffling response to her 'uncombed' hair

Chicago Tribune columnist Heidi Stevens probably expects her columns to generate lots of chatter, but she never thought that her hair would spark a thousand (mostly cruel) comments.

Stevens had to deal with a lot of haters who didn't like that her hair appeared to be 'uncombed' in the photo that accompanied her column.

Stevens wrote about her strange encounter with Internet trolls in a recent "Balancing Act" column. Entitled "From Cayman Islands to Canada, readers weigh in on my hair," Stevens discusses the good, the bad and the ugly responses she got after her hair style apparently became bigger news than the actual news.

On WGN, Stevens explains that when everyone at the Tribune got new headshots, she got one as well. "I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. It ran, and then the emails started flooding in." Stevens heard it all -- everything from 'you look like you rolled out of bed' to 'My neighbors and I give you permission to shoot your hair dresser.' Another reader said that nobody would take 'a tramp with greasy, matted, uncombed hair' seriously. Those are just some of the emails ... Twitter is where things got even nastier.

Stevens says that "people think they can read something into your personality and your philosophy by your hair," when in her case, she never even gave her 'do a second thought.

Though the feedback was hurtful, Stevens decided that she didn't like the message it would send to get a new photo, and she certainly won't be changing her style. "I'm not selling hair products, it's not [a fashion magazine] it's the Tribune.'

Stevens is going with the flow, and has even posted some pretty hilarious photos she's received.

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