Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Brooke Walker, Studio 5 Rose Blakelock is one of the top divorce attorneys in Utah County. She is highly respected in legal circles and is known for her passion for the law and for life. But she communicates that passion in a rather unconventional way.
It's easy to see Blakelock has a colorful personality and a head full of hair to match. With lawyers, we've come to expect a certain stereotype. For both male and female alike, conservative is the name of game: black suit, white collar, stiff style.
But Blakelock breaks that traditional mold with flying colors. "If they want a traditional lawyer, they are going to be unhappy," she said.
Her daring hairdo got off to a subtle start. "I started with just a little streak, and I went to court and everybody said, ‘You can't have a color streak! That would be inappropriate!' And then I determined I would have all the color that I wanted," Blakelock explained.
"I've had every different color. At one point, I had multiple different colors," she said. "At Christmastime I did red and green so I was like a poinsettia. … Orange at hunting season, I thought that was kind of funny. I never got shot, so I guess it worked pretty well!"
Retired 4th District Court Judge Anthony Schofield said, "I was in the middle of sentencing a woman to prison, and I looked back and saw this bright purple hair, and I thought, ‘I'm going to smirk.'"
Schofield says on two different occasions, Utah County judges met to discuss if such an appearance was appropriate for the courtroom setting. "We ultimately concluded it wasn't our business and left it alone," he said.
But in 2002, Blakelock lost that colorful head of hair to cancer. The news hit hard, but something else the doctor had to say had an even stronger impact. "She said, ‘Today is the luckiest day of your life. You had it, you had it yesterday, you had it for a while, and today is the day you know what to do about it,'" Blakelock said.
It was an experience that changed the way Blakelock views life and her hair. What was once an act of defiance is now a sign of spirit. "I think it really symbolizes love of life. I'm trying to live every minute experiencing something fun every day," she said.
Coming up tomorrow on Studio 5 we'll talk about growing fresh air. We'll show you which indoor plants can actually improve the quality of air you breathe.
