Dating back to slavery, kinky-haired naturals were viewed as second-class citizens. Women would use a metal hot comb to straighten their kinky hair with excessive heat or lye to chemically straighten it. Women wore their hair straight because it emulated the hair of white women and was considered the only acceptable way to wear their hair. It wasn’t until the 1960s women began embracing their natural curl again, at that time most natural women wore afros. Alas, the natural hair movement died down again and women chemically straightened their hair up until the mid-2000s. Around 2010, women revisited wearing their natural hair and wearing it to work. In some offices, higher-level management scolded women for wearing their natural hair to work,
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Many women conform to the “norm” of how their hair should look in order to keep their jobs, but in reality, women should fight against the norm. Natural- haired women are being told the hair they are born with is deemed unprofessional, and for the women to alter their hair for a job is overly drastic. According to Ebony.com, “dean of Hampton University School of Business (a historically Black university) had placed a ban on dreadlocks and cornrows in the classroom back in 2001”. If naturals cannot wear their hair the way they want in school, what hope do we have for the office? According to BBC News, a woman was scrutinized at her London workplace, her employer has told her on a number of occasions not to turn up for work with her natural hair. In addition, she was pressured to wear a wig in order to disguise her hair. This woman and many other women feel as though they must have extensions in order to be seen as an equal at work. If you take a moment to think about it, it’s a quite shallow thing to do. I understand you must look professional and polished at work, and natural hair is quite versatile, it can be slicked back into a bun, worn in a pinned-up style, and several other ways. However, discriminating against someone for how their hair grows is shallow. The employee was hired due to their experience and …show more content…
Educating them is vital to erasing natural hair stigma and gaining equality for naturals in the workplace. Plenty of jobs/ job opportunities are at stake for the natural hair community due to people’s thoughts. In an article on Forbes.com, a woman stated “I’m sure my natural hairstyle prevented me from getting a couple of those jobs.” If naturals go by thinking this way, some may be willing to lose their identities in order to make money. If not, the alternative is to keep being rejected for jobs and have no career. Naturals are at a crossroads, they have to choose whether to embrace their culture or conform to Western culture; the stakes are high for naturals in the corporate world. Through education and tolerance, naturals can win this fight against natural hair in the
Many women conform to the “norm” of how their hair should look in order to keep their jobs, but in reality, women should fight against the norm. Natural- haired women are being told the hair they are born with is deemed unprofessional, and for the women to alter their hair for a job is overly drastic. According to Ebony.com, “dean of Hampton University School of Business (a historically Black university) had placed a ban on dreadlocks and cornrows in the classroom back in 2001”. If naturals cannot wear their hair the way they want in school, what hope do we have for the office? According to BBC News, a woman was scrutinized at her London workplace, her employer has told her on a number of occasions not to turn up for work with her natural hair. In addition, she was pressured to wear a wig in order to disguise her hair. This woman and many other women feel as though they must have extensions in order to be seen as an equal at work. If you take a moment to think about it, it’s a quite shallow thing to do. I understand you must look professional and polished at work, and natural hair is quite versatile, it can be slicked back into a bun, worn in a pinned-up style, and several other ways. However, discriminating against someone for how their hair grows is shallow. The employee was hired due to their experience and …show more content…
Educating them is vital to erasing natural hair stigma and gaining equality for naturals in the workplace. Plenty of jobs/ job opportunities are at stake for the natural hair community due to people’s thoughts. In an article on Forbes.com, a woman stated “I’m sure my natural hairstyle prevented me from getting a couple of those jobs.” If naturals go by thinking this way, some may be willing to lose their identities in order to make money. If not, the alternative is to keep being rejected for jobs and have no career. Naturals are at a crossroads, they have to choose whether to embrace their culture or conform to Western culture; the stakes are high for naturals in the corporate world. Through education and tolerance, naturals can win this fight against natural hair in the