Natural Hair Rocks
But today's society and media doesn't think so.
Natural Hair in the Work Place
If someone told you they didn't get a job because of their hair, what would you say? Today, women with natural hair, especially African American women, are discriminated in the workplace. Their hair is seen as a distraction, dirty, or unprofessional.
In 2016 the Perception Institute conducted a study called the “Good Hair” study. Their results discovered that black women with natural hair face bias in the workplace. Two key findings in the study were, “On average, white women show explicit bias toward black women’s textured hair. Black women perceive a level of social stigma against textured hair, and this perception is substantiated by white women’s devaluation of natural hairstyles.” (Perception Institute 2016).
In 2017 Teen Vogue spoke to several black women about the discrimination they have faced in the workplace due to their hair. One woman named Latasha W. said there’s an unspoken rule for black women, “Straight hair for the interview, natural hair once you’re in the door.”
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Fired because of Natural Hair
A Youtuber named Sophia Mila Wishes recounts the time in which she was 'fired' (she quit before they could fire her) due to her natural hair.
In March of 2016, a blogger named Ashely Monae wrote about a young lady who got fired from her job because of her natural hair; here's what she had to say:
"The hate against natural hair is real y’all — not that we didn’t already know this.
Yet another Black woman has been fired from her job for rocking her texture in all of its kinky and curly glory. According to CBC News, 20-year-old Akua Agyemfra was fired from her job as a server at Toronto-based Jack Astor Bar & Grill due to wearing her natural hair in a bun.
An assistant manager explained that her termination, which occurred on Agyemfra’s third day of training, was based on her lack of wearing her hair “down” or straight. The young woman, who takes “pride in her natural hair,” said she was embarrassed by the situation, being made to take her hair out in front of other co-workers, showing that she couldn’t lay “down” [her hair] without being processed or straightened."
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