By | Jacob Jones
The idea of “Professionalism" was established by the white men in power to maintain their status and to uphold the institutions they set in place to allow them to stay on top. The look for what is to be “professional” is a well-tailored suit with/ the hair being in a hairstyle that works for straight hair, while Black people can have straight hair the standard for professionalism should not be just straight hair.
Black Hair is something that is rooted deeply in history and culture, and according to the Harvard Business Review, “Black women's hair is 21/2 times more likely to be deemed as unprofessional”. Black hair comes in a plethora of shapes, sizes, and colors, and the idea of “Professional Hair” only being straight is deeply rooted in white supremacy and white arrogance.
This issue is furthered through the ideas of textualism defined by Fobres “ Texturism can be thought of as the discrimination faced by those with coarser and more Afro-textured hair.” where the hair textures that are closer to those of white people are not only more desirable, but also better. While the workplace is something that everyone now has to be in to survive, it was deemed very exclusive to the white majority.
To this day a lot of Black women wear their hair straight to job interviews because a lot of big corporations still demonize black hair and/or tighter curl patterns. Black hair is something that should be commemorated for the ingenuity, beauty, and effort it takes to do some of the styles. Black hair is a sign of resilience, power, and creativity. Black Hair speaks volumes without having to say anything. Black hair is not only important but powerful.
Sources
Asare, J. G. (2022, July 24). 4c Hair Discrimination: An Exploration Of Texturism. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2022/07/24/4c-hair-discrimination-an-exploration-of-texturism-and-how-it-impacts-those-affected/?sh=7b41664e7cae
Asare, J. G. (2023, May 10). How Hair Discrimination Affects Black Women at Work. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-hair-discrimination-affects-black-women-at-work#:~:text=Black%20women%27s%20hair%20was%20two
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