Do you ever feel uncomfortable wearing your hair in all of its glorious kinkiness at work?
Do you think certain styles aren't appropriate?
Has anyone (supervisor, manager, etc.) ever suggested you change your hair? If so, how did you handle it? If not, how would you handle it?
How big is too big when it comes to styling your hair?
Which styles do you feel work? Which do you think don't make the cut for work?
Do you feel obligated to straighten your hair for work?
Do co-workers ever make comments about your hair, whether positive or negative?
Please feel free to share your thoughts. This will probably develop into a series of posts & I might even throw in some quotes from your feedback...
Drop a comment or email me at jagray4@gmail.com with the subject line: HGKWW
I've never had that specific problem but I do remember speaking to someone one day. She said she would never wear braids (e.g. micros) or a "natural looking" hairstyle to an interview. I could only shake my head but I wasn't sure if I was shaking my head at her conformist mentality or at what society has done to us as black women...
ReplyDeleteI wear my hair naturally at work. Gives me a sense of identity in corporate america. I feel like a lot of people lose their identity in the 9-5 gig. I actually went natural once I started working...
ReplyDeleteWell personally I feel like I couldnt wear my fro in the workplace just because itd be too big and like...distracting. I feel like twa's are fine but a full fledged fro might be a bit much for the work place. I feel like the volume of the style determines whether or not its okay. Like I think twist outs and braid outs are fine since they tend to be less massive than fro-ed out hair.
ReplyDeleteWorking in the non profit world, IN DC, is pretty different from the corporate world... (i think)... as they do not really pay attention to dressing on a regular day to day basis and i think hair falls into this category.
ReplyDeleteMy hair is not natural but, i had braids when i interviewed and they hired me, and I worked for the first two months with braids.
One of the ladies (my age) who works in the same office has pretty bomb looking styled dreads (sometimes in like a maw hawk style) and another lady (much older) wears it in twists mosts of the times...
Interestingly though, when she has to have a meeting with official people, she combs out her twists and just ties it back in a lovely big black poof. I don't know if that means anything...
However I think big twists and cornrows are a children - high school style and/or a staying-home style... and so i personally don't think they should be worn in the work place. I associate some styles (and hair color) with partying/social scenes like maw hawks or any derivative style of it and some styles by celebrities like Janelle and so i dont think those styles should be in the work place either.
THAT BEING SAID i think the huge afro can never be too big for the work place as long as it is oiled and shiny and looks healthy. Because this is how OUR LONG HAIR ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE, it really isn't our fault. I think it has unfortunately always just been associated with the funk era and so it is just always be considered inappropriate and more of a wild style.
But yeah i kinda lean towards the short natural hair, braids (micros), braid outs, twist outs, small twists, locks, and the afro :-)
ReplyDeleteThis was a huge concern I had with locing since I was told I wouldn't look professional if I didn't have my hair relaxed. But at the end of the day, I feel like the styles Yolisa talks about are completely acceptable. To me, it's not what style but rather the upkeep. If your braids have that worn-out fro in the front b/c they need to be redone, THAT's unprofessional b/c you just look a hot mess
ReplyDeleteBeing in corporate America there is definitely a fine line in terms of hair. Most Black women at my job wear their hair straight or wear a weave. I have natural hair but am fond of straightening it. This isn't work pressure but for me, about ease of maintaining and ease of styling. The few women at my job with fros or with natural hairstyles are all seen as "ethnocentric" so it goes a long with their personalities. However, in client interactions, straight hair is definitely preferred. What is funny is that this is the case for all women at work. WHn women wear updos or their hair in ponytails it's with the belief that they don't have a client meeting. I don't see this as pressure from my job but as pressure from society and our investors. They are the ones paying us and the image they expect is the one we, as women, are pushed to deliver. I know one woman, white, who always straightens her really curly hair when she has client meetings. I will say that regardless non-Black women are allowed to be more lax on "non-client meeting days" than us, but overall, the pressure is on all women to be stereotypical (tall, thin, cute, straight hair, dress suit:...corporate America as decided by rich, old white men
ReplyDelete