Do Black women still face discrimination for wearing natural hair?

[Fancy DatdamnDiva]

i'm just shaking my head ...

u actually read all that?

[RichD]

Yes I get the want to touch it business.....Can't say I have had too many problems with Black people at all. I definitely get compliments from men with locks when it is natural or wash and wear...got a compliment on Saturday. I'm looking for the cleancut kinda guy though so that ain't helping me.

I also get and this is all from White people:

- what did you do to your hair?
- it does not convey a professional and polished image in keeping with our business?
- from a prospective client......a blonde....how come your hair doesn't look like it does on you website...it looks so much better there...and she came back to it NUFF times in the interview....mi shoulda jus tell her 2 bad wud and walk out

....and nuff times from ________ ___________ in the __________ & ________ business, my __________s would call and say.....

"________ said to tell you you've got to do something with your hair.....straighten it....grow it or find a good wig"

Even when booked I would get, "you've got it but you have to wear a wig".

One can only take so much of that garbage. Once I relaxed and blow dried it I would get...

"Your hair looks so much more professional now."





I did get from one mixed Jamaican chick who looks Syrian but swears she is mixed with Black and White.....this was not even wash and wear...it had been straightened the day before but it was a rainy day....

"Oh that hair would not be suitable for Dr. or Lawyer ________ it looks more ghetto...welfare mom". And that is with just a little bit of frizz. I had actually bobby pinned it and took it out no arrival to protect my hair from the rain.

Wha mi fe do....dem ave de hangle...ME ave de blade.

Anyway mi gone fe meet with a prospective client with wash and wear hair. No time to go to the hairdresser and get it blow dried. It's 2 men so hopefully they won't come to me with any foolishness or you know what, I really will walk out this time. I'll politely get up and say "you know what, I don't think this is a good fit." at the first mention of hair.

ENOUGH ALREADY!!

it mus really look bad .... or dem jsu well outta orda and feel sey dem can pass dem place wid you


fus mi a ever hear anyting like dat.



she look lawyerly still

[CeaBee]

I was reading some posts on a hair forum and hear something kinda similar to this. One woman's boss tell her that her hairstyle look unprofessional. She posted about it and got a lot of "how dare he " and "that's not right" from the other female posters.

Then them ask her to post a picture of her normal hairdo, and when she did everybody was like and hmmm...and then they gave her hairstyle suggestions

I doan know...this is Atlanta so i see a lot of weaves but I also see a lot of natural hair professional women as well.

I doan know how Tropicana wearing her hair, it could well look alright. Maybe she could just comb it an updo or bun, when she know she dealing with those kinda folks so she woan have to hear the comments bout them telling her to wear wig or straighten her hair.

[Suesumba]

u actually read all that?

emily post school of speed reading.

[RichD]

I doan know how Tropicana wearing her hair, it could well look alright. Maybe she could just comb it an updo or bun, when she know she dealing with those kinda folks so she woan have to hear the comments bout them telling her to wear wig or straighten her hair.

AfroPuff

[Tropicana]

Dem nevah look at mi hair....dem nevah say nutten bout mi hari.

2 IT guys, one white, one chiney.




Now let's see if me get de wuk.

[Tropicana]

it mus really look bad .... or dem jsu well outta orda and feel sey dem can pass dem place wid you


fus mi a ever hear anyting like dat.



she look lawyerly still

It nevah did look bad dem well out a ordah. Mi did get dat wid low natural, medium natural, long natural, medium braids, and long braids.

[Tropicana]

i'm just shaking my head ...

Yeah me too...nuff times I have been left speechless and shaking my head.

[Suesumba]

AfroPuff

i see a lot of women rocking those out these days and they look great

[Tropicana]

I like the Afro puffs. My hair was never long enough for them though until I stopped braiding it but after that I had a French braid for a month and then I had it relaxed. I consulted the hairdresser because of the constant about my hair.

[Tropicana]

You tan deh. Most a de ooman dem who you admire "cream dem head" as you call it fe get wash and wear look....a good 90% a de ones mi see you admire. Also there is a huge difference between women who straighten their hair because they want to and those who are forced to do so in order to work. HUGE difference.

yuh always have an ansah fi defenn fi yuh position ee

de point is what God give yuh FULLSTOP

And if it costs you job opportunities and you have a child to support...what then?

We have already discussed models, actresses, and beauty pageant contestants ad nauseum.

How many Black newscasters do you see with natural hair? Do you think it is because women haven't tried. There were 5 who go to the same hairdresser as me. They tried natural and they were told by the networks it wouldn't fly. All 5 of them tried wash and wear at one point and again they were told that they had to show up with it smooth and straightened. Nothing else would do. One has a weave, 3 had wash and wear hair and had it blow dried whenever they appeared on camera. (One went on to CNN.) The 5th I believe was eventually allowed to wear it wash and wear. Soon come with the name. I am blanking on it. She is Jamaican.

I can also think of 2 TV hostesses in Toronto who had the same challenges.


So what do you think. Should they have just given up their jobs for the sake of hair? Also, why make an issue of it when you yourself admire women with wash and wear hair. Ansah dat fe me Emperah.

You tan deh. Most a de ooman dem who you admire "cream dem head" as you call it fe get wash and wear look....a good 90% a de ones mi see you admire. Also there is a huge difference between women who straighten their hair because they want to and those who are forced to do so in order to work. HUGE difference.

yuh always have an ansah fi defenn fi yuh position ee

de point is what God give yuh FULLSTOP

And if it costs you job opportunities and you have a child to support...what then?

We have already discussed models, actresses, and beauty pageant contestants ad nauseum.

How many Black newscasters do you see with natural hair? Do you think it is because women haven't tried. There were 5 who go to the same hairdresser as me. They tried natural and they were told by the networks it wouldn't fly. All 5 of them tried wash and wear at one point and again they were told that they had to show up with it smooth and straightened. Nothing else would do. One has a weave, 3 had wash and wear hair and had it blow dried whenever they appeared on camera. (One went on to CNN.) The 5th I believe was eventually allowed to wear it wash and wear. Soon come with the name. I am blanking on it. She is Jamaican.

I can also think of 2 TV hostesses in Toronto who had the same challenges.

So what do you think. Should they have just given up their jobs for the sake of hair? Also, why make an issue of it when you yourself admire women with wash and wear hair. Ansah dat fe me Emperah.

Emperah you need to pon de networks and producers not the women trying to earn a living at a time when Black women still face significant challenges. You can't even blame the casting directors on this one as they make a point of bringing in women with natural hair and women with locks and the producers even the Black ones, ignore them and cast the women with the weaves and straightened hair or insist that the women wear wigs.

[diabolical_Tanya]

This is a local Global TV Anchor Cara Fullerton she wears her hair natural Now and has been for I think the last 5 years. She does keep it pretty short though, I think for convenience as she does do the early morning news and she works out quite a bit .

[diabolical_Tanya]

Her at her "other job/hobby"

[kia027]

Melissa Harris Perry
http://melissaharrisperry.com/

[Tropicana]

Things are changing slowly...very slowly.

I remember the name of the report...Karlene Nation.



I can't find a photo of her with natural or wash and wear hair though.