Do you think you hairstyle is preventing you from landing your dream job, or at the very least a job? This was a shared concern amongst a group of women who participated in a Georgia State University panel discussion titled “Black Women, Their Hair & The Work Place – A Dialogue.” During the discussion panel members discussed the belief hair texture of black women could actually be a barrier to employment.
“You’re talking about being polished and (having) interview skills and yet no one is addressing the fact that natural black hair has been traditionally seen as not polished on its own whether it’s well cared for or not,” James “Jay” Bailey, chief executive officer of Operation HOPE and a panelist at the event, told SaportaReport. “So basically it’s all about maintaining the Eurocentric standpoint.”
Despite the growing movement to embrace your natural locks and join “team natural” black women and even black men must still deal with fears that their hairstyle will be deemed inappropriate for the workplace. For more on this visit The Huffington Post.
BMWK — Do you think a natural hairstyle can be a barrier to employment?
Yes, I think that most employers do not embrace natural hairstyles. I usually wear a wig to the interview, then once I have been in the job for a few months, gradually change my wig styles to more natural then to no wig at all. One thing I will say, is that I am treated much more respectfully when I wear my hair short and natural than when I do not.