Why Do Black Hairstyles Make Many Uncomfortable?

It’s Just Hair - Unless You’re Black

The Effects of Hair Discrimination

Spoiler: if you’ve ever reached for a colleague’s coils or asked, “How do you get your hair like that?” this post is for you.

When was the last time you heard a colleague comment on a person's naturally straight hair texture at work?

OR

When did you last witness someone being sent home because their straight hair was deemed "unprofessional"? The answer is likely "never" and that's precisely the point!

👀 Standards of "Professionalism" Are Not Equal

It’s appalling to think that there is such a thing as “hair discrimination”. We don't spend time debating whether blonde hair on White women is more professional than brunette.

We don't send people home from work, school or sports teams for wearing their culturally natural hairstyles —unless they're Black.

👀 However, the statistics are staggering.

Black women's hair is 2.5x more likely to be perceived as unprofessional, and one-fifth of Black women surveyed between the ages of 25 and 34 had been sent home from work because of their hair.

Think about that: Over 20% of Black women ages 25–34 have been sent home from their jobs due to their hair. (Dove & LinkedIn 2023)

And if that doesn’t shake you, consider that roughly 66% of Black women report changing their hair for a job interview, with Black women being 54% more likely to feel like they must wear their hair straight to a job interview to be successful.

This isn't preference, it’s survival in a system that has weaponized natural Black hair texture.

The discomfort many non-Blacks feel around (natural/non-straightened) Black hairstyles stems from deeply ingrained biases about race, professionalism, and conformity.

When deviations from the narrow definition of professionalism appear, historically defined by white, Eurocentric standards, it can trigger unconscious biases that equate "different" with unprofessional, inferior, or worse -threatening.

This spectrum from discomfort to disdain manifests in inappropriate behaviors like unsolicited touching and comments about "maintenance" or "process." to invasive questions like "how long did THAT take?"

These actions, however well-intentioned they may seem, are microaggressions that reduce Black individuals to their hair texture and invade personal space and dignity.

The question isn't whether Black hair belongs in the workplace. The question is "when will we finally stop treating it like it doesn't?"