Will I encounter problems at my corporate workplace, if I change my hairstyle to an Afro? (apply, work)
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How I came upon this thread, I will just have to blame the little Active Threads bug on the right because I have zero knowledge on this topic. However, I will chime in anyway.
The pictures people have posted looked great. From the thread title, I was worried you were going to grow out some kind of gawdawful 70s 'Fro from "Shaft".
Nothing from the 70s should be brought back into style. Hair, clothing, architecture, music... none of it.
How I came upon this thread, I will just have to blame the little Active Threads bug on the right because I have zero knowledge on this topic. However, I will chime in anyway.
The pictures people have posted looked great. From the thread title, I was worried you were going to grow out some kind of gawdawful 70s 'Fro from "Shaft".
Nothing from the 70s should be brought back into style. Hair, clothing, architecture, music... none of it.
Do you realise you dont decide what kind of hair grows out of your hair? In 2013 some people still grow out a 70s Afro. Thats just how their hair grows. You mean the Michael Jackson Afro right? Or the Jackson 5 Afro?
To say the last thing people would want to do is touch implies she finds this type of hair so distasteful/ugly that no one would want to touch it
Quote:
Originally Posted by groar
people try to do this all the time, from what i understand. i'm not sure what you're trying to imply, really.
to the OP, it's more and more acceptable all the time to have natural hair in the professional world. i do think that people are right that if you're worried, you should just ask around to find out what the standard is in your workplace, even though you're also right that you shouldn't have to and it shouldn't be a problem in the first place. maybe it isn't, but there's no way to find out for sure without asking or just going for it.
a friend and former coworker of mine (in hospital administration) stopped straightening her hair a few years ago and it hasn't been a problem. she does get a lot of comments but they're almost all positive. a lot of african american women she works with say they wish they could wear their hair natural, but they feel like they can't because of professional norms, because theirs wouldn't look good, etc. it's a really deeply ingrained thing (because of generations of black women being told that their natural hair does not look nice or professional) and surprisingly complicated. i think it's hard for people who haven't been there to understand.
Well let's think about it for a second. Both of you mentioned professional norms. I think that says enough about what decision should be made but hey I'm not a woman so what do I know? If I were a woman and valued my job, I would wear my hair normal so as not to cause any confusion or problems. Why cause friction when there isn't any? That's like me. I'm a White male. My boss would give a if I came in with a mohawk and rightfully so. It's just inappropriate in a corporate environment.
Although it shouldn't make ANY difference, in my experience managing managers as well as worker bees, different people respond differently to different things. Most "professional" people (in today's world that means "don't have dirt under fingernails") claim to be indifferent to peoples' differences, but that's not necessarily true. While most people could really care less, there could be someone who does care, for whatever reason, which could be as simple as not responding well to any change, of any sort.
I work in a very corporate environment and industry, but recently, I've decided that I want to wear my hair in its natural state. Currently, I wear it in a classic, straight shoulder length bob hair style, but this weekend, I plan to cut it all off and let it grow out into a mini afro. I'm tired of straightening my hair. My friends and family have encouraged me to embrace my natural hair, because they believe, black women, particularly dark-skinned black women, tend to look better with our natural afro textured hair. I simply wish to embrace my natural hair. I feel like I've already paid my dues, by attending elite schools and gaining a great reputation within my industry.
I am just bracing myself for the possible stares from clients and coworkers. I do not know how I will look after the haircut, but I'm hoping that it's not too drastic.
Has any other black woman recently transitioned to a natural short hairstyle, while working in a corporate environment? If so, did you have any issues or problems?
I don't think it will really cause a stir at all, Afros can still be well kept, neat, and overall give a groomed clean appearance. That said hairstyles can affect how people view you and not even from a racial point of view just overall. I'm a guy, used to have long curly hair. Not long like down my back but above shoulders but past back of neck, think like mathew mconaheigh type look. Anyhow, my friends used to call me jesus lol people used to comment on it some give me a hard time jokingly but I do think it negatively affected me in job searches.
Well let's think about it for a second. Both of you mentioned professional norms. I think that says enough about what decision should be made but hey I'm not a woman so what do I know? If I were a woman and valued my job, I would wear my hair normal so as not to cause any confusion or problems. Why cause friction when there isn't any? That's like me. I'm a White male. My boss would give a if I came in with a mohawk and rightfully so. It's just inappropriate in a corporate environment.
You say you would wear your hair normal? I assume that means shampoo & condition & comb. If OP does exactly the same its an Afro. Her hair just grows up up and up not down. She is wearing her hair in its normal form. She doesn't want to get a perm.
Now a mohawk is going out of your way to get a silly hairstyle. She is just wearing her hair in its natural way.
I don't think it will really cause a stir at all, Afros can still be well kept, neat, and overall give a groomed clean appearance. That said hairstyles can affect how people view you and not even from a racial point of view just overall. I'm a guy, used to have long curly hair. Not long like down my back but above shoulders but past back of neck, think like mathew mconaheigh type look. Anyhow, my friends used to call me jesus lol people used to comment on it some give me a hard time jokingly but I do think it negatively affected me in job searches.
This! IMO its approppriate to wear an Afro as its your God given hair. But is it wise? Hell no!
It looks masculine to me especially the short short Afros which are okay on African American men.
It makes women look aggressive and its very unfeminine. Plus people might start to question your sexuality.
So, are y'all recommending that a person who has very curly hair straighten it to appease the masses? Straight hair is "normal"? I think that's nuts. If someone overall looks well groomed and the hair is neatly coifed, why would there be a problem? Not everyone is gifted with straight hair, and it's not fair that African- American women need to modify their hair texture for a job.
Well let's think about it for a second. Both of you mentioned professional norms. I think that says enough about what decision should be made but hey I'm not a woman so what do I know? If I were a woman and valued my job, I would wear my hair normal so as not to cause any confusion or problems. Why cause friction when there isn't any? That's like me. I'm a White male. My boss would give a if I came in with a mohawk and rightfully so. It's just inappropriate in a corporate environment.
how is an afro not normal? it's what happens to many african americans' hair when they don't use a bunch of nasty chemicals to make their hair look straight. i don't want to get too deeply into a discussion of racism and sexism since this isn't really the forum for it, but there's a reason that natural hair on black women is not historically seen as "normal" in american society and unnaturally straightened hair is.
also note that natural hair for black men is perfectly acceptable, as long as it's short.
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