Straight vs. Natural: Still a Hair-Raising Issue

By Rebecca Francis
Black College Wire

Blue & White Flash Rebecca Francis

The younger woman is wearing a black knee-length skirt suit, a white blouse, pantyhose and a pair of 1-inch black pumps; her hair is pulled into a tight bun. The older woman is dressed similarly, but her shoes and skirt are a dark seal grey, and her hair is also pulled into a tight bun. These women meet at the conference and begin to get acquainted. During the course of their conversation, the older woman begins giving the younger woman tips for success.

"Dear, you should know that if you want to become successful in this industry, you should consider straightening your hair." Realizing her statement was rather harsh, she smiled to soften it.

The aspiring young woman smirked, slightly appalled, and politely replied, "Do you suggest that I bleach my skin, too?"

The older woman apologized in a futile attempt to explain herself. Although both of the women were well-dressed, intelligent African-American women, the fact that the younger woman had braided natural hair, makes a grave difference.

While this anecdote is loosely based on a personal experience, various scenarios involving African-Americans who wear natural hair occur often in both the professional and academic worlds.

An editor of Glamour Magazine (and fashion guru) resigned after making a presentation to a law firm about appropriate work attire. The first fashion don'ts on her list were afros, dreadlocks and other natural hairstyles. American Lawyer magazine reported the comments and the story created a national controversy.

This frightens me as an African-American woman who is about to enter the corporate world. The Bible says that a woman's hair is her crown and glory. Demanding that I artificially change my hair, suggests that my crown is inferior because of something superficial like texture, length, or color.

Diane Everett, a Ph. D. and Assistant Activities Director in Jackson State's Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Life, has often worn her hair in styles contrary to mainstream society. As a teenager, Everett cut her hair because she was tired of being the "clichéd mulatto - long hair and light skin". She did not want to let her hair define her. Conversely, decades later she realizes that her hair now defines her. In 2004, Everett cut her hair off and began wearing an afro.

"An African American woman that chooses to wear natural hair stands in the forefront because so many others want to but are fearful," said Everett who is a well respected academic in the field of post-secondary and higher education.

Everett presents at many conferences and feels that her hair has never been a big issue. She is however realistic and knows that in some professions straightened hair is preferred.

You can go into any job market with an ethnic hairstyle and it would not cost you a job, as long as you are neat an well manicured," Everett said.

Tori Thompson, a JSU junior music education major from Ohio, is well known for her natural hairstyles on campus. Thompson's personal decision to wear natural hair came after only two years of wearing a relaxer. She believes that how you wear your hair is a choice; although she does not straighten her hair, she supports other African American women who decide to do so.

There are many mixed messages about this subject. In the Career Counseling Center on campus, the literature provided on proper business attire does not condemn natural hairstyles. However, in 99 percent of the pictures of professionally dressed people, the women have straightened hair and the men have short Ivy League fades.

As a senior in high school, I can remember attending an INROADS seminar where the presenter suggested that the young women straighten their hair with a hot comb, curling iron, or more permanent relaxer. They informed the young men with long hair that they would have to cut off their dreadlocks or braids before job placement.

Not only black women, but black men also suffer from stereotypes about hairstyles. Men with braids are often thought of as thugs; while dreadlocks, indicate a Rastafarian lifestyle. Nothing is wrong with being a thug or a Rasta; however, there is a need for other cultures to stop judging black people by just one aspect of our being.

"My dreadlocks are not a political statement, my hair often reflects contemporary style. I have worn a high top fade, a big afro, waves, whatever was popular at the time," said Dwight Brooks, a Ph.D. and chair of the department of Mass Communications.

Brooks acknowledges that his hair may be viewed negatively and offered to shave off his dreads before beginning his appointment as department chair this past fall. "I did not want my hair to reflect adversely upon the university, being administrator… As African- American males, we are already under fire; we need no additional barriers to success," Brooks said.

Brooks' position is understood by the younger generation of black men; however, they are optimistic about the future.

"Ultimately, I want to go to law school and become a juvenile court judge. My hair is non traditional, but getting in the door of the profession will be my biggest problem. But times are changing, so one day it might not be a hindrance," said Exzatriel Perry, a senior criminal justice major from Tupelo, Miss.

Perry's hair is long and braided into free-flowing two-strand twists; he began wearing braids in ninth grade and refuses to cut his hair because he simply does not know what he will look like with short hair.

Most black people do not wear natural hair to combat societal norms or make a political statement. The majority wear naturals because, it is the hair they were born with; it is out of self acceptance and personal pride.

Hair is a large part of African-American culture for many good reasons. The need for quality hair care produced our first African-American female millionaire, Madame C. J. Walker. Black hair continues to produce black moguls today, like Joe Dudley.

Songs by India Arie, Lauryn Hill, Marvin Gaye, and Bob Marley make reference to it. Magazines are dedicated to it. Beauty shops and barber shops have become social institutions at the cornerstone of our communities. These shops serve as centers of commerce, dispute resolution, and a place to just have a good time.

So, when someone makes a comment to me about how I wear my hair, they should be aware of the enormity of such a statement.

Articles in the "Voices" section represent the opinions of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Black College Wire.

Rebecca Francis, a student at Jackson State University, writes for the Blue & White Flash, which originally published a version of this article.