As I became more confident in myself and my craft, I felt able to establish a strong personal brand and show that wearing natural hair does not in any way define or detract from my quality of work or professionalism.
One of the most empowering parts of natural hair is how incredibly versatile it is. Braids, twist outs and updos are among some of the beautiful ways you can experiment with your stands. Apart from having fun with styles and even different colors, natural hair can also be worn in a variety of patterns regardless of length.
office hairstyles for african natural hair
Headwraps have been a part of natural hair care for centuries. Beninese musician Angélique Kidjo is known for her patterned headscarves. The significance of headscarves even holds a lot of weight in the United States. According to, National Park Service, in Louisiana, many Creole women used the tignon cloths to create elaborate headscarves and wraps.
Actress Tracee Ellis Ross's exuberant personality comes through in this full, shoulder-skimming style that saves the volume for the sides and stays low key on top. Keep spirals smooth and defined by applying a natural oil-based hair serum.
Hair discrimination is rooted in systemic racism, and its purpose is to preserve white spaces. Policies that prohibit natural hairstyles, like afros, braids, bantu knots, and locs, have been used to justify the removal of Black children from classrooms, and Black adults from their employment. With no nationwide legal protections against hair discrimination, Black people are often left to risk facing consequences at school or work for their natural hair or invest time and money to conform to Eurocentric professionalism and beauty standards.
No one should be targeted for being who they are. The criminalization of Black hairstyles must end. Together with the CROWN Coalition, LDF is fighting to end hair discrimination and push for The CROWN Act to become law in all 50 states.
Black adults, school children and members of the military have long been discriminated against because of their natural hairstyles, such as afros, twists, locs and braids. By penalizing hairstyles that fall outside of Eurocentric norms of beauty, discriminatory grooming policies in schools and workplaces are directly linked to institutional racism.
A separate study by researchers at Duke University found that participants viewed Black hairstyles like afros, twists or braids as less professional. The study determined that Black women with natural hairstyles are less likely to land job interviews than white women or Black women with straightened hair.
Some school policies that ban natural and protective styles are grounds for discipline or removal from school. Because of this, Black students across the country have been asked to cut or straighten their hair to meet dress codes and grooming policies. Some school districts have banned specific Black hairstyles, which prevent students from attending school events like prom, extracurricular and sports activities, and even graduation.
Despite the legal classification, natural hair discrimination is not appearance bias, but rather a conduit for racial discrimination. The CROWN Act seeks to close gaps in current anti-discrimination legislature.
Policies that may seem race-neutral can sometimes have a disproportionate impact on Black hair. For instance, a policy that bans dreadlocks could apply to all employees, but would disproportionately affect Black employees or students. Companies should also educate employees and managers on cultural sensitivity regarding natural hair.
When I first transitioned to natural hairstyles, I was totally lost. On top of figuring out what type of products worked on my thick, coily hair, I had no idea how to style it. Years of straightening my hair into oblivion had me under the delusion that natural hair was just too much work.
Apart from being blessed with full, thick curls, this hair type is also rather versatile! From box braids and updos to flat twists and half-up top knots, there are so many hairstyles you can do without using any heat or chemicals on your luscious locks. Keep scrolling to check out the hairstyles for natural Black hair you can try now!
Trying to grow your hair long, or just want to keep it healthy? A protective natural hairstyle is a great way to do this! Cornrows specifically are a very good option when wanting to protect your hair.
The afro hairstyle is one of the top traditional Black hairstyles we see today. Many women love to wear their hair in this style during their transitioning phase or as a way to just celebrate the beauty of their hair texture.
Some women opt for a super-cropped haircut during a transition phase, while some love short hairstyles just for the beauty of it. No matter your reason, this look is beautiful and we love how it accentuates any face shape.
Most often we see box braids in longer natural hairstyles, but they can be short too. Try the shorter length in a different color too for added punch. Box braids are a perfect style to try out bold colors without actually dyeing your hair.
This past summer, California and New York passed legislation to protect its residents from discrimination based on their hair styles. This type of discrimination has disproportionately affected Black Americans who have historically had to endure implicit and explicit bias with regard to their natural hair. In fact, a recent survey found that Black women are 80 percent more likely to feel they must change their natural hair to fit in at the workplace.
Although more of a braided hairstyle than an afro, the look still entails wearing natural hair in its virgin state but with a twist. The short braids give the appearance of Black men with straight hair. Hair is kept to cheekbone length and box-braided from a half-inch from the root to the tips. Wear a middle part to maximize the look and highlight the uniform sleekness of the braids.
Add a temple fade to any style to give it a touch of edge. We love pairing a closely-shaven look with classic natural curls. If you love having facial hair you can even have this style gradually fade into your beard.
For many years, African Americans have been subjected to discrimination based on both hairstyles and hair texture. Still prevalent today, social injustice related to hair has existed for years within communities of African descent. While recent examples of this are being highlighted in the news, this is not a new concept. Afro hair texture has been called ugly by members of all ethnicities. As far back as the slave trade, Africans were forced to abandon their links and connections to their natural hair. Slaves were forced to shave their heads not only for issues related to lice contracted from the cramped, filthy, and inhumane quarters of the slave ships but also to strip them from any cultural identity or tribal heritage associated with hairstyles. After shaving the "bad" hair, Black men and women often were forced to wear headscarves to hide their hair from the sight of the slave owner. In the early 1700s, Louisiana Creole1 women had to wear a Tignon2 by order of the Tigon law3 for the simple reason of marking inferiority among Louisiana women of African descent. Creole women, often referred to as a mulatto4, were very light-skinned, and their hair texture did not resemble hair typical to women of African descent. Therefore, creole women had to wear head dressing to identify them as African descendants.
Today, it is still legal to discriminate against a person in the workplace or schools because of their natural hair. Although Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which passed in 1964, explicitly prohibits workplace discrimination based on race and other protected categories, the many aspects of race discrimination were left to the courts to interpret. There are no existing Federal Laws that protect against this type of race-based discrimination.
There are lots of hairstyles you can wear daily to work, meetings, and other professional events as a black woman but not all are befitting of this important segment of your life. While some are trendy and others more traditional, you must always remember that your hairstyle should reflect a balance of your personality and your line of work. For every look, there should also be a balance between your wardrobe, makeup, and hairstyle.
Although existing federal law prohibits some forms of hair discrimination as a type of racial or national origin discrimination, some federal courts have narrowly construed those protections in a way that permits schools, workplaces, and federally funded institutions to discriminate against people of African descent who wear certain types of natural or protective hairstyles. The CROWN Act changes that by making clear that discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles associated with people of African descent, including hair that is tightly coiled or tightly curled, locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and Afros, is a prohibited form of racial or national origin discrimination.
Another white woman chiming in. I think natural hair is gorgeous too. One of my best friends, who is black, tells me that a lot of this is driven by black men. Her now ex-BF gave her grief when she went too long in between straightening. Needless to say that after he was gone, I encouraged her even more to go natural! She looks fierce and fabulous with natural hair, IMO.
Older female relatives of mine wore wigs occasionally, in the 1960s and 1970s. No contemporary female relative of mine wears a wig, nor do any of my African American friends. I currently wear my hair naturally, which took a long time to get right, but I get lots of compliments, so it was worth it.
No one should have to explain routine and professional aspects of her appearance to co-workers; the truly puzzled can easily find information about curly hair or about African-American hairstyles on the internet. To me, this is the norm that we should strive for. 2ff7e9595c
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