plague of the black woman: changing styles in corporate america
Is it just me or is there lots of pressure on us Black women changing hair styles in the workplace?
If you are the vast minority as in 1 of 3 black women, if that in your company then you can understand the plague.
The questions and the stares present a challenge in making a decision to be well received or true to yourself.
Have you ever found that you select your hairstyle based on your work environment. If I wanted to rock a natural fro would I be less likely to get new assignments or be allowed to have client interaction? When intervieiwng am I more inclined to get the position because my hair was straight rather than curly?
I feel like we have been plagued, we as in black women, to conform to be true to our goals which may actually undermine our efforts to remain true to ourselves. A decision has to be made, but I truly feel that we are perceived and judged by our looks because unless you are doing over the phone interviews and working from home you have to be seen before you are heard.
At the end of the day, I've found that you have to have confidence in everything you do even if its just changing your hair. People that dont understand will be very intrigued and/or confused. There will always be a consequence but you have to decide what's worth it.
But I know everyone can relate to that "wasnt her hair just 2 inches yesterday now its 18?" lol.
I remember when I switched from a medium length wig to a really short wig the following Monday my co-workers had lots of questions.
(Friday's hair)
(Monday's Hair- details below)
I remember being in the kitchen getting some coffee and one my co-workers says: "I love your hair cut, don't you feel liberated?" I told her I did feel liberated and I wasnt fibbing. I felt liberated because I knew when I got home I could snatch the wig off and sleep comfortably without worrying if my scarf was going to come a loose.
If you are the vast minority as in 1 of 3 black women, if that in your company then you can understand the plague.
The questions and the stares present a challenge in making a decision to be well received or true to yourself.
Have you ever found that you select your hairstyle based on your work environment. If I wanted to rock a natural fro would I be less likely to get new assignments or be allowed to have client interaction? When intervieiwng am I more inclined to get the position because my hair was straight rather than curly?
I feel like we have been plagued, we as in black women, to conform to be true to our goals which may actually undermine our efforts to remain true to ourselves. A decision has to be made, but I truly feel that we are perceived and judged by our looks because unless you are doing over the phone interviews and working from home you have to be seen before you are heard.
At the end of the day, I've found that you have to have confidence in everything you do even if its just changing your hair. People that dont understand will be very intrigued and/or confused. There will always be a consequence but you have to decide what's worth it.
But I know everyone can relate to that "wasnt her hair just 2 inches yesterday now its 18?" lol.
I remember when I switched from a medium length wig to a really short wig the following Monday my co-workers had lots of questions.
 |
(Friday's hair)
I remember being in the kitchen getting some coffee and one my co-workers says: "I love your hair cut, don't you feel liberated?" I told her I did feel liberated and I wasnt fibbing. I felt liberated because I knew when I got home I could snatch the wig off and sleep comfortably without worrying if my scarf was going to come a loose.
I get bored with my hair so the following week I came in with this baby:
(The Next Week's Hair-details below)
When I walked in with my long hair again after wearing short hair for the entire week before the same lady that asked me about my short haricut gave me the look of death as if she had seen a ghost. I could see the confusion beading across her forehead. The questions were formulating in her mind but I walked away fast enough to avoid the interview. Its a typical response to such drastic hair changes.
But you have to do you! Be fierce and confident in any hair style and own it. Sometimes I'm honest and I'll educate folks on my hair and the changes that it goes through. But all in all you don't owe anyone an explanation. You're not obligated to answer the questions like "can I touch it" lol!
Monday's Hair-(This is a shake and go wig: Jenny by Milky Way...100% human hair.I added curls in a flip style with my flat hair so it wouldnt look so "wiggy. " The key to wig wearing is making sure you get the wig styled to fit your face. Underneath most people get bee-hive braids. you can oil your scalp daily this way. Wigs are great for hair growth but make me nervous during sex and windy days! lol )
The Next Week's Hair- (This is a high-heat fiber wig by Zury-Keshia Wig color 1b.
Its high-heat fiber and not human. You're supposed to be able to flat iron it up to like 375 degrees so you would need a flat iron with heat settings. It kind of changed the texture when I flat ironed so I would recommend just treating it like a regular synthetic wig. It starts to tangle at the ends like a synthetic wig too after a while but if you wash with hot water without shampoo and but a bit of baby oil just a tiny bit on the ends and brush with a wig brush and let it dry its like new... or just buy a new wig. Lol! )
My favorite product for under the cap:
dr miracle's intensive spot serum
wild growth hair oil
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