Naturally Professional

A friend of mine works in a dentist office. She is one of a very select few of African Americans there and she is also 100% natural. I was talking with her recently and she told me that she continuously receives off the wall questions and comments about her hair. Questions ranging from "What does it feel like?" to even unnecessary ones like, "What do you plan on doing with that Don King hairdo?" My friend, being the kind hearted person that she is, answers her coworkers professionally and patiently. Me? I don't think I would be so gracious. Even my mother, who is natural, has had conversations with me about the hair styles she chooses to wear on her job. She said she likes different natural styles, but because of her position at work, she didn't think the styles would be accepted or that it was work appropriate. So, I thought why not talk about natural hair in the corporate world.

As asked in the movie Good Hair, Why is it that wearing one’s hair, the way God created it such a revolutionary idea?

Here is a little background from Black Enterprise for those who are completely clueless on the subject and those who know, but need a reminder.
 There is a negative stigma attached to natural Black hair in the United States and frankly in most places of the world. The story starts way before the current natural hair craze that some people think is a fad, and before the 1970′s when Afros became popular as a “political statement” for activists who wanted to revel in “Black beauty” but was then temporarily accepted by the rest of the Black community and White ones too.

In the 1800′s and early 1900′s nappy, kinky, curly, hair was deemed inferior, ugly, and unkempt in comparison to the flowing, bouncy, hair of people from other cultures. The caricatures of Blacks that surfaced during that time in movies, children’s books, on laundry detergent, and food products were commonplace and they taught Blacks and Whites alike to loathe the appearance of Black hair and to associate it with dirtiness, unruliness and even character traits like laziness and dishonesty.

While the dark complexions, wider noses, and fuller lips of Blacks were also disparaged, the texture of our hair was the only thing that we could realistically and drastically change (at that time) about our appearance to escape those negative associations. And making that change was encouraged as Blacks who straightened their hair were deemed more likable, agreeable, and dependable by Whites; even more employable.

Sadly, this article still holds true today. Check out the video on this blog about two women. One is completely natural while the other is transitioning and skeptical. Going natural in corporate America

To make a long story short, Don't let your hair or other people define who you are supposed to be. Be confident and know your worth, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! You are exactly how God created you and you should never have to apologize for that. You got your job because of your skills, not your looks. In the words of India.Arie, "I am not my hair."