Whoever says Afro hair isn't professional is also saying that Black skin isn't professional and should be lightened in order to conform to the norm. I find this statement to be more ridiculous and stup*d (sorry about that) when it's coming from another Black person. The funny thing is that most non-Blacks could care less about the texture of our hair and if you care to know, they are actually fascinated with it's exotic texture and versatility. The only ones who find it offensive are those who have a racial problem, in which case, everything about you is offensive to them. These are also the kind of people who
ban cornrows and Afro puffs in schools and at the workplace.
It is only when
WE (Natural Black Women) start to wear our hair out in its natural state (AFRO), will the public at large start to feel comfortable with it. May be if they know how long it takes to put our hair in a stretched bun, corn row and other conservative style, then they wouldn't mind us wearing a shrunken wash n go Afro (which may look unkept) to work.
As for me, I don't like to wear my hair out too often as I prefer to keep it "bounded" and so for this reason, I have no negative experience to share about wearing my afro to work. Also, the first two years of my healthy natural hair journey was spent in
China where my natural hair was always the "mane" attraction, regardless of the style it was in. I however look forward to wearing an afro to Corporate Canada as soon as I join the workforce. Heck, i'm even thinking of making the B&W picture above my LinkedIn profile pic and see how my "professional" network reacts to it.
There's a poll on the side gadget, where you can make your opinion about this topic by vote, in less than a second.
What are your experiences with Natural hair at work? Have you ever worn a full blown out Afro to work or would you?
Of course, I would. I wore an afro to office, all the while I was working. I made sure it was as neat as I could make it to be, but some peeps still has issues. The good thing is that I didn't give a hoot about their opinions.
ReplyDeleteI also carried wild frohawks, local didis and whatever you can imagine. I could not be tamed, lol.
I was also fortunate that in my work place, as long as you look neat, and get your work done, no one send.
seriously,i wouldnt be hard on people who says they can never wear an afro to work cos most times their work dictates how they dress to work,take for instance, the nursing profession,banking industry or even chefs,they dont get to wear their hair anyhow.then again if a certain industry wants u to be dressed in a particular way,u just have to obey their rules,e.g the business world most times,u just have to be like "prim and proper".well as for me,it doesnt matter,i wear a veil all d tym.hope u get wat im tryin to say.
ReplyDeleteI am currently rocking an afro and i intend to rock it through out this week. My colleagues all love it and some are even tempted to do the big chop.
ReplyDeleteI've worn my 'fro to work on a few occasions. It's not something I gave too much thought about, as my office dress code is pretty lax - just look neat and professional. When I do have it out, I get a lot of "Ah, African Queen" comments (yes, even here in Nigeria).
ReplyDeleteI have also gotten negative comments. Once, a guy told me I needed to put my wig back on (Yes, I told him off). I just think you should check with HR if it's fine, and present the neatest 'fro as possible so they can't even say no.
Funny that 'fros are more acceptable when they're shorter.
http://berrydakara.blogspot.com
I used to wear mine and my colleagues never stopped complimenting me. My boss told me that he always looked forward to my hairstyles everyday 'cause I was always switching it mehn. Natural hair is so easy to tweak to different styles. I'd wear it like a braid out on Monday, by Tuesday, I'm on a full fro, by Wednesday, I'm keeping it Mohawk style... I used to look forward to the "ah ah's" from everyone LOL
ReplyDeleteI guess the environment there was just very welcoming, I want to assume it is not so easy at other places
coincidentally, I just read an article on Black girl long hair which recommends hairstyles to wear to an interview, funny enough, "out" styles and braids were part of the styles that shouldn't be worn.
ReplyDeleteI guess the reception of your hair is dependent on the work environment and the people you work with. Somehow, BIG afros = Black empowerment to some people and so they feel threatened by it. It could also mean unkept, childish or village like to others.
If you have hair that likes to coil up like mine, a neat afro could morph into a "bushy" fro by the middle of the day, so I guess i'll have to wear it at my own risk.
In terms of dress code to work, I feel an exception has to be made for Black people if it is made for people who wear scarves. Afros are our natural hairstyle and is often exempted from the typical "professional" dress code.