“It seemed like a nice frothy summer treat for some hardworking gals at a hard-driving law firm. Instead of hosting another earnest discussion about client cultivation and leadership, the women lawyers group at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton invited an editor from Glamour magazine. The topic: the dos and don’ts of corporate fashion.
First slide up: an African-American woman sporting an Afro. A real no-no, announced the Glamour editor to the 40 or so lawyers in the room. As for dreadlocks: How truly dreadful! The style maven said it was “shocking” that some people still think it “appropriate” to wear those hairstyles at the office. “No offense,” she sniffed, but those “political” hairstyles really have to go.
By the time the lights flicked back on, some Cleary lawyers — particularly the 10 or so African-American women in attendance — were in a state of disbelief. “It was like she was saying you shouldn’t go out with your natural hair, and if you do, you’re making a political statement,” says one African-American associate. “It showed a general cluelessness about black women and their hair.” “- Mash It Up
I proudly wear my locs and have had all kinds of natural hairstyles over the years. I’ve never felt or heard any direct discrimination or experienced any stigma with regard to my natural hair. However, I’ve heard many, many stories and seen a couple of news stories from time to time on the subject of african american ethnic hair in the work place. I think it’s trivial, and just symptomatic of how some white people want all cultures to assimuate to the white standard of external beauty. Yes, I’m sure that this person giving the presentation, thought that she was just helping black women by “telling them the truth”. Letting them know how some in “the white world” can judge them simply by the style of their hair…forget their professional skills and talents. An afro just knocks all that off the table. How can we let a jigga boo represent us with that nappy hair flying everywhere…yuck. Right??? I mean why not just suggest that African American women cover their nappy locs like in slavery times of old. Then you won’t have to look at our hair at all. Black women still struggle with hair issues for various reasons that are too numerous for me to get into right now. However, when other cultures then want to say that our natural hair is unprofessional and unattractive…that just shows a level of insensitvity to the history of black people in america with regard to how black people have had to fight to define themselves and not let others tell them how to “be” and how “white” to be. For you to tell an african american woman that her hair is more attractive and professional straight…you’re telling her that if it looked more white…it would be more “right”. Bottomline
Here’s the story from Kym Platt at Black Looks
Glamour magazine beauty editor told a women’s luncheon of a Wall Street law firm, Cleary Gottlieb, that Black female attorneys should avoid wearing “political” hairstyles like dreadlocks or Afros, because these hairstyles are seen as unattractive and unprofessional.
To make a long story short, the Black lawyers in the audience and many in the blogosphere have voiced objection and outrage at the beauty editor’s comments; with some folks calling for a boycott of Glamour and others stating that fashionably conservative law firms are few and far between and more and more law firms are embracing a wider concept of diversity.
What I don’t fully grasp is why a beauty editor is commenting on naturally occurring hairstyles in the Black community. Afros and dreadlocks are not necessarily political statements but they are hairstyles achieved by many people of African descent (with the right texture of hair) simply by keeping their hair the way “god” intended it to be. If I cut my hair it grows into an Afro, even with out picking it out, and then if it grows longer and I don’t brush or comb it, it will grow into dreadlocks… a very natural process.
–”Whether you let your hair go natural or straighten is a very touchy subject,” says one black female partner at a New York firm
It seems as though the Glamour editor is saying that professional Black women should chemically straighten their hair. This has been a controversial topic since Madame CJ Walker invented the relaxer.
I believe Black women should not straighten their hair, but I also support Black women (and men) having the freedom to express themselves stylistically in any way they choose. I can explain, ad nauseam, why Black people altering their hair to look more white, more professional, more beautiful(?!), is not only problematic but reflective of internalized racism and self-hatred, but at the end of the day, Black folks should be allowed to do whatever we want… wear blue contact lenses, straighten our hair, bleach our skins, etc. I just don’t want to participate in this kind of white-fashion play, and I definitely don’t think white beauty aesthetics should be forced upon us.
Personally, I just don’t think a Black woman with straightened hair is hot. I prefer Black women with locks, and Afros, and braids (of real hair), to processed coifs. And, I also prefer to wear my hair naturally. I haven’t relaxed my hair since my (white!) mom forced me to for my 12th grade yearbook picture… in 1991.
What else would you expect from a dumb ass white woman?
Wow…I was blog surfing and discovered your blog…it is truly amazing to me that still today, we have these kinds of issues (the way we look and present ourselves, political hyperbole)…didn’t India.Arie say, “I am not my hair?”
With these kinds of asinine comments and with what else is going on in the country (mainly the Jena 6 abomination of justice), it makes you wonder if we are reverting back to the 60′s in terms of racial divide…where is the appreciation for diversity and the standard of justice?
I hate that! I don’t even know what else to say. I just don’t understand why people are so up in arms over *hair*. (((((HUGS))))) sandi~LOVE dreds! Wish I could wear ‘em!
Since when does anyone have to take what a fashion editor says so seriously? A lot of stuff that comes out of the fashion world is peculiar, unhealthy, and just plain weird.
That white standard of beauty BS strikes again! We have much bigger fish to fry in our society that this fool stating what SHE as a white woman thinks about OUR beautiful hair.
Mikyia wo (Greetings),
I think all Afrikans should wear are natural hair styles. No S-curls, weaves or straighteners of any kind. to do so is unprofessional and self-degrading. This is just more mess to aleavate whites of the earned guilt they have about the destruction of Black cluture. If we don’t resurrect it they don’t have to remember it was ever here.
Ma asomdwoee-Hetep (Peace),
Jabli Zende
While I personally tend toward the non-chemicalized view of life… perhaps we should allow confirmation on who the person is before we shoot the holy fire at them….
I had a (locked, black, feminist) professor in grad school say that she had no problem with perms, as long as the permee understood the political message conveyed by that hair
i.e.: understand the conditions that lead to the tradition (jesse-style rhyme not intended)
peace: cw
I don’t know immediated the full reason behind the whole “natural hair” vs “relaxed hair” in the corporate world. However, I fully relate it to this: if your going to play the man’s game, you have the speak the “king’s english” and look the part! In this ever so blatant society it is a rarity to find many black men and women who are freely and openly accepted in the corporate world as their “natural selves”.
I am still growing with my natural hair. It was looked at as taboo for a long time. It really almost shocked me when I would get compliments from others saying it looks nice on me (without me thinking the lesser of what they really mean). But it’s not just a fashion statementIt’s me embracing the nautural beauty of myself and living healthier and chemically free.
This is just the type of thinking that causes people to not accept who they truly are. Being an African American woman with natural hair, I feel upset that “others” think my hair is unprofessional and unkept. What does my hair have to do with my performance at my job? I personally feel that this is just another form of racism.
I just saw this post and I have to say it’s unfair for you to assume that I made these comments, which I did not. I agree with you; the comments were out of line and unacceptable. In fact, I wrote a blog about it today, which I would appreciate your looking at.
http://www.glamour.com/fashionbeauty/blogs/suze/2007/09/what-you-though.html
Also, I would like to ask you to remove my name and image from your blog since the story you are writing has nothing to do with me and is damaging to my reputation.
Suze
Suze, I posted that apology a while ago. http://hellonegro.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/update-apology-racist-comments-from-glamour-magazine-employee/
By the way, what did Glamour do about the person who did make the comment? Did they face any real consequences…or just a slap on the hand? Just wondering.
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I am a mixd race person yeh and we can not help our hair ! So when you know something about black culture ost something on the Website That YOu know about ! Your Jelous because you can not do ANYTHING With your hair ! So is that our fault NO ! I Cant belive i have seen thhs on the internet ! It is STUPID ! So You Betta chek Your Self !
So You may have normal Boring hair !!!!!!!!!!
That is not our fault
YOur JELOUS !! IDIOT !
It is good to have the voices on this subject. But let us use more of our energy helping our black youth to excel even more. Let us work to have the excellence of the black masses so
pre-dominant that all professions will be seeking our services.
God made us perfect, naturally. Period.
i have a natural afro. i do think everyone haves there own opinion, but i do feel that natural is the way God created everyone black ,white mixed it doesn’t matter it’s really who we are i think that people do give you a chance on a job with the straight long weave before they hire you being plan natural.
Although it’s a bit dated, it reflects the integrity of the writer; which, is quite low (at the very best).