I remember my father and mother telling me stories about how, when they were coming up in the work place, my dad couldn't have any facial hair and my mother didn't wear her hair in an afro. The dad thing was because black men with facial hair were usually seen as "threatening" and people would just think my mother was "ghetto" with the fro.

I've noticed a bit of this, even working in Hollywood. Whenever I go on meetings I've found that when I take the time to straighten my hair so that it looks "white" I get a better response from people than when I let it remain curly.

And I find that strange, because I don’t know of any ethnic group where if the women wear their hair naturally, it is associated with politics."

Well, that's because as far as I know black people are the only ones with a drastically different hair texture. I can't think of any other ethic group who's hair isn't straight from birth on. But I will disagree and say that when Muslim women wear their hair covered, that's when problems arise (like for some of those female students in Canada and Britain).

Maybe corporate culture is even more about conformation than other spheres of society, but I think it's a problem in all social arenas. Just using head coverings and natural hairstyles as examples, I've observed that any outward expression of pride (intentional or not)that signals a lack of desire on the part of an historically oppressed group of people is seen as threatening or somehow inappropriate. That's great though that they are calling attention to and discussing that idiot's remarks instead of just sweeping them under the rug.

I have never understood this. What does someone's hairstyle have to do with her performance? As long as she is hygienic, what the fuck is the problem? I also don't get the "political hairstyle" either. Do they serious believe that black women who wear their hair natural or in braids are making a political statement? I assume they chose their hairstyles the same way other women do: they liked it or it's easy to do or it looks good on them, any number of reasons other than the "political" (although, I'm sure some women sport 'dos they feel are a political statement and there isn't anything wrong with that either – it's their hair).

One the flipside of the hairstyle token, I remember when my hubby's grandmother died a few years ago. His hair was long enough to put in a ponytail. Everyone (over the age of 40) told him that he should get his haircut for the funeral. In the end, he caved and got it cut. He also had difficulty finding a job with long hair and was hired almost immediately after he got it cut short, although his resume never changed. WTF?

I think there is somewhat of an idea that a woman who cuts her hair extremely short is trying to make some sort of political statement as well. I've never been that emotionally attached to my hair so bounce back and forth between wearing it long or cutting it all off. Whenever I cut it all off, men seem to feel obligated to comment on it. The level of animosity goes up the less I know the guy. I've been asked point blank if I'm a lesbian when I wear my hair short. The fact that I live in the Midwest may have something to do with it--I honestly don't know if women in more urban areas are treated this way.

I also don't understand why women who veer away from "standard beauty practice" are seen as threatening.

You know, when I first read her quote I totally agreed with her. Because I thought "political hair" meant the processed and straightened stuff that seems to be necessary for a black woman to advance in any sort of public career. Why does every single thing that a woman does with her appearance have to be seen as sending a message?

The aspect of my white privilege that I think I am the most aware of is that choosing a hairstyle with the least amount of mantainence is not seen as a "political statement".

All I know is that this is very real. The most famous black women around the world, from Halley Berry to Beyonce, wear their hair straight. And I think this has to do with black women buying in the "white" beauty ideal.

So much so that I can't remember the last time I saw Nicole Kidman sporting her natural hair, which is curly as Hell. I sometimes think her "fame" had to wait for the hair straightener, 'cuz she's more famous now (with straight hair) than, say, 10 years ago (curly hair)

Whenever I cut it all off, men seem to feel obligated to comment on it. The level of animosity goes up the less I know the guy. I've been asked point blank if I'm a lesbian when I wear my hair short.

I have also found this to be true, but I live in the Midwest, too, so I can't speak for urban women.
I haven't gotten the lesbian question (yet). The one I hate the most is: "But I liked your hair long!" And? It's not your hair, asswipe, and I don't recall asking for your input. Funny enough, it's only men that make those comments (as if their opinion should actually matter to me).

And I think this has to do with black women buying in the "white" beauty ideal.

I don't think that black women are "buying into" the white beauty standards so much as it's being forced upon them.

I read a lovely article about this on The Angry Black Woman, here.

Whenever I cut it all off, men seem to feel obligated to comment on it. The level of animosity goes up the less I know the guy. I've been asked point blank if I'm a lesbian when I wear my hair short.

I've had the same thing happen. I cut my hair off after high school. At college my super-short 'do coupled with my affinity for clothes from the men's section and my membership in the campus GLBTQA group made a /lot/ of people ask questions. Bonus: Catholic university!

Jeeze, this is really obnoxious! Stupid Galmour...There's a book that goes into this kinda stuff in great detail, by Ingrid Banks called Hair Matters: Beauty, Power, and Black Women's Consciousness, if anyone's interested.

PS I am a dyke with really short hair and I never get asked if I'm a lesbian. But I'm out, so I guess they don't have to ask.

Amen. I have been waiting for someone to really address how impossibly racist corporate fashion is.

Interested folks should read this interview with Angela Davis, in which she talks about being "remembered as a hairdo."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2207041,00.html

You know, I think it's less about the idea that these hairstyles are inherently political than it is about the racist norm that deemed them "unprofessional" or "ugly" to begin with. The whole reason afros, braids, and natural hair are associated with Black Power is because they are styles that emphasize the texture and look of unprocessed black hair. In that sense, wearing those styles is a political act--and that's not fair, certainly, but it doesn't make it any less true.

EG, wearing those styles is political, but so is forcing people to adopt a certain hairstyle. That's the thing that bothers me about how the word "political" is used today - it usually means "something the speaker disapprove's of," not "something that is relevant for a large group of people" ("playing politics with the troops," etc).

Well, obviously, pressuring black women to straighten their hair is political. I don't think the word is as universally derogatory as that--certainly it can be used that way, and "playing politics" is a negative phrase. But in the context of making a political statement (purposeful or not), I don't think it's always, or even mostly negative.

This is another example of how in corporate culture people of color or maybe even people in general are supposed to conform to a white male arena by looking as close to that ideal as possible. I definately agree that any hair style that isn't the norm, such as women having short hair or men having long hair is considered exercising a certain degree of freedom that our corporate culture is not comfortable with; however I think with women of color or men of color for that matter having their hair in a natural state causes an extra degree of resistance and hostility from the corporate culture. I think because there are so many negative stereotype's surrounding Afros and curly hair that are purely based on racism. Another issue is that an Afro or curly hair on a person of color is how they are born. While I can cut my hair short or keep it long without spending alot of money or really changing something biologically natural to my body, a person of color changing the style of their hair costs alot of money, takes alot of time and is changing their natural appearance to something artificial. Obviously people should completely have the freedom to change their body and hair however they want, but being forced to by society because of racism sucks.

Not a very insightful comment but... I just like how afros look I think they look better than straightened hair.

But yeah not looking forward to entering the world of corporate fashion in a couple of years.

Wow this discussion is something I have been having with my mother and family for years.
I hated sitting in the beauty salon, or in the kitchen with my grandma when I was little, for hours. I hated the searing hot pressing comb. I hated feeling guilty about my hair accidentally getting wet in the shower. Or forgetting an umbrella when it rained. Or when the weather was humid. Or when (Lord forbid) I started to sweat in my scalp.
The other alternative to straightening my hair was a relaxer, which can cause nasty chemical burns and usually wrecks the hair.
Throughout high school I would battle with my mom over my hair. She wanted me to keep it pressed, so I dyed it turquoise.
So I finally got so fed up with dealing with my hair that a few months ago I shaved it off. No one really asked if I was a lesbian, but some jerk called me a 'dyke'.
I never really thought about it, but my hair has always been some kind of debate between me and my family. Either it was 'too punk' or 'too wild looking', I always needed to 'tone it down'. Rainbow colors aside, how am I supposed to 'tone down' what grows naturally out of my head? How is having a shaved head a political statement?
The answers to these questions have been addressed here clearly. I just feel that its ridiculous I even have to ask. Whether it s a black woman having to defend her hair, or a white woman made to feel embarrassed because she didn't shave her legs. Its the same crap to me.
Unfortunately, black women have the hair most out of sync with the 'ideal beauty'. Its sad how most of the women I know put up with the hours of time and large amounts of money it takes to uphold this standard.
I'm well aware that it's bullshit. Still, I feel embarrassed sometimes about my hair. I'm just letting it grow out from shaving. No chemicals for now. I want to really see it how it is naturally.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=810747

Just a funny aside - my uncle got a perm in the 70's to make his hair curlier.

As for the article, while it's true that there are all sorts of standards that people must meet to look "professional" - such as short hair in men, shaved legs on women, etc. - it is a much harsher criticism of our culture when to look like one can work in a high-paying job means that one should look not black.

Here is my totally glib summation of the panel, which was pretty cool. I would've liked to have heard more about why there are so few women of color in the mainstream women's mags and on runways, and what we can do about it, but I thought this was a good start to that conversation.

"but I thought this was a good start to that conversation."

I totally agree, its a good start. And there's more to be talked about. But what kind of bothers me is that it takes an offensive comment to even get that conversation started.

Gotta love the phrase "ethnic" hair. . . that's right, white folks are free of ethnicity! My straight hair and eternally rosy cheeks have nothing to do with my ethnic background!

Nothing like a good old double standard to keep people in line. :(

Blitzgal: My best girlfriend and I, coincidentally had pixie cuts for a while and we were constantly asked if we were lesbians. Always by a sleezeball guy we had no interest in.

I saw a story a while back about two black women who were suspended (or maybe fired?) from their prison gaurd jobs because they refused to cut their braids/dreads.

"I can't think of any other ethic group who's hair isn't straight from birth on."

I was born with curly hair and I'm not black. Just sayin'.

The politics and controversy around curly hair are just incredible. I frequent naturallycurly.com and there is a Hall of Shame forum where a lot of discussion goes on about how people just plain don't like curly hair, wonder why we don't straighten it, and how often we hear the use of derogatory racist comments on our hair. As a child, I used to get teased all the time for my "afro puff" and now that I am older I see how the words they, white kids, were using were most often associated with hair they thought was "bad", i.e. black hair. I think some of the dislike of curly hair is connected to racist attitudes so it's no wonder that in corporate culture or in mainstream culture that women of color's natural hairstyles are seen as bad or political.

I made the decision to go natural 2 years ago. I am only twenty, but my whole hair's lifestory has been dominated by my mother and other women in my family. Around 5th grade I said NO MORE to braids that pulled at my scalp and broke off my hair. When I was 16, my hairdresser (warning: never let your mom's friend do your hair) left a perm on my head while she finished up 3 of her adult customers. Needless to say, my hair started coming off in clumps and we had to practically shave it. She didn't even say sorry.

I made the decision after I realized how much money I'd save each month. In fact, going natural was one of the biggest factors in my ability to move out of my parent's home.

I work for an environmental non-profit and we hire dreaddies, mohawks, blue hairs, pink hairs, and baldy's with tatooed scalps. I plan to continue working in places that value what I think and say, not how I dress or style my hair.

And I have a rule about those wandering stranger's hands: If you touch my hair, you must scratch my itchy locks until I say you can stop!

I'm white but my natural hair is wildly, hugely curly. I was mocked mercilessly as a kid and today I relax my hair and straighten it every day. I get comments on being "sloppy" if I don't. (Apparently a lot of people see curly hair as "dirty" even though it's no greasier or likely to shed than the straight stuff--you want to see shedding, see me the first couple days after relaxing.) Or, if people are trying to be charitable, they assume I'm some sort of "free spirit" who's being deliberately unconventional via my hair.

It takes twenty minutes a day and regular lye treatments just to look like I'm not saying anything.

Ever since I've actually clicked that OMG African-American black people have curly hair and thus every black woman I'm exposed to in US media must have spent HOURS making it straight/wavy it's really pissed off.

It drives me nuts that famous black women seem to do best when their hair is not only straight but lighter brown or even blonde. God forbid you look black! For fuck's sake.

My hair is wildly curly, but I had the good fortune to be raised in a family of curly-haired people by a mother who thinks "the curlier, the better"--at least in part due to her political commitments. And Holly, people are idiots. Curly hair is almost always drier, much drier, than straight hair, which is why we need loads and loads of conditioner, usually left-in, to make lovely curls. I've found hot oil treatments are fabulous, once every week or two.

It's true that curly hair has also been associated with Jewish women, and I think that there are negative pressures that involve anti-semitism that influence us to straighten our hair/get nose jobs, etc. But in the US, I also think that those pressures are magnified a hundred fold when the woman in question is black.

And more in my area of expertise, bald or shorn women are just right out UNLESS they're of African descent. If you don't have cancer and actively work to grow your hair back, you must be one of those 90s feminist lesbians. Which is before my time, honestly. Trichotillomania and alopecia aren't really talked about nearly enough, and voluntary baldness is considered a sign of a mental disorder or androgyny.

It's amazing how much a girl's hair is supposedly saying about her.

I had my hair natural until I was 13. I did often have it hotcombed, which was not an unpleasant experience for me.

However, i wanted a perm since I could remember b/c I wanted hair like my mothers (i loved her styles) and I loved to swim. And thanks to being VERY tender-headed, I hated having to comb it after a wash or swim. It was absolute hell.

My mother went natural about a decade ago and she loves it. I wonder about going natural myself, but every time i let my hair grow out I positively hate it. It's not the look, it just gets so tight it is painful to comb and takes hours to deal with.

So for me, perms or braids are the best option. It doesn't have anything to do with white standards of beauty.

I find that even with a perm I'm able to achieve styles that look natural, which is great for me.

one thing I don't like however, is how, in the black community, my hair does not be
long to ME.

I tell people I want to cut my hair just below the neck and just above the shoulders and EVERYONE is like "NO! You can't! Your hair is nice and long and beautiful, don't cut it!"

Yet, none have accepted the offer to pay for the maintaince. Strange

Things like this make me want to get my straight hair permed to awesome Nicole Kidman in the '90's curls...

I don't call my hair curly, I call it 'full of cowlicks'. I keep it short because otherwise I look like Little Orphan Annie...after she pulls her finger from a light socket. :) Even short, it tumbles about like kittens on speed laced with ecstasy, but it suits me, so harm/no foul.

I tried the semi-corporate thing shortly after college and after about 4 months I decided that no job was worth changing my entire personality in addition to my outward appearance. I admit, I have little sympathy for people who complain about jobs that force them to conform to such a degree, they choose to remain in their job, after all.

My current job tends to look askance at my short hair and temple braids, not to mention my lefty leanings - public education tends to be conservative, after all - but after making it clear I would walk from a job I love rather than cut off my temple braids, the Powers That Be have left me be.

Short, long, curly, natural, straight, straightened, shaved, on a blue ship sailing into a purple sunset, be the change you want to see in the world. Simply by being different, the world is changed. :) Okay, my pain meds have kicked in and I'm waxing poetic, sorry.

I'm not Black, so I can't fully understand what this must feel like, but I have been stared and gawked at for my hair choices. When I was in high school, I dyed my hair every color under the sun. Pink, orange, teal, black, purple, red, the list goes on (my swim team gave me the "Rainbow Brite" award for my superlative because of it). I was stared at, people whispered about me (not subtly), my band teacher even tried to keep me from going on a trip because my orange hair would be a "distraction" to judges (it wasn't). People automatically assumed I was a thug troublemaker, even though I was a straight A student who was on swim team and the literary magazine. Plus I was in band for Christ's sake.

So as I said, I can't fully comprehend but I think I understand a little of how it feels to be judged for your hair choices.

There's got to be some irony in this since I have stick-straight hair and would do anything to get some curls! Even perms don't really work on me.
I don't think anybody likes their hair the way it is "naturally" - everyone I know with curly hair tries to straighten it and everyone with straight hair tries to curl it.

There's got to be some irony in this since I have stick-straight hair and would do anything to get some curls! Even perms don't really work on me.
I don't think anybody likes their hair the way it is "naturally" - everyone I know with curly hair tries to straighten it and everyone with straight hair tries to curl it.

"I don't think anybody likes their hair the way it is "naturally" - everyone I know with curly hair tries to straighten it and everyone with straight hair tries to curl it."

I totally disagree. The only time I wanted to straighten my hair was when I was younger and completely mocked by the straight-haired majority. Now I love and embrace my curls.

As a black woman with natural hair, I just have to say that curly and nappy are not the same thing! I think people loathe the word "nappy" so much that they insist on calling black hair curly, but these aren't curls. MY HAIR IS NAPPY!

And Roxie is right, natural hair isn't the easiest hairstyle at all--it requires a lot of styling, maintenance, and WORK. Many times I've been tempted to straighten my hair just to be able to comb it now and then, but I always stop myself because in the progressive arts community, you're just as ostracized if you don't conform to a natural hair aesthetic. This is not a simple issue.

And sure enough, there's a crazy man who walks in my neighborhood who stopped last night to tell me how much he liked my hair. I thanked him for the compliment, but as I crossed the street I could just hear him saying that it was better to men if it were longer.

Carlagirl,

Amen to the use of nappy. It's too bad it has such a negative connotation. I'm proud of my nappy hair, and I can use that word without any shame.

At the same time, I wouldn't call someone else's hair nappy out of fear of offending them. I usually just go with "natural" or "kinky."