Curly hair "unprofessional"?

[Arete]

My friend who has beautiful, natural red 3b curls was told at an interview that her hair was inappropriate because curly is a "fun" style. I've never heard this before and was curious what your experience was. Are people really rejecting job candidates if they don't have heat styled, straightened hair?

[copperlites]

hair was inappropriate because curly is a "fun" style.
I would have thought that unless the job is to promote hair straightening products that a statement like this would not just be inappropriate and unprofessional on the part of the interviewer but also discriminatory and potentially illegal. Your friend should be judged on her ability/ qualifications and not the texture of her hair. Perhaps though, if people in her industry DO think like that she may want to attend interviews with a bun, at least until she lands the job of her dreams! I

[Kina]

i've heard it at work, although to my knowledge, I've not been denied a job due to it. I was told a few times that "the LEAST" I could do was to straighten my hair to look more professional. Being me, though, I would wear curlers to make it curlier and annoy my supervisor

[Dixie_Amazon]

It's the comment, not the hair that was inappropriate. :steam

[Carolyn]

If you really feel there is that kind of prejudice against curly hair in your profession go to interviews in a tight bun or straighten your hair on those days. I think it's best to err on the conservative side when going to job interviews. However I agree with the person above who said the comment was inappropriate, not the hair.

[Robot Ninja]

Honestly, I can see how curly hair might be viewed as unprofessional. "Looking professional" is all about conformity, and curly hair has been unfashionable for some time. I can totally see how some people might think curly hair looks messy, or like you don't care enough to straighten your hair like everybody else.

I don't agree with it, but I'm not the one potentially hiring your friend.

[spidermom]

So weird and ignorant! However, if the profession calls for it, I'd definitely figure out a style to look as professional as possible. Jobs are important.

[truepeacenik]

Just like the conformist length comments I heard during my unemployment journey.
Some recruiters/managers are looking to exclude as much as possible. So appearance counts.

Buns with sleek anchors, sticks that blend in, clips that hold it tightly (also blending in. Once hired, accent outfits)

[pili]

The comment and the thought are outdated an extremely inappropriate.

[Arete]

Thankfully, I will be going into a job sector that could care less if your hair was straight or curly. They care that you are professional and competent.
I can't imagine what the interviewer would have thought of a 2c texture!

[Freija]

That is awful.

I really wouldn't cooperate with an employer who tried to make demands like that, either. I firmly believe that all anyone has a right to ask is that my appearance is clean, tidy, practical, respectful and safe; and that being told to actually modify my body for a job is completely unacceptable. Curls are not a 'fun style', they are not a choice any more than the shape of my nose is a choice, or the colour of my eyes or skin is a choice (actually, discrimination against curly hair has massively racist implications...). To get my hair straight would damage it, and I am not prepared to cause injury to a part of myself in order to alter it to suit anyone - and I don't think that I should let an employer feel entitled to have asked me to in the first place, either, which is the message I would send out by quietly giving in.

I don't want to sound like an unreasonable hard-head, though! I work in a cathedral library at the moment, so I have to observe quite strict rules about my appearance out of respect to the building and its visitors - and I am happy to do that. It's just that for me, and for my employer, that begins and ends with superficial things, like clean hair and body; hair tied back; jewellery off; any piercings that pose a risk of injury covered or removed (or replaced, e.g. hoops or cbr swapped to studs or labrets); no offensive words or images on t-shirts or, I don't know, shaved into the side of my head; and most of my skin covered (no skirts or dresses, because I will be climbing ladders in the stacks; no heels, ditto; no bare shoulders, low necklines, cropped tops, low-cut trousers or shorts). I keep my hair (unstraightened!) in a bun or plait, and I've never had any negative comments.

[endlessly]

Unfortunately, this has been around for a while and I've noticed many more naturally curly-haired women being forced to chemically or heat straighten their hair in order to be taken as a serious job candidate.

I don't have naturally curly hair, wavy instead, but I always used to use hot rollers up until a few years ago when it came to styling my hair. The curls were pretty and honestly, I could quite a few different styles with them, but it was pointed out on several occasions at my workplace that I came across as "unprofessional and immature". And, just to be clear, I wasn't working in a 'business setting', I worked retail.

Also, there's been quite a few pieces circulating on this forum about long hair being considered "inappropriate for the workplace" no matter how you have it styled. I've been told at just about every job I've ever had that I should think about having my hair cut so I was more stylish - I was actually told during one review that I looked too old-fashioned. Now, I never wore my hair down, it was always up and always styled, so I felt like I was definitely much more put together than some of my coworkers who would show up straight out of bed and hungover, but my clean and polished appearance was always the real problem in their book.

We live in a society where people are trying so hard to force acceptance of every issue and talking constantly about how we should "love ourselves" and "express individuality" - but that definitely isn't true. Sure, you're allowed to be different and express your own style, but it always has to somehow fit in this cookie-cutter idea of what's acceptably different. Basically, you can be different so long as you still follow popular trends and look like everyone else.

I think you should be able to wear your hair however you want and not be judged as a result. Remember several years back when most employers wouldn't allow gauges or plus in the workplace? Well, after enough criticism, that changed. I think because so many women are being told to be ashamed of their curly hair, that's wear the problem starts, so in turn, there are some workplaces that don't see it as professional because they've always been led to believe that "stick straight, heat-styled" hair is deemed work-appropriate. I think it's unfair and quite frankly, ********, that your hair type could prevent you from getting a job even if you are 100% qualified.

[cathair]

I think it's a disgusting thing to say. Your friend did not choose it as a style, it is her natural hair!

I have wondered at times, if this kind of discrimination is actually racist. I am not quite sure if that's the right word to pick. But your hair type is part of your ethnicity. How dare they?

[DweamGoiL]

It is inappropriate, but doesn't surprise me. There are plenty of industries here where if you walk in wearing the wrong thing (pants vs skirts, flats vs high heels, short skirts vs long, panty hose vs naked legs, shaped eyebrows vs natural, etc.) or are overweight, or whatever, you won't get the job. Usually, the interviewer is tactful enough to just give you the usual "we'll be in touch..." and let you go on your way, instead of coming right out and flubbing what they were actually thinking. Unfortunately, it's all a guessing game, so it's just prudent to err on the side of conservative when interviewing. You want to be noticed for your qualifications not other superficial stuff. Now, if you don't need the job bad enough, you can always take a stand, and tell the interviewer how offended you were and how inappropriate that comment was, but most people won't take kindly to that so don't expect a callback.

[trolleypup]

And sexist. They wouldn't say that to a male applicant (although I'm sure they would blackball someone with hair longer than some also ridiculous minimal length).

[cat11]

Thats so messed up! Growing up with curly hair though I got all kinds of BS comments about not taking care of my hair because it wasnt straight which caused me to HATE my hair for years and straighten it.


I havent straightened for 5 years, but istill wish my hair was straight, because it's developed into personal preference :p and the beautiful blunt hems.... *wanders off into offtopic lala land*

"f" all these stupid people. You look oldfashioned, your hairs too long, too curly? Your brain is too small and closed, how about that? Let your polite personality and work experience speak for itself and ignore the haters. people make me so mad, like they seriously think its ANY of their business and that you should care about what the mainstream idea of stylish hair is. I thin its better not to be stylish because stylish=trendy=stupid sheep.

[Robot Ninja]

We live in a society where people are trying so hard to force acceptance of every issue and talking constantly about how we should "love ourselves" and "express individuality" - but that definitely isn't true. Sure, you're allowed to be different and express your own style, but it always has to somehow fit in this cookie-cutter idea of what's acceptably different. Basically, you can be different so long as you still follow popular trends and look like everyone else.


It's not a contradiction. Those are two different groups. The people pushing for acceptance and telling you to be yourself aren't the people telling you to conform (and to be white, straight, middle-class, varying degrees of Christian depending on the area, and fit into proscribed gender roles...which for women means, guess what, spending a ridiculous amount of time and effort wrestling your appearance into that white, straight, middle-class, Christian, traditionally feminine mold.



I have wondered at times, if this kind of discrimination is actually racist. I am not quite sure if that's the right word to pick. But your hair type is part of your ethnicity. How dare they?

Ethnocentric, maybe? That is, assuming the friend is white; if she's not, then yeah, totally racist.

[Platzhalter]

Honestly... curly hair is not a "style" at all. It's a structure. Even without having curly hair myself I can clearly understand how some people just don't want to change the structure of their hair and consider it just as harmful as having to change any other natural feature.

[Arete]

The thing is, she has the most well tamed, gorgeous, shiny hair (hardly any frizz at all, so jealous xD) and her curls are actually pretty uniform and start about a 1/4 down from her scalp. She maintains them wonderfully and they look very sharp.

[Platzhalter]

Ouch... that makes the whole situation even more frustrating. I really hope your friend will find a place where she'll be accepted regardless of her hair type.

[Nique1202]

I think it's a disgusting thing to say. Your friend did not choose it as a style, it is her natural hair!

I have wondered at times, if this kind of discrimination is actually racist. I am not quite sure if that's the right word to pick. But your hair type is part of your ethnicity. How dare they?

A lot of the dislike of curly hair on white and white passing folks seems to stem from ethnic Jewish hair types from what I've been able to find, so it could absolutely be at least partially racist/antisemitic prejudice even if it's not specifically used against a Jewish person, and even if it's an unconscious "eww I don't like that" and not an active hatred.

The hatred of natural hair on black folks, well, we all know where that comes from.

[cocoahair]

It's the comment, not the hair that was inappropriate. :steam
preach! that is quite rude. It is not unprofessional to have curly hair just like it is not unprofessional to be born with any other type of outward appearance. Now having your hair in two pig tails high up on the sides of your head with big sparkly bows could be inappropriate for a conservative work place but that goes for both straight and curly hair. I wonder what her hairstyle was.

[Arete]

My guess is either a bun or pulled back. She doesn't wear her hair down a whole lot

[lapushka]

That's a daring statement. Taking a part of someone's (well looked after) personal appearance and having a go at it? Not okay. That is breaking quite a few boundaries. Sad to say but it might be a case of doing what they want or not getting the job. :(

[Halliday]

i think curly hair is gorgeous and don't see it as unprofessional at all.

[*ReiKa*]

Now, I might be exaggerating but I blame hair straighteners' boom. Since those tools got so much popularity (not sure how long ago this happened, sorry for not being specific) too many people began straightening their hair, and consequently, by becoming so popular and by seeing so many straight hair around, people started assuming that straight hair is tidy hair, it's the "normal" look to go for (that's where the "Curly hair is a fun look" comes from. Since straight hair is the common look, curly hair is kinda seen as a "fun, different" look to go for).
Except for some wavy looks (made with the same straightener or other tools) a lot of people straighten their hair, especially curly ones (I know A TON of curly girls straightening their hair on a daily basis and not wearing their natural texture anymore) so curly hair became kinda old-fashioned and unusual.

[Colochita]

It doesn't surprise me at all and while some of it may have to do with uniformity, I believe it largely stems from institutionalized racism.

I don't ever interview with my hair out. It always goes back into a tight bun. I have 4c hair that I wear stretched out or in twists.

For an interview I even feel pressured to take individual twists down and bun the loose hair instead of bunning them all together. In my experience, you don't want to look anything other than slicked back European for most interviews (obviously dependent upon the job sector).

[ExpectoPatronum]

This is the one thing that's making me nervous about going on the summer job hunt soon. I have wurly hair and, last year, I had straightened it for an interview. Now with my new cut I can't really do that or else it will look uneven. I guess I'll ask what they prefer - curly hair or uneven straightened hair :P

I think it's wrong to tell someone their natural hair is unprofessional. I think it contributes the hatred a lot of us curly girls had/have towards our hair. What's the point of liking what we were born with if society is just going to tell us we'd look better/more professional with it straightened?

If someone doesn't want to hire me because my hair is curly, then I don't think I want to work for them anyway...

[chen bao jun]

It's not a contradiction. Those are two different groups. The people pushing for acceptance and telling you to be yourself aren't the people telling you to conform (and to be white, straight, middle-class, varying degrees of Christian depending on the area, and fit into proscribed gender roles...which for women means, guess what, spending a ridiculous amount of time and effort wrestling your appearance into that white, straight, middle-class, Christian, traditionally feminine mold.



Ethnocentric, maybe? That is, assuming the friend is white; if she's not, then yeah, totally racist.

?????? Some bias here against Christians? What if I said my experience in the workplace and school has been people discriminating against Christians -- often by using discriminatory and stereo typing remarks like this? I don't see how you can reasonably say Christians try to force people into molds more than anybody else. Most Christians certainly are neither white nor middle class. Religion has nothing to do with curly hair in the workplace acceptance. What a rude post.

[chen bao jun]

In my experience, curly hair in the workplace is considered to be too sexy aND alluring. Many people associate curls with hair curlers and curling irons and think they are some thing you 'do' to look more attractive. Attractive, workplace people don't like that. Th e y do not want hair to attract attention and distract, hence the cut it off short, pull it back tight mentality. The woman was telling your friend not to look too attractive at work or for job interviews.

Afro curly hair (depending on the type it is) can be considered to be too 'radical' and to signal some one who is a revolutionary, when people wear certain natural hairstyles, in my experience and of course many just think dreadlocks are unclean. However in my experience, people do not object to cropped Afros or to pulled back hairstyles in African hair, again the main thing seems to be not appearing to want to be looking attractive or too stylish.

[lapushka]

It's not a contradiction. Those are two different groups. The people pushing for acceptance and telling you to be yourself aren't the people telling you to conform (and to be white, straight, middle-class, varying degrees of Christian depending on the area, and fit into proscribed gender roles...which for women means, guess what, spending a ridiculous amount of time and effort wrestling your appearance into that white, straight, middle-class, Christian, traditionally feminine mold.



Ethnocentric, maybe? That is, assuming the friend is white; if she's not, then yeah, totally racist.

You don't know the context. For all you know she was interviewed by a black man/woman, and is a white curly girl. That would also be racist, IMMHO.

[Robot Ninja]

?????? Some bias here against Christians? What if I said my experience in the workplace and school has been people discriminating against Christians -- often by using discriminatory and stereo typing remarks like this? I don't see how you can reasonably say Christians try to force people into molds more than anybody else. Most Christians certainly are neither white nor middle class. Religion has nothing to do with curly hair in the workplace acceptance. What a rude post.

Religion has nothing to do with curly hair, no. But in a lot of places, people who are visibly non-Christian, or not Christian enough, or too Christian, are discriminated against.

The point is, there is a "correct" way to be "professional." Belonging or appearing to belong to the dominant religion in the area is part of it, and for most of North America that is some variety of Christianity. Your hair type is a different part of it, but it all comes down to "being professional means fitting into what is considered the norm."

The comment wasn't a response to the OP anyway, it was a response to someone else.

ETA: WASP was the term I was looking for, although there might be some variance depending where you live.

[butter52]

I think that is discriminating. Would not want to work somewhere like that.

Dress code is fine and looking polished ok, but trating like that someone because of their phisical atributes is not ok and desearves a complaint for discrimination.

[LauraLongLocks]

This is infuriating about the curly hair being described as a "fun" style and unprofessional. And Chen wasn't the only one who was put off by the anti-Christian remarks.

I hope that my long hair worn up neatly will suffice when I am ready to go job hunting (as a nurse, and later as a nurse-midwife). I expect my hair will be considerably longer by that time.

[curlylocks85]

It's not a contradiction. Those are two different groups. The people pushing for acceptance and telling you to be yourself aren't the people telling you to conform (and to be white, straight, middle-class, varying degrees of Christian depending on the area, and fit into proscribed gender roles...which for women means, guess what, spending a ridiculous amount of time and effort wrestling your appearance into that white, straight, middle-class, Christian, traditionally feminine mold.

Maybe not for you, but where I live, it is the people whom you described that preach for individuality, but criticize those who do go outside the mold.

[Wildcat Diva]

Lucky for me and my 2C are not interviewing presently... I think kinda anyway that shrinks are supposed to be a bit quirky and different so bonus points for me, but I would wear my hair up and conform for an interview any day of the week to land a job with a good hourly wage.

[hinabelle]

It's ridiculous, and goes without saying that natural hair of any sort is not "unprofessional".
It's highly discriminatory to say that about what grows out of someone's head. Of course,
society in general is still pretty confused about the state of hair, especially a woman's.
The best she can do is either report the employer for discrimination or wear her hair up.
Someone who says curls are "too fun" isn't worth working for in the first place, anyway.

[renia22]

It's not a contradiction. Those are two different groups. The people pushing for acceptance and telling you to be yourself aren't the people telling you to conform (and to be white, straight, middle-class, varying degrees of Christian depending on the area, and fit into proscribed gender roles...which for women means, guess what, spending a ridiculous amount of time and effort wrestling your appearance into that white, straight, middle-class, Christian, traditionally feminine mold

So I completely forgot about this until I read this^, but I actually worked for a woman like this in the mid/ late 90s, one of my first jobs out of college. It was at a well known weight loss center franchise, and the owner certainly had her ideas about what it means to be a woman and what you were supposed to look like. I don't even think we had a formal dress code, in writing (like my current job, no tank tops or bra straps/ underwear showing, no flip flops or open toes shoes, no shorts or skirts shorter than knee length, etc), our "dress code" was what this woman thought women "should" wear. I remember one day I had on a long (mid calf length) dress with plain, black, up to the knee flat boots, as was popular in the 90s. But apparently she didn't like boots with dresses, and when the manager saw her coming, she made me hide behind the dumpster behind the building until this woman left! This woman had her ideas about femininity and what women were "supposed" to look like, and her rigidity and judgmental attitude made her a nightmare to work for. Talk about walking on eggshells!

At any rate, I don't know if the interviewer who made the comment about curly hair being too "fun" would also be the person the friend would be working under on a day to day basis, but it she was neat and clean and professionally dressed in the interview & and the interviewer was making comments like that, I'd consider that a red flag. If this interviewer has ideas like that about something as benign as curly hair, what else would she/ he be judgmental about?

[Wildcat Diva]

I don't work for a big company... But I only see the HR folks about once a year...

[Rosetta]

Honestly, I can see how curly hair might be viewed as unprofessional. "Looking professional" is all about conformity, and curly hair has been unfashionable for some time.
Really? That's the first I hear of it!

I guess that depends a lot on where you are... (And also being one who's brought up to think only curled hair looks good, I find this difficult to understand...)


That is awful.

I really wouldn't cooperate with an employer who tried to make demands like that, either.
Totally agree.

[Upside Down]

Worst part, I think OP said she had her hair up/back. The only option given here is to streighten which I admit, I would not do if the job wasn't a dream and overpayed :lol:

However, imo, LHC standards long hair when worn down does not look businessy professional. Curly hair looks big much sooner than streight, so there is your problem.

Everyone has to draw the line of how much she (or he) will conform, and this is best done on a case by case basis...

[longhairvixen]

Thats disgustingly racist. Why cant straight haired people curl THEIR hair?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Thats disgustingly racist. Why cant straight haired people curl THEIR hair?

That would also be racist. Either way, it is racist. The requirement should be for tidy hair. Nothing more required.

[Entangled]

I agree with much of what's been said (although I'm a little late!). It's just crazy to me to think that heat styling is culturally mandated. Then again, with 1c/2a hair, I'm in the crowd of "Your hair is unkempt; go blowdry/straighten it!" Because my hair isn't pin straight, picturesquely and uniformly wavy, or curly, people assume I just haven't taken care of it, so I can understand one small form of the pressure.

I did want to point out a bright side. I have a friend with gorgeous, natural spirals that almost look heat-styled. She was once asked by a high school friend when she found the time to curl her hair (on a day-to-day basis)after she wore it straight one day. He thought that she just curled it every day! There can be a level of ignorance about hair care if the person is a short-haired male. He might have thought she curled it to make a nice impression (as OP said her hair is gorgeous and well-kempt), rather than realizing it was natural! Maybe, maybe not, but if that's the case, I'd take it as a high compliment that someone thought my curl pattern was styled to exist.
Still, that doesn't help if it's hurting her job prospects. Especially if it was up!

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

I'm lucky that I'm at that length and texture where a braid or bun is acceptable in a work place environment. But it does frustrate me how much people factor appearance that isn't about hygiene or neatness into their judgments of people. Maybe your friend should have pointed out that her hair is natural if she didn't?

[HappyHair87]

If that's how that job feels then I'm so sure they are not hiring Black women with natural hair.

That is wrong.

[Chromis]

That would also be racist. Either way, it is racist. The requirement should be for tidy hair. Nothing more required.

Except a lot of people seem to think tidy=straight...

[chen bao jun]

Nobody else see this is like Jane Eyre? Where the curly girl in the boarding school Lowood gets her hair cut off because the evil head of the school first thinKS she curled it, which would be vain, and then when he learns it's natural curls, says it has to go, anyway.

Too pretty.

As I said before, a lot of curls being banned professionally is because looking 'feminine ' and attractive is out. Plus, and this is the problem the evil nutcase in Jane Eyre has (-he's based on a real person, who sued), -curls make you noticeable. Can't have that. We can only work well if everyone looks totally boring and the same, so there s nothing to distract.

[Entangled]

I see it that way.

[Princess_Anna]

I did want to point out a bright side. I have a friend with gorgeous, natural spirals that almost look heat-styled. She was once asked by a high school friend when she found the time to curl her hair (on a day-to-day basis)after she wore it straight one day. He thought that she just curled it every day! There can be a level of ignorance about hair care if the person is a short-haired male. He might have thought she curled it to make a nice impression (as OP said her hair is gorgeous and well-kempt), rather than realizing it was natural! Maybe, maybe not, but if that's the case, I'd take it as a high compliment that someone thought my curl pattern was styled to exist.

I'm still at school and am not job-hunting yet so I'm probably not the most qualified person to be posting in this thread, but this really caught my attention. I've had people in my year ask how long it takes me to curl my 2c/3a hair every morning!! This has happened 3 times, two girls and a guy, all with straight hair. I think in general (but please feel free to correct me) that people are on the majority uneducated about curly hair. The vast majority of my friends have either naturally straight hair or straighten their curly/wavy hair, and have no idea how to style it when curly. I don't know, just a thought...

[pili]

Nobody else see this is like Jane Eyre? Where the curly girl in the boarding school Lowood gets her hair cut off because the evil head of the school first thinKS she curled it, which would be vain, and then when he learns it's natural curls, says it has to go, anyway.

Too pretty.

As I said before, a lot of curls being banned professionally is because looking 'feminine ' and attractive is out. Plus, and this is the problem the evil nutcase in Jane Eyre has (-he's based on a real person, who sued), -curls make you noticeable. Can't have that. We can only work well if everyone looks totally boring and the same, so there s nothing to distract.

True story: my mom has 3b curls. When she was 12 it was hip length and she attended an all-girls Catholic school. One humid day (her hair was down) one of the nun's got mad at my mom for coming to school with "vain" hair and made her wet a brush and brush out her hair. Her hair expanded to the point that it got all over the desk of the girl behind her throughout the day. The nuns never said another word to her about her hair.

[Upside Down]

Nobody else see this is like Jane Eyre? Where the curly girl in the boarding school Lowood gets her hair cut off because the evil head of the school first thinKS she curled it, which would be vain, and then when he learns it's natural curls, says it has to go, anyway.

Too pretty.

As I said before, a lot of curls being banned professionally is because looking 'feminine ' and attractive is out. Plus, and this is the problem the evil nutcase in Jane Eyre has (-he's based on a real person, who sued), -curls make you noticeable. Can't have that. We can only work well if everyone looks totally boring and the same, so there s nothing to distract.

Oh yes, curls, long hair, piercings and tattoos, red lipstick, high heels...

Thing is, if you don't face clients, it really should not matter. Well, it should not matter either way, but reality is, people are vain, and you will probably have a harder time if you look much nicer than them, or if you look too different (prejudice), or too feminine (prejudice again, women belong in the kitchen and sexy can not have brains or skills).

Just a thought experiment. It can be the opposite, depending on the person you are dealing with :)

[unicornlady]

What an insane comment. She was born with these curls. She's not supposed to fry her hair to death to get the opposite hairtype because someone prefers it. Insane.