Is Natural hair professional?

The hardest decision I’ll have to make will be on how to wear my hair tomorrow for my interview. You might be thinking, “umm why is that such a hard decision?” “Why is that a big deal” “I thought you weren’t your hair?” Truth is I am my hair. Not for vain reasons, but because that’s one of the main things people see when they see me, or anyone for that matter. People determine things about you by looking at your hair. Just as people pre judge you by the way you dress, they judge you by the way you wear your hair especially if you’re a black woman with natural hair. I can’t speak nor will I try to speak for anyone other than myself, although I’m sure some of my natural sista’s can agree. The struggle is real.

You see, our hair is finally being accepted in the main stream. (Now I know back in the day when everyone wearing an afro it was okay. I wasn’t born then so I don’t know how well accepted or not accepted natural hair was back in those days. I would be interested on hearing from someone back in those days that can recall if there was an issue about it.) We are finally seeing sista’s on the commercials, little girls on the cartoons, and women in the movies with natural hair. Though one texture is usually represented (those with a looser, wavy curl pattern) at least we have a representation of some sort. I believe it’s up to us to embrace our own hair for the texture we were blessed with, and then others will have no choice but to accept it. (Check out my video on youtube. Accepting your natural hair) That includes, accepting one another’s hair texture. The whole “light skin dark skin” debacle has transferred to our hair(in terms of texture and length). Both are still and will always be very ignorant.

Shout out to Nick Jr. Love this little natural girl

In the past, going on job interviews I would straighten my hair. I would sit up the night before blow drying my hair, and flat ironing it, just for it to be puffy later the next day. Risking heat damage, straightening out my beautiful curls, just to be “accepted” by someone that should be looking at my resume and what I have to offer as a potential employee. Sadly that’s not always the case. At my current job my hair has been the topic of discussion multiple times. It’s been called “wild, crazy, different, it’s been compared to other black women’s hair. You name it, I’m sure I’ve heard it. I know people that aren’t natural (maybe even those that are) may see natural hair as “unkempt”, but that’s not the case.

What I’ve noticed over the years is, people are threatened by someone who accepts the “different” things about themselves.  Bullies can’t bully you when you’ve accepted the things they wanted to bully you for. Same things apply to our natural hair, and anything else.

What I would tell my natural sista’s going on an interview, entering into a new job, or just in life in general.

 Sis your hair is perfectly fine, don’t let society’s tunnel vision of what beauty is discourage you. Wear your hair as big as you want, as short as you want, as curly as you want, it’s yours. Your hair is an expression of you in many ways. Your hair IS professional, your hair IS acceptable, and your hair IS beautiful! Your natural hair IS good enough. Don’t feel the need to unnecessarily straighten it, to appease the minds of others. Don’t consider potentially damaging your hair because other people have problems accepting you and something that is a part of you, and your ethnicity. They have the problems not you! If you get the job, praise God. If you don’t praise him, because God closes doors to protect his children, consider yourself watched out for. ;-) Sis just don’t ever feel the need to change something God given. He makes no mistakes.

Last week, my semi flexi rod set

I will no longer give any thought towards what I will do with my hair for tomorrow. Why? Because my hair doesn’t reflect who I am as a worker, it doesn’t reflect my potential, and it doesn’t reflect my capabilities as a potential employee.That's what my resume is for ;-)

Be you, stay true, and love you!

If you love someone tell them

I love you

Destaynee