Hair and Career: The Impact of Hair Bias on Women of Color

Background

There are many studies (Goodman, 2021; Berkemeyer, 2020; Moronto, 2022; Summers et al, 2022) that have examined the prevalence of hair bias and discrimination in the workplace. The hair bias caused by these policies in America has been intentionally and deliberately put in place by systems that impact Women of Color in terms of self-expression and personal identity. Self-expression is a large part of how individuals identify in different settings and European standards of beauty often influence mainstream society’s perspective (Moronta, 2022). These standards have put self-expressions for women wearing their natural hair in the forefront by categorizing hair as being “good” or “bad” based on texture, and these definitions have influenced the way African Americans view hair and express themselves (Moronta, 2022). The research on the impact of hair also must factor in the importance of hair on personal identities and the long history of grooming policies, racism, and microaggressions we currently see today. According to Berkemeyer (2020), African civilizations used hairstyles for social status, including to honor traditions and identify tribes. Along with the historic importance of hair in African societies, hair can have a profound impact on the personal identities of African American women who develop self-perceptions and wear their hair in society to define their identity in relationship to gender and class, making the hair dilemma an even greater hurdle to overcome to gain social acceptance and conform to societal norms (Jeffries & Jeffries, 2014). Patton (2006) argues that the creation of unique hairstyles by Women of Color such as curls, dreadlocks, plaits, weaves, etc. is a form of resistance to the status quo and a way of expression that other cultures are unable to obtain. Furthermore, these Afrocentric hairstyles may be associated with stereotypes and biases setting up a catch-22 of sorts where African American women can either wear their natural hair as a form of self-expression or be seen as acceptable to the masses (Dawson, 2019).