Hair in the workplace is a topic that is brought up regularly within the natural community. It all comes down to one question, is natural hair professional?
Now I know most of you are looking at this question with raised eyebrows, saying of course it is! It’s how our hair grows from our scalp so it should be accepted everywhere. Trust me, I am with you 100% but unfortunately that doesn’t change the fact that some are being denied job offers, treated differently, or even fired because of a choice to wear their hair in its natural state.
While most will not come out and say it, natural hair is not widely accepted among all places of employment. That leads me to my next question of interviewing.
Do you change up your natural hair for an interview to land the job and then get comfortable and wear your hair freely after you’ve landed it?
This topic intrigued me after noticing this same exact thing happening at my place of employment. Two African American women wore straight, long wigs* during their interviews, but on the first day of work showed up with full voluminous fros.
Is this considered misleading?
I personally wore my hair in a perm rod set for my interview. I did it mainly to prove a point. See, my mother and aunt suggested that I straighten my hair, or try a wig* for the interview but I’m just not in favor of being misleading. What you see is what you get, is my type of mindset.
I love my natural hair. No, I won’t wear a full fro to an interview as to not be distracting, but a neat curly perm rod set will do just fine.
What about you? Do you change up your natural hair for an interview?
I think that was a very good choice. I’ve been at the same job since before I grew my hair out naturally, but I usually wear my hair in flat twists so that would be the style I would choose for an interview. I’m always confused by the stories of women who straighten their hair for interview purposes but then are surprised when there’s a stir when they show up to work with their natural hair out. I would suggest that you show your natural hair in a classy interview-appropriate way so that if your hair is an issue, it is addressed at an earlier stage in the hiring process.