@thelovely_ck

Trying to have it all can sometimes lead to trouble. We have all been warned of the dangers of doing too much. Doing the most is a line of thinking that doesn’t stop at wanting the perfect family and professional life. Sometimes we have to examine how to balance our desires with our needs on a less massive scale.

Take, for instance, working in a corporate environment and longing to slay everyone’s life you come into contact with. This sounds funny, but struggling with how to remain true to your inner stylish diva while climbing the corporate ladder is an issue black women face more than others.

Is it possible to be stylish without compromising your professionalism?

First things first, earning a living is the main priority. Unless you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you likely have to go to work to afford the type of life you deem comfortable for yourself and your family.

With that, comes a level of conformity that must be adhered to. Whether you work as a waitress or an architect, you will have to appeal to someone else’s definition of what is appropriate for the workplace.

Knowing what you find stylish and comparing that against what is seen as appropriate in your given field, is a good way to begin to analyze what hair styles you can and cannot wear to work. If you are so much of a free spirit that a purple Mohawk with orange tips is something your soul can’t survive without expressing, then traditional avenues of earning a living are probably not good options for you.

Aside from the extremes, there are 3 easy steps to take when trying to figure out how much self-expression you can exert without losing your job.

STEP 1 – PRE HIRE

Let’s say you already have a particular profession chosen or one which you are trained in. One of the first things you want to do when looking for a job is to research the companies who will potentially hire you. By scouring a company’s website, you can get a pretty good idea of what type of environment you would be working in.

If every bio shows someone in a black suit, white collared button down, and red tie, then they probably will not be too open to you rocking 3 tiered, donut styled, top knot that grazes the ceiling as you sashay down the halls. Just saying.

However, if you see that their company motto is one that leans toward the liberal side, you will probably be ok wearing a super short pixie with some highlights thrown in over the summer months.