Levon Campbell III
Staff Writer
Hairstyles are an important part of looking professional for corporate America. Although some may say there are no rules regarding your hair at work, African American men should be cautious about the hairstyles they want especially if they want to climb the corporate ladder in America.
According to www.stylishweekly.com, there are at least 34 professional hairstyles African-American males can wear for interviews. The most common hairstyle for interviews is mostly short hair, like buzzcuts, fades, and waves. Dreads are also okay, but they have to be tied up, short, or never covering your eyes, while some workplaces consider dreadlocks unprofessional, following one of these styles makes them okay to have at work.
According to www.readysleek.com, buzzcuts are professional because of the versatility they provide they’re basically considered acceptable in most workplaces with buzzcuts come in different styles like waves which are also common haircuts that men wear for interviews and the business world along with fades. These styles work mostly because they are easy to maintain and because of how simple they are, and the simpler they are the more likely it is viewed to be professional according to www.readysleek.com.
Dreadlocks are viewed differently in the workplace and may affect employment for African-American men if they like having dreads. According to www.lionlocs.com, in the United States, discriminating against someone for wearing dreadlocks is 100 percent legal, and only seven states have laws that protect against hairstyle discrimination. Most places will even try to make a person with dreadlocks cut their hair because to them it looks messy.
In 2018, a high school wrestler from new jersey was forced to cut his hair by a referee before a match which led to the referee getting suspended, according to lionlocs.com. There are ways to wear dreadlocks at a business place to look professional and that is by having short locs, having your locs tied up, wrapped up, or in a tight ponytail never have your dreadlocks over your face and ears.
Lenry Loving, a barber from Louisville, Miss., feels that both natural hair and dreadlocks have many styles that are appropriate for corporate America. For natural hair, he feels that they are great for the workplace if you keep them well cut with fades and medium afros.
“Natural hairstyles should be properly styled and groomed in professional environments. Some of the cuts I think that are appropriate are even cuts, bald fades, temp taper fades, and medium afros,” Loving said.
For dreadlocks, loving feels you should never have them hanging wild or unkempt, but you should have them maintained in a braided style or tied up in a bun.
“Dreadlock hairstyles should have a real business casual style, like in low ponytails or buns,” Loving stated. “Your appearance in the business world should be an example of who you are.”
Many JSU students feel that any hairstyle is okay in the corporate world as long as you have it styled well and well groomed.
Joshua Edwards, a senior journalism and media studies major from Tulsa, Okla., feels that most business places only accept low haircuts, but they should also give people with dreads a chance.
“According to corporate standards, low cuts, fades, and bald fades are normal and okay to have around, but to me, dread hairstyles should be more inclusive in corporate America and shouldn’t be looked down on,” Edwards states.
Dillard Mccoy, a junior with a major in business management from Shreveport, La., feels that your hair style does not matter that much in the workplace if you look presentable.
“Your hairstyle doesn’t matter much to me as long as you keep it cut and neat,” Mccoy said.
The question remains, can a person be discriminated against because of their hairstyle.
In the United States, discrimination based on hair texture is a form of social injustice that has been predominantly experienced by African Americans and predates the founding of the country.
Multiple states and local governments have passed laws that prohibit such discrimination. California was the first state to do so in 2019 with the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act (SB 188). As of 2023, twenty states have passed similar legislation, but there is no equivalent law at the federal level. A federal CROWN act was proposed in 2020, and was passed by the House of Representatives but not the Senate. Another bill was introduced in the House of Representatives in 2021; it was approved by the House in 2022, and awaits consideration in the Senate.
