Hair Discrimination Is Real. Here’s How to Stop It

Elizabeth Leiba, a podcast host for EBONY Media, remembers the first time her mother straightened her hair with a metal comb. The comb was so hot it sizzled, making 5-year-old Elizabeth afraid it would burn her neck. But her relief at having straight hair made up for it. She finally looked like the other girls at school. 

“I still remember the sting of being a 5-year-old who felt ‘unpretty,’” Elizabeth wrote on LinkedIn last year.

Elizabeth, who now wears her hair naturally, was not the first — or last — Black woman who felt that she needed to change herself to fit in, either at school or in the workplace. For good reason: Black women’s hair is 2.5x more likely to be perceived as unprofessional, and 20% of Black women ages 25 to 34 have been sent home from work because of their hair.  

The discrimination is so real that two-thirds of Black women change their hair for a job interview and 25% believe that they have been denied a job interview because of their hair. 

It’s hard to square this with the important diversity, equity, and inclusion work that has taken place over the last few years. In a healthy workplace culture, everyone feels included and is comfortable bringing their whole selves to work. That’s why LinkedIn has partnered with Dove to take a stand for inclusion and end race-based hair discrimination. 

Black women are disproportionately affected 

Across the United States, a number of companies still have dress codes and grooming policies that prohibit natural hairstyles such as Afros, braids, twists, Bantu knots, and locs. 

Black women are disproportionately affected by this discrimination, which exacts a financial and physical toll. It can be expensive to relax hair ($100 to $600 at the salon) or add weaves ($200 to $1,500 a session). Relaxers also put Black women at an increased risk of breast and uterine cancers.

The psychological toll may be even worse. Black women receive the workplace message that it’s not OK to be themselves. They are forced to think about how they wear their hair — whether it’s straightened, natural, or lengthened with weaves — and how it will affect their chances of being hired, promoted, or recognized for their hard work. As the author Tamara Gilkes Borr writes in The Economist: “It’s a sad fact that the darker your skin and the kinkier your curls, the more barriers you will face.” 

Even Michelle Obama has felt this. The former U.S. first lady, who recently began wearing her hair in braids, told The Washington Post that she thought the American people “weren’t ready for it” when she was in the White House. As first lady, she decided to keep her hair straight to avoid it becoming a topic of conversation.

Men experience discrimination too 

Men — often Black men — also face hair discrimination.

Last year, a man in Kentucky was denied a job at the Hometown IGA grocery store because he refused to cut his dreadlocks. He is a Spiritualist Rastafarian who wears his hair in dreadlocks for religious reasons. He filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against the grocer. 

His case was similar to a lawsuit filed in San Diego two years ago, after a Black man was denied a job as a technical supervisor at an event production company because he refused to cut his hair, also in dreadlocks. The company later apologized and offered him the job. 

5 ways you can help end hair discrimination in the workplace:

There are a number of ways that you can help end hair discrimination and foster inclusion in the workplace: 

1. Update your company handbook and grooming policies

Review your company handbook to see if it contains any discriminatory grooming policies that need to be removed or updated. While you may need certain guidelines for safety or security reasons, take out any references to specific hairstyles, particularly those that pertain to a company’s “image.” 

2. Refrain from touching Black employees’ hair

Unfortunately, this is a struggle that Black people who wear their hair naturally have to endure nearly daily: People want to touch it. Not only does this pose a health risk to Black employees, as many people do not wash their hands correctly, but it’s also inappropriate and unprofessional. It’s considered a microaggression even to ask, “Can I touch your hair?” 

3. Avoid commenting on or singling out Black employees for discussions about hair 

As more and more Black women choose to wear their hair naturally, they often have to deal with unwanted commentary from other people in the office. This also can feel like a microaggression and can make people feel like they don’t belong. Yes, it’s OK to give someone a compliment. But it’s not okay to comment on someone’s hair in a way that makes them feel “other.” 

4. Learn more about hair discrimination and bias

One of the best ways to end hair discrimination is by learning about unconscious bias. To help with this, LinkedIn Learning has unlocked 10 courses, including Addressing Unconscious Bias as a Leader and Confronting Bias: Thriving Across Our Differences. You can also learn more about ending hair discrimination here.

5. Join the conversation on LinkedIn 

Amplify this antidiscrimination work by sharing #BlackHairIsProfessional on Linkedin, and alerting your network and colleagues about how they can take action and access these free courses. 

Final thoughts 

Thankfully, the standards for what’s considered beautiful or appropriate for work are evolving and growing. To accelerate this, companies, leaders, and recruiters can recognize that Black hair, in its many forms, is professional. And they can create inclusive cultures by not only accepting each person’s unique attributes but also celebrating them.

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