The first job: will their hair make the cut?

Graduation is right around the corner for these young ladies. Marquel Sennet and Olivia Sanders are both looking forward to their future careers in broadcast news.  They both have kept themselves busy with pursuing internships, leading student organizations and creating their resume tapes in hopes of landing their first job.   

But, the preparation doesn’t end there. Broadcast Journalism is an appearance-based medium. If you don’t look good, then people will not watch you.  Marquel wears relaxed hair. Olivia wears her hair natural.  Do they think their hair will prevent them from getting a job as a reporter?

Read below to find out what they have to say.                                          

                                         Marquel Sennet

Senior, Journalism—Broadcast News

University of North Texas

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When did you get your first relaxer? When I was in the sixth grade…I think I was twelve years old.

Did you ever want to go natural?

No, when you have a relaxer— you have more versality with your hairstyles and to me it’s easier to maintain.

You want to be a reporter—do feel that you can wear natural hair as a journalist?

No…It’s sad—because hair shouldn’t determine a person’s capabilities. I don’t feel like its right and I don’t feel like its fair.  Most conservative [news] markets you have to have a traditional, conservative look.

You’re about to graduate—do you feel any pressure to keep a certain look to maintain professionalism?

Yes—normally I like to wear weaves in my hair. I like to wear wavy hair, but I understand for the business that to get in the door you must wear your hair a certain way.  I know that I have to wrap my hair and wear it straight.  

Do you think you will ever reach a point in your career when you can wear your hair the way you want?

Yes—once get my foot in the door, I will wear the hairstyles I like. 

Is ethnic hair unacceptable?

MELISSA THEODORE 33, Accountant, Ernst & Young, Manhattan

“I have an older sister who is a corporate lawyer and my father used to tell me that she would only interview with straightened hair. Once she got the job then she would then switch to braids. Many people believe that ethnic hair is unacceptable. But my hair has never been a problem as far as my career goes. It’s neat and very professional.” (Newsday / Bruce Gilbert)

The hidden secret revealed —black women have discussed this issue with at least one of their closest girlfriends. What advice do black women seek? They want to know if wearing their natural hair will prevent them from obtaining a job or if it will ruin their chances for a promotion in the corporate world. The picture and text that you see above were found in an article written by Tania Padgett on Newsday.com.

Padgett addresses in her article whether African-American women working in high-profile careers have encountered on-the-job discrimination based on their hairstyle. This article comes after Glamour Magazine’s controversial battle over advice given in their ‘dos and don’ts’ section of their magazine: telling young readers to “just say no to the fro” when it comes to how black women appear to the professional world.

(See post: Glamour says “no” to the “fro”)

Stay tuned for more hair-raising news!!!

 

DRESS CODE or DISCRIMINATION CODE

Richard Prince’s online commentary on the Maynard Institute website for Journalism Education featured an article entitled “Dreadlocks Don’t Make The Cut” in June 2006. A certain journalism professional that I know would say that they’re not called DREAD-locks because there is nothing DREADFUL about them. They’re called locs. But, not everyone thinks the way she does.  Hampton University, a historically black college or university, prevents students from wearing natural hairdos who major in their 5-year business administration program.

Essence editorial director Susan L. Taylor protested against this ruling by “backing out of a speaking engagement at the university”. Black Enterprise magazine also asked one of their interns to do the same. Then-NABJ student representative Mashaun Simon had to cut his locs or forfeit his internship at the magazine. He cut his locs and kept his internship.

 What does this mean for college graduates that sport their natural locs and are looking for their first job? Is this Dress code or Discrimination Code? What do you think?

Anti-theft tags on black hair care products

CVS Pharmacy stores have placed anti-theft tags on hair care products made for women of color. However, hair products designed for Caucasian women do not have security tags. This story first circulated on the internet as a rumor in May 2006.

Snopes.com reported the rumor as TRUE. News reports on television stations across the country confirmed CVS stores located in South Carolina and Kansas  were among the few guilty of racial profiling hair-care products designed for African-American women.

Hair relaxers created for black women were tagged with the most theft-security labels. Hair straighteners for white women did not have any security labels. The racial profiling practices of these stores are not widespread throughout the CVS pharmacy chain. CVS responded to the reports by saying that anti-theft tags were only placed on products that were shoplifted the most, according to Snopes.com.

Read more on Snopes.com for another episode of hair-raising news.

Glamour magazine says “NO” to the “FRO”

Glamour Magazine published tips in their June 2007 issue on how to make the best impression when working in the corporate world—the dos and don’ts of corporate fashion.
The then-associate editor of Glamour Magazine Ashley Baker interviewed 40 corporate lawyers to ask their opinion on corporate fashion. ABC news.com Anne Marie Dorning published an article on the web about the controversy surrounding the comment Baker used during a slideshow presentation to the female corporate lawyers.
Baker showed a slide of an African-American woman wearing a fro. The comment that read across the slide said “Just say no to the fro”, according to ABC news.com. This article makes aware the battle that black women go through everyday with their hair. Should they sport their natural hair? Or, should they relax their hair for a more “professional” look. Check out this link on ABC news.com for another episode in HAIR-raising news!

My hair affair