Much ado is made about Black hair. Black women are known to be audacious when it comes to their manes. A billion dollar business has been spawned from our need to color, straighten, curl, and braid. Hair means a lot to Black people, but it can mean even more to our career.
Your appearance does not affect your ability to do a job, but it does impact your success. Keeping it basic can influence your salary as much as your work experience. Research shows that attractive people earn an average of 3% to 4% more than a person with below average looks – that comes out to about $230,000 over a lifetime. Even an average-looking worker is likely to make $140,000 more over a lifetime than an ugly worker.
Hair goes beyond aesthetics. It is personal and public: visible to everyone while also being an intrinsic part of our body. Blacks men and women carry a great deal of culture in their hair. Since that culture is not a mainstream one, appropriating hair to the workplace can be a tricky process.
Professional hair isn’t about texture. For most employers, particularly conservative ones, a professional hairstyle is considered neat, clean, and out of the face. Texture alone is not a deciding factor.
Granted, not every workplace has caught on to the trend. But, they’ll catch on or get left behind. Presenting a professional appearance is one thing, but altering who you are is another. If a company can’t accept your hair, they can’t accept you.
Appearance is important because you are the personification of who you work for. Employers have dress codes to ensure the staff maintains an appearance that promotes a positive image for their brand. Depending on your career, you may have to conform Monday through Friday, and save the mohawk for the weekend. But, a brush cut or a bald head isn’t the only way to be conservative.
Even with restrictions, you can find small ways to express yourself and set yourself apart from the crowd. If you’re an entrepreneur, you have even more freedom to allow your hair to make a statement about who you are and stand out from the competition. Hair is a powerful tool to project your personal brand. Don’t hide it.
