Last week at the 2015 Oscars, the beautiful Zendaya Coleman posed for the paparazzi rocking faux locs. Of course being the hair junkie that I am, I was ecstatic about her look. However, television personality Giuliana Rancic had opposing opinions. During the Zendaya segment of Fashion Police, Coleman stated, “ She has such a tiny frame, that this hair to me overwhelms her... like I feel like she smells like patchouli oils…maybe weed.”... Dear Giuliana, I’m sorry that an incredibly popular style among black women with natural kinks and coils, is too “overwhelming” to be worn at the Oscars. And I’m sorry that despite the style's undeniable beauty, it reminds you of patchouli oils and weed.” Did I forget to mention that I’m really not sorry? Apparently neither is Zendaya. The young actress addressed Rancic's outrageously offensive comments in a very profound Instagram post, stating that Rancic’s “ignorant slurs” and “pure disrespect” could not go “unchecked.” Coleman also went on to list examples of successful black figures and family members who all have locs but do not smell of “weed.” Following Zendaya’s response, Rancic posted a public apology on twitter stating “Dear @zendaya, I’m sorry I offended you and others. I was referring to a bohemian chic look. Had NOTHING to do with race and NEVER would!!!”.... Ummmm excuse me Giuliana but it has everything to do with race and the fact that you have denied the racial undertones and have obviously not put in the effort to actually research why race is relevant, makes your apology even more lame. Not to mention it makes you look even more ignorant.
Although many people have expressed their outrage following last week's Fashion Police, this isn’t the first instance of its kind. Several incidents have lead me to constantly ask, Why do people seem so ignorant about/uncomfortable with black hair? From elementary schools to large corporations, there seems to be a strong unwritten 0 tolerance policy for black natural hair. A couple years ago, administrators of Faith Christian academy in Central Florida threatened to expel Vanessa Vandyke, a 12 year old black student, unless she re-styled or cut her natural hair. In an interview with a local news channel, VanDyke stated, “it says I'm unique… it’s puffy and I like it that way. I know people will tease me about it because it’s not straight. I don’t fit in.” Administrators stated that her hair was a “distraction” and therefore, violated the school’s code of conduct (Daily Mail). A similar incident occurred just last year when South Plaquemines High School of Louisiana banned a Rastafarian student from returning to school because of his dreadlocks. Despite his family’s religious reasons, administrators maintained that his hair was “inappropriate"(Black Enterprise).
Aside from the education system, blacks constantly struggle to obtain acceptance for their hair in the corporate world. Many companies deem natural hair as “unprofessional,” “unkempt” or an overall deterrent for business. One of my best friends decided to wear her gorgeous curls out at work, only to be confronted by her boss who stated that her hair was not professional and must be pulled up. Last year, former AEG employee Tiffany Bryan of New York was fired form her job after she refused to “tame” her natural fro (Clutch Magazine). Former meteorologist, Rhonda Lee was fired from news channel KTBS after responding to ignorant criticism in reference to her short fro (News One). But this wasn't the first encounter Lee had at the job in regards to her natural hair. According to Lee, her boss from her previous job at a news station in Texas asked her to wear a wig “to appeal to a wider audience” which she suggested really meant “whiter audience.” Lee was later fired from KTBS after responding to a viewer's message on the channel’s Facebook page which stated that “the black lady that does news” should “wear a wig or grow some more hair.” The viewer then inquired about whether she was a cancer patient and stated that regardless of her situation, "it does not look good on t.v." In response to these comments, Lee expressed her pride for her African American ancestry and offered an educational lesson about black hair: that it doesn’t grow downward, it grows upwards. I was happy with this educational moment simply because people are oftentimes uncomfortable with what they don’t understand. Black hair is just naturally different and therefore shouldn’t be penalized for simply being itself (News One, NBC News).
In reference to black hair in corporate America, natural hair blogger, Afrobella stated, "if you’re in the kind of work environment where your natural appearance is being judged and called into question, or you’re being made to feel like your look is more carefully considered and critiqued than you’re performance, is that the kind of workplace that deserved your efforts and your loyalty? How much of that are you willing and able to put up with, when you know you deserve better?” (Essence Magazine). I agree with this comment 100 percent. I understand that most black people conform to the “standard” image of professionalism in fear of losing their jobs. This is completely understandable. However, this is a much bigger issue than keeping a simple job. By conforming, you are helping to maintain the idea that black hair is “inappropriate” in our society. Instead of maintaing this idea, we should all be challenging it. We have to make decisions with future generations in mind. Don't you want your children to be free to be themselves no matter what career they choose?
But just like with any issue, people have bills to pay and oftentimes don’t have time for the fight. As for me, I will continue to fight for black hair because I believe in my natural beauty regardless of what labels society wants to stamp on it.
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