Black Hairstyles

[TheresNeverEnoughCake]

AIBU - for being somewhat narked at being (politely) requested by a recruitment consultant to think about "getting your hair done". The implication being that my shortish, neat afro isn't quite business-like enough.

A tad thrown, I just mumbled okay but the subject was broached again when I made a follow up visit.
Do employers really still flinch at natural hairstyles in this day and age? Has anybody else come up against this? If it was dirty and riddled with nits, fair do's but the "it's a bit Black though, isn't it?" undertone stopped me in my tracks, to be honest.
Having worn many different styles in the workplace, I've had remarks before - bigots gonna bigot - but it is 2023. AD. I mean...AIBU? 🤔

Why on earth is wrong with an Afro hairstyle?! It’s terrible they said that to you. It’s so annoying when you’re shocked if someone does or says something and so you miss responding properly at the time. I’d give them some serious feedback on their behaviour.

It's racism, but it's very much real!

Honestly, I would go for braids or a weave for an in person interview for this reason or a slick bun pulled back.

Sad but it's how the world is and fighting it daily won't help you pay your bills. The recruiters knows what the market is like, so as much as it's bad of them to say, they want the commission like you want the job.

When you've joined and people know you, then wear it however you want

I've got natural dreadlocks (which I love) I'm sure if I was in a work capacity I'd get ignorant reactions in regards to my hair. I'm all for educating people who are curious but it's discriminatory for someone to say someone's natural hair is not professional or such like. I would question my place in such a company.

No, you should never pander to racism!

Whatever next, pale makeup and skin bleaching ffs??!!

Good suggestion.

I've had that before. Mine is curly and been told it would look better if it wasn't frizzy, and if I could straighten it
No thank you

Hard to say without knowing what your hair is like. I have thick curly hair and if I wore it completely naturally it would look incredibly unprofessional, especially in certain work environments.

That's just fucking stupid.
I have often uncontrollable frizzy "white hair" so it just looks like I haven't brushed for a week, and can bet you yours look tidier than mine🤷🏻

Absolutely have them explain themselves next time. I would say hopefully there will be no next yime but, well

In what would would thick curly hair look unprofessional?

Dump that recruiter.

Contact the company you were applying to directly and explain the situation; you want to work for them, but not through that recruiter.

I work at Director level in the City, and wear my 2 inch Afro hair growing all round my head. Cut neatly, washed and combed out, every day. It's in the best condition it's ever been. Let anyone tell me my hair is unprofessional lol

Isn't this discrimination?

It makes me sick that this is still something that happens. I hate this with a passion.

I genuinely don’t get how people think black womens hair, is unprofessional. It absolutely shouldn’t be pandered to. Which, tbh, is easy for me to say. I am mixed race (not black) and my hair has never been labelled unprofessional in its natural state.

Didn’t a company run a campaign, recently, drawing attention to how ridiculous, racist and wrong this is?

I've met some great recruitment consultants but I've also met some horrors. This one sounds worse than any one of them I've met!

Why would it look unprofessional? What does a professional hairstyle look like?

It's outrageous that in 2023 a person's choice of hairstyle is seen as more important than the substance of their CV.

Did the recruiter at least have the decency to look embarrassed by the comment as in - "I'm so sorry to suggest this but these companies are run by hiring managers full of subconscious bias and this might help get you hired"

Christ OP, I'm sorry that happened.
My hair is definitely smarter as a short afro than a needing-a-wash press...

Afro is the way the hair naturally stays. How can it look "professional" - by being straightened or stopping it from existing? Because that is the alternative. Who defined this professional look and did they have Black women's hair in mind when making that decision?

"Professional" hair is a clean and tidy hair. A clean and tidy afro is "professional". It shouldn't be compared to any other hair because it's different.

Well said@SettingsGalore

So what does professional hair look like then? 🙄

Can you go back to them and ask them to explain exactly what they mean by "get your hair done". Make them sqirm, I would. So sorry you expérienced this OP

It's bloody depressing some people have voted YABU. It's a pity we can't see who racists are.

Sorry OP. That is so so shit. I’d love to say that I’m shocked/surprised/outraged by this, but truth is, I’m not.

what I am shocked/surprised about is on a post like this there’s not much “you’re being sensitive/it’s not racist/ “ you know, the usual down play reply and only 4% saying you’re being unreasonable.

Some people do that if they think the OP is asking a silly question when the answer is clear, (as in of course she's not being unreasonable to be narked at racism).

But I guess there will also be some racists voting YABU who are too cowardly to comment.

Which recruitment consultancy was it op?