"Professional" Hair

The best thing about summer for me has been the freedom to do whatever I wanted with my hair. I've stayed true to my goal of learning to work with my natural hair and this summer has truly put that goal to the test. My hair is really growing and the new growth is tight and THICK. I find it impossible at times to keep it moisturized because it just sucks in everything like a sponge. Some days it totally annoys me--it is thick and unruly and hopelessly unstyled. Other days I feel completely liberated--I comb it out into a big puff and just let it go wherever it feels like going that day. Dr. J has been wonderfully supportive during this process--he really doesn't care how I wear my hair as long as I'm comfortable and happy with it. But there were even a few days this summer I felt bad--wishing it could be "prettier" for him.

I've been making more frequent trips to the Afrocentric salon here in Gorgeous City and I've established a good relationship with one of the stylists. She is helping me think about ways to wear my hair for the wedding as well as teaching me about my hair. One of the problems I have with my hair is that I have a very itchy and flaky scalp. Through conversations with her and my cousin and aunt who are both physicians, I think we are learning that I may actually have a food allergy and that some of my issues with my hair and my skin--and even my bad cramps and stomach issues--may be connected to my diet (that's another post). So my stylist has introduced me to tea tree shampoo which works really well with my scalp and keeps in line with my natural goals.

My stylist braided my hair this summer (I can't believe it is thick enough to braid already!) and even gave me a little girly do for the week of John's graduation.

It was really cute and feminine but not really practical for everyday wear. Plus it required that she blow dry my hair straight and use a hot iron to curl it. That's okay for special occasions, but my very fine hair does not hold up well to a lot of blow drying and heat.

Now that school is starting back, I'm still looking for ways to manage my hair that are both practical and professional. I tend to wear more "business" style attire when I teach, so some of the unruliness my hair experienced this summer would just make me feel uncomfortable in front of a class. But of course, as I experiment with new styles, the idea of what is considered acceptable for business is in the back of my mind. I'm fortunate to be in a racially diverse environment, but that doesn't mean everyone is culturally sensitive. The 1980s and 1990s were filled with stories of business men and women being sent home for wearing braids or cornrows. And unfortunately, the incidents of brothers and sisters encountering "issues" at the workplace or at school because of their hair still go on today.

Take Six Flags:

No Cornrows, Long Hair At Six Flags

Eighteen-year-old Antonio Rowland lives in Bowie, Md., less than a mile from the Six Flags America amusement park. He's worked there every summer for the past three years. On Tuesday, Antonio was sent home. He says a supervisor complained his hair was too long.

Antonio lives with his grandparents, Carleta Roland a retired federal worker and John a retired DC police sergeant. They take pride in their grandson’s appearance and they feel managers at Six Flags have overstepped their authority with the grooming guidelines.

Some believe the park policy targets African Americans. At least twelve workers have asked the ACLU to get involved, after they were sent home with orders to cut their braids or cornrows.

Or the Baltimore City Police Department:

BALTIMORE -- The WBAL TV 11 News I-Team has obtained a new professional appearance policy for the Baltimore Police Department intended to promote a professional image, but it's also raising questions of racial insensitivity. The new policy is more specific than the old one. For example, tattoos must now be kept covered. However, the questions surround an issue that's been batted around the courts and company workplace policies for several years -- hairstyle."We just felt that over the years, some officers have taken advantage of the old general order and are not presenting themselves, while in uniform to the public, in the most professional manner possible," said Matt Jablow, spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department.

Like the old policy, the new one governs hair length, jewelry, mustaches and beards, but it also added a new standard -- extreme, or "fad," hairstyles are prohibited, including cornrows, mohawks, dreadlocks, and twists.

Three of the four hairstyles banned are almost exclusively used by blacks.

"I think it's incredibly insensitive," said Taunya Banks, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law. "I'm really kind of concerned about labeling as faddish a practice that's not faddish at all, and what appears to be a targeting of black officers."

I hate that I even think about these things. I hate that I might avoid some styles more than other because of the hassles that might come. But I guess at the end of the day I already stick out like a sore thumb in my department, why not have some fun with my hair!

So here is where I am at the moment for the start of classes:

I'm looking forward to trying some more new styles. (And I'm open to suggestions!)