Natural Hair is Unprofessional?

Posted by admin on Sep 10, 2012 in Random | 0 comments

Although natural hair is making a comeback in many cities, there are still some people who feel like natural hair is unprofessional.  I work in a corporate environment and even I thought natural hair at one time would not be okay for me to wear to the office.  It took me several years to mentally come to terms with natural hair being professional.  This was in addition to making a move to a corporate environment (from law).  I have come to realize that it’s not the hair at all that is perceived as unprofessional, it’s the style.  I could have easily worn my natural hair in the law firm and I doubt it would have been an issue.

Over the years, during my transition to natural hair, I have worn cornrows to the office as well as curly twists.  I have never tried to wear an afro puff to the office since I do not think it’s fitting for my role which requires me to meet with business owners, government officials as well as executives within my company.  Nonetheless, there are some corporate positions where it may be okay to wear a puff, albeit not 2 – 3 afro puffs since it would look odd to see several kinky ponytails on your medical doctor or attorney.

I have come to realize that if you carry yourself in a professional manner, you speak in a professional manner and your natural hair is styled in a professional manner, your natural hair will not be considered unprofessional in a corporate environment.

The cornrow bun style in the featured image is a style I wore to work for about 4 weeks during my transition to natural.  Below are a few photos of hairstyles that I have worn to the office or to corporate meetings.  Additionally, I made this video a while back as I took down my hair for work (already in my navy suit):  http://youtu.be/aT46Ue0hyro

In case you are wondering about the large earrings, I have been in my position for a while and am definitely comfortable wearing large earrings that compliment my hair.  However, I do wear small earrings and/or studs for some when I have to do presentations for groups outside of my primary department since I also think that huge earrings are not always the most professional choice.