Embracing My Corporate Crown
Earlier this month marked the anniversary of The CROWN Act. Created in 2019 by Dove and the CROWN Coalition in partnership with then State Senator Holly J. Mitchell of California, the act ensures protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots; both in the workplace and public schools. CROWN stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.” I proudly wear my “natural” hair in the workplace, but it hasn’t always been that way…
“You should wear your hair like that more often.”
When my husband and I first started dating almost ten years ago, I wore my hair curly to an event and he told me he really liked it and I should wear my hair like that more often. I quickly responded, “I can’t, it’s not professional.” My sister was with me and co-signed what I was saying, it was ok to wear on the weekends/vacations, but not to work. At that time, I was working in an office that required Business attire every day and in an office with mostly men and 2-3 other people of color. I had a weekly appointment to get my hair blown out. It was a ritual; until it wasn’t.
“It was unintentional actually.”
I was recently asked “How did you become comfortable wearing natural/protective hairstyles in the corporate workspace?” It was unintentional! My connecting flight was delayed returning from a beach vacation and I did not have time to get a blowout or straighten my own hair before returning to work. I had to wash n go to the office that Monday morning. And guess what? No one looked at me sideways or questioned the professionalism of my hair. It was a normal day at the office with a few compliments on my “new” hair style. At that moment, I understood the social construct I ascribed to all these years was just that, a social construct. As I look at the evolution of my corporate headshots, I see my journey of embracing who I am and my abilities as a reflection of me; not how my hair looks.
Embracing Our Crowns
Currently, many women don’t think twice now about wearing their hair however they please in the workplace. I love seeing women in curls, afros, braids and locs in all shapes, sizes and colors at the water coolers, in the boardrooms, on Zooms, on the Mainstage, giving lectures… EVERYWHERE. I am even more proud to be a part of the generation raising natural hair beauties. Teaching my daughter to embrace her hair and watching her proudly wear her hair curly because it looks like my hair, or picking out her own cornrow hairstyle, brings me such pride and joy.
We can change our minds (and our hair)!
Some women are tired of having the conversation about hair in the workplace. They don’t find it necessary to have the conversation anymore. But as someone who has a hair journey, I enjoy sharing my story and hearing others. It hasn’t always been this way, but I am so happy that it is now. Every now and again, my husband will remind me of the comment I made about my curly hair not being professional. I then remind him I was in a different place in my career and corporate confidence. We can change our minds (and our hair)!
Have you embraced your corporate crown? I’d love to hear your story!
