Display Name Gehrrie D. Bellamy

Age (or age range): 28

Degrees: Bachelor of Arts – Political Science; Juris Doctorate

Industry: Legal

Title: Attorney

Questions

1. Based on your profession and corporate culture, what were your primary concerns about wearing natural hair in the workplace? How did you overcome them?

I never had a concern about wearing my hair natural. My primary concern was looking old enough to represent my clients in court. I have a natural youthful look, and wearing afros, braid-outs, kinky-twists, etc., only made me look younger. I needed a look that would allow me to look professional, and also look mature. Therefore, I decided to loc my hair, and haven’t looked back since.

2. How did your co-workers, clients and boss respond when you revealed your new do?

Everyone loved my locs, including my clients! What I have noticed is that clients appreciate the look because it shows that I’m different and don’t subscribe to the norms of what “normal” hair should look like. Also, I believe that locs, and generally natural hair, is a confidence booster, and clients can sense that.

3. Has your performance been rewarded since you’ve been natural? If not, do you believe your hair has been a factor? Any regrets?

My only regret about getting locs now is that I should have gotten them sooner! I believe that my performance has been rewarded in that I no longer have to spend 30 minutes doing my hair, as I once did even when I used to wear it in all of the cute styles once I did the big chop. Wearing my hair in locs has afforded me the opportunity to literally get up and go, without so much as touching my hair.

4. What advice would you offer a professional peer who’s on the fence about going natural?

I would first state to be realistic about what you want to do with your hair. When I was relaxed, I HATED doing my hair. I hated doing it, getting it done, maintaining it, etc. I thought that by going natural, I would alleviate the need to have to do my hair. That was so not the case, especially as a trial attorney. We have a very polished image to maintain, and the cute twist and/or twist-out styles were out of the question, unless you have a twa or extremely long hair. Therefore, I had to really evaluate what style could I get where I would literally never have to touch my hair except to wash it. Locs were the answer!

As a professional, it is all about maintenance when it comes to locs. Many were concerned that they would look unkempt or dirty. I moisturize my hair often, and tie them down every single night, even if I’m going to get them re-twisted the next day. I also wash once every other week and get them re-twisted twice a month. The result has been well-groomed locs which frankly look better than when my hair was relaxed.

If locs are too permanent for you, I would suggest either wearing natural hair closely cropped, or a style that will allow you to tie your hair down to keep your hair close to your head until it grows out longer, like coils, braids, twists, etc. The more your hair is allowed to “roam free”, the harder it is to look mature and polished. This is not to say that it can’t be done, but I got so frustrated every time a client would ask how long I’ve been licensed; how old I am; state that they had grandchildren older than me, etc. At the end of the night, it is a matter of personal preference, but I would not say under any circumstances that being natural is a hindrance in the legal community, or the professional realm as a whole.

 
Age (or age range): 31

Degrees: Associate Degree in Administrative Support Technology

Industry: Healthcare Administration

Title: Operations Coordinator

Questions

1. Based on your profession and corporate culture, what were your primary concerns about wearing natural hair in the workplace? How did you overcome them?

My primary concern was that my natural hair would be considered unprofessional or be considered “pro-black”.  Though my company promotes acceptance of cultural diversity, individuals still have their own personal feelings, and I was concerned that it might be a distraction from my job performance.  What helped me overcome that was I thought back to a company seminar I attended.  One of the VPs is an African-American woman, and her hair was locked – yet that this did not stop anyone from respecting her, listening to her message, and obviously didn’t stop her from being recognized for her job performance.  I still style my hair more conservatively for work; but I did that even when I was relaxing my hair.

2. How did your co-workers, clients and boss respond when you revealed your new do?

When I did the big chop, I didn’t like how I looked with short hair.  So I immediately had kinky twists put in.  Everyone at work really liked that style.  I was surprised how much love I received from my white co-workers.  One day I had to go to the Administrator’s office to drop off some paperwork, and his secretary (who is white) ran down behind me as I was leaving just to tell me she loved my hair.  When it was time to take out the kinky twists, I decided to just wear my hair no matter how short it was.  When I got to work, I was nervous about how people would react because they’ve never seen me with short hair.  Everyone loved it; my boss didn’t even notice it at first.  I was sitting across the desk talking to her for about 5 minutes before she even noticed – which just goes to show that it is not as big of a deal as we tend to think  it is.

3. Has your performance been rewarded since you’ve been natural? If not, do you believe your hair has been a factor? Any regrets?

Yes, my work performance has been rewarded.  No regrets.

4. What advice would you offer a professional peer who’s on the fence about going natural?

My advice would be to go for it.  Find your own “why” for going natural, and be confident in that “why” so that if someone asks you, you can explain it.  Every time you explain your “why”, it will make you more confident and stronger to deal with any negativity you may come across.  If you are concerned about looking unprofessional, find hair styles that you can wear your natural hair in that still fall in line with the culture at your workplace.  Also, be sure that your whole look speaks “professional” so that your hair kinda fades into the background; be sure your clothes, jewelry, makeup, etc are on point as it will make your entire look that much better.

YouTube: www.youtube.com/JonnaSharrell

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JonnaSharrell

Display Name: ljkelly

Age : 27

Degrees: Currently working on my MA in Higher Education Administration
Industry: Higher Education
Title: Admission Counselor

Questions

1. Based on your profession and corporate culture, what were your primary concerns about wearing natural hair in the workplace? How did you overcome them?

When I applied for the job I am in now, I was transitioning so on my interview I wore my signature chignon, which I think is very professional but I was concerned about what I would do once I did the big chop. As I got closer to doing my BC, I started to wear braid outs to work, at first half up and half down or some braided and some down until I felt comfortable wearing it all out. I was nervous because my hair is so big!

2. How did your co-workers, clients and boss respond when you revealed your new do?

When I wore my braid out for the first time at work I received nothing but compliments (if there were people who didn’t like it, they didn’t express it to me). There is only one other African American who works in my office and she is an older lady who wears a relaxer so my natural hair was not only huge, it was a phenomenon! I have had several co-workers ask me about it and then proceed to ask me about Chris Rock’s movie, Good Hair. I just laugh and tell them that it is not much different for them if they have naturally curly hair. I think once I made that comparison they started to understand a little better, we now talk about products and different curly hair techniques.

3. Has your performance been rewarded since you’ve been natural? If not, do you believe your hair has been a factor? Any regrets?

My performance has been rewarded recently at work but I cannot say that my hair contributed to it. I think now everyone is just use to me having big hair!

4. What advice would you offer a professional peer who’s on the fence about going natural?

The biggest thing I’ve learned about being natural is CONFIDENCE. No matter if you are at work, at the grocery store or at the club, you have to be confident because when other people see you rocking your natural with confidence they will have nothing to say but respect your style. I have the attitude; this is who I am, you are going to have to love it or leave it alone!

I have also learned that no one cares as much about our hair than we do. When I did my BC, I was nervous about going to work and what people would think but my co-workers cared for all of 5 minutes and it was back to business as usual.

Some of my pictures: (top to bottom)
1. My big braid out!
2. My signature chignon–Praise God I can still do this after my BC!
3. I experiment with flowers and feathers to jazz up my look
4. Professional & cute french braid

Display Name: Brenda E.
Age: 32

Degrees: B.A. Economics, Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Industry: Education/Marketing/EntrepreneurTitle: English Teacher and Business Owner

Questions1. Based on your profession and corporate culture, what were your primary concerns about wearing natural hair in the workplace? How did you overcome them?

I’ve been natural now for 7 months. I did the ‘BIG CHOP’ two days before packing up and leaving for South Korea. I was so scared that people wouldn’t accept my hair, so I wore wigs for the first three months of my stay here. The thing is, I was so uncomfortable in them, because I never really felt like myself in them. Finally one day I decided that enough was enough, I wanted to wear my natural hair, and I was determined to do it, regardless of my hesitations about it. I’ll be honest, I was unsure about how my fellow Korean teachers would perceive my hair, but I had gotten to the point where I couldn’t lie to myself anymore about who I really was, and about what I really looked like without the wigs.
Wearing my natural hair in public was a big decision for me to make, because as many of you may or may not know, South Korea is a very homogeneous country. While South Korea currently has approximately 30,000 foreign teachers in this country, the black teachers are still few and far between.

While I didn’t quite overcome my fears about going natural in South Korea, what I did know was that on that particular day, my desire to show my natural tresses was stronger than my fears about what people would think. I wanted to wear my hair and style my own hair. I didn’t want my idea of what other people would think to hinder me anymore. Three months was enough, and it was time for the reveal!

Today, I feel so much more confident with my own hair than I ever did wearing the wigs. I think the confidence comes from knowing me, and not being afraid anymore about how people will react to my hair, or what they will say. I think that I look better with my natural hair, and that’s what is important – how I feel with and about my hair.
My decision to show my natural tresses was was THE best decision I have EVER made, and I am never going back.

2. How did your co-workers, clients and boss respond when you revealed your new do?

The next morning when I walked into the teacher’s lounge with my natural hair, my heart pounded so loudly, I thought that everyone could hear it! I had arrived a little early as all of my Korean coworkers were in a meeting, so I had time to settle in. Before you know it, their meeting was over, and they all began to flood into the teacher’s lounge, one after the other. I braced myself for the comments but the reactions were all the same… “Oh wow Brenda, I love your hair!”, “Oh wow Brenda, so cute!”
The comments that I heard that morning were positive reinforcements that I had made the right decision – for me!

3. Has your performance been rewarded since you’ve been natural? If not, do you believe your hair has been a factor? Any regrets?

My performance hasn’t changed, as I am still an excellent teacher. However, knowing that I can walk into work every day with my natural hair is an extra boost of confidence, which never hurts!

4. What advice would you offer a professional peer who’s on the fence about going natural?

Do your research; search the internet, and blogs about natural hair. You’ll find that you are in great company of women who want to be to be natural if they’re not already.
Educate yourself about hairstyles. You’ll realize that there are so many cute ways to wear your natural hair inside and outside of professional settings.
Be honest with yourself. It’s normal to have a million doubts about whether or not to go natural. Some of the questions that will pop up usually start: “should I……?”, “can I…..?”, “what if……?”, “how will they….?” and finally, “what will they……?”
Answer those questions/doubts honestly, and hopefully you’ll find that there are more POSITIVE than negative reasons to go natural.

Stats
Display Name: SLY
Age: 25
Degrees: Bachelors in Sociology and Communications. Certification in Green Business

Industry: Finance and Trading, Theater

Title: Associate (for a trading firm), Stage Manager (for theater)

Questions
1. Based on your profession and corporate culture, what were your primary concerns about wearing natural hair in the workplace? How did you overcome them?

I used to work in the hospitality industry as a Front Office Training Manager and it was at that job where your physical appearance was dictated by the latest company memo. They were as detailed as wanting all the women to wear the same pearls, one ring per hand, and well kept hair. While there were many women who wore their natural hair, there were limits on the types of styles. They were okay with anything except for an afro. On the flip side there was a Caucasian girl with LOTS of curls and one day she came to work with her hair all over the place and they asked her to tame them and pin them back too. While they didn’t discriminate against natural hair, they did have a specific standard that they felt was appropriate.

With the company I work for now, they are more progressive. We don’t have a dress code. Business casual would be an overstatement. Therefore with the freedom of a more relaxed culture, I have even come to work in an afro at times. I don’t do it often but every now and then, I can be seen walking around the office with one. I don’t have many concerns with my hair. My main concern is on days when on my way to work, the weather wreaks havoc on it and I don’t have any bobby pins. As a stage manager, I can also wear my hair pretty much any kind of way that I want.

2. How did your co-workers, clients and boss respond when you revealed your new do?

I’ve worn my hair natural since college, therefore every professional job I have, I interviewed with my natural hair. The job that I have now, I interviewed with shoulder length locs and the day before my first day of work, I grew tired of the locs, pulled a Britney and cut all my hair off. When I came in that day, everyone just looked at me trying to figure out what had changed since the interview.

3. Has your performance been rewarded since you’ve been natural? If not, do you believe your hair has been a factor? Any regrets?

I’m not sure that I understand the question. Being that I’ve always been natural during my professional career, my performance, qualifications, results produced, and overall personality and character has always been used to judge my pay grade, bonuses and such. Do I believe my hair has held me back from promotions, benefits, and such…absolutely not. With straight or curly hair, I’d be just a successful in hospitality, finance or theater.

4. What advice would you offer a professional peer who’s on the fence about going natural?

My advice would be based on what your concerns were. Before my mother went natural, she was concerned that she would be limited by her style choices. Others aren’t sure that they will be able to maintain their hair. Others fear the opinions they will receive from people regarding their hair. My advice is to DO YOU. Do what you feel comfortable with. If you aren’t sure whether to go natural or not, DON’T. Wait until you are ready. I was on the fence for two years and then one day I was just ready. My concerns and fears had no place. I just knew I was tired of what I was doing before and that there must be something more natural, simpler, less expensive.

Blog: http://sociologyofsheena.blogspot.com and http://granolatendencies.blogspot.com

YouTube: http://youtube.com/sheenalyoung

Twitter: http://twitter.com/granolaist