Men, Braids, and Professionalism
 

This topic has been on my mind for a while, yet I've been mulling over how to present it. We had a topic in the past on Men & Braids, but it dealt more with how we view their appearance(attractiveness), not professionalism.

With that said, to everyone: with diversity being the new corporate "buzz word", it is not uncommon to see African American men in the work place with braids and cornrows. Also, watching professional sports (such as basketball) many of the players have braids now.

Do you think that this look is professional? For those that say no, keep in mind that it is acceptable to see African American women in the workplace with braids (especially micros and cornrows). Is it biased to say that African American men should not be afforded the same right and be deemed unprofessional, or do you think it is unprofessional for both?

For those that say it is acceptable/ professional, is there ever a time when the look is unprofessional (i.e. men that have half of their hair braided, and the other half still "under construction http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif ") and if so, if you were writing a dress code, how would you address those issues from a Human Resources standpoint?

I think braids, dreds, and cornrows can be acceptable and professional under certain conditions. Personally, I LOVE the look. It drives me crazy. However, nothing turns me off more than nasty, dirty braids. I've seen many people who are just not ready for the upkeep of natural styles. So I'd say, any hair style is fine as long as it's CLEAN and drawn back from the face.

Well, I have to say that my opinion has changed a bit on this subject..
My younger brother has grown his hair almost to the middle of his back and to me it looked so thug like (and yes that is the look he is going for)

I used really hate hate hate cornrows esp. in the workplace.

Then about 3 months after I was married--my husband decided to let his hair grow.
I threw a fit and protested and protested--Needless to say he would not listen to reason.

I just knew that it would become a problem for him as a professional {he too is a teacher}

My mind changed when he met my principal. She commented our intelligent he is and how she would love to have him her staff..

She told me (after I asked her) that his braids don't make a difference

I guess I am just so traditional



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IVY in my HAND-- AKA in my HEART

Tickledpink,

I'm glad you brought this up from the professional viewpoint.

Just last week I was talking with a friend about the meaning of the word "professional". I was sharing my stories about having an "ethnic" hairstyle while applying/interviewing for jobs. I have worn my hair natural for two years and over that period of time I have come to see the word "professionalism" as conformity. Some might find that extreme, but I really feel
that it's the truth. Think about it:


A woman had to sue her job because her hairstyle (thin braids past her shoulders) were not deemed professional even though they were very neat and well-maintained.

A lady at my girlfriend's job was almost fired because she wore Kente Cloth scarves
around her neck with her business suits. They told her the print was not professional.

Muslim women are repeatedly pressured not to wear Haddad (head/neck covering) because it's not looked upon as professional.


Does anyone see a pattern here? It seems that any hint of your ethnic or even
RELIGIOUS background shouldn't show while in the "professional" setting. To me this is
complete BS, and I for one pay it no mind when working. I AM ethnic. I'm part
West-African and it shows in my hair and in my culture. Why should I bury any physical
evidence of that because white (corporate) America doesn't like it?? I spend as much time grooming and deciding on clothing as anyone else. I'm always so fresh and so clean. Get used to it because I'm not changing.

Now back to your question, Tickledpink. I find that the idea of the "professional look" is slowly being blurred and redefined. Many people, not just black people, are demanding that professional jobs accept not just their ethnicity/culture, but their creativity. Company's were/still are being sued for trying to dictate what is professional. While organizations like AKA can reject people that don't fit the image they would like, companies are loosing millions of dollars in lawsuits because they attempted to do the very same thing.

A few weeks ago a man in another state attracted a lot of attention because he was selling so many suits at his upscale retail job he was making more than the store manager
($250,000+). I saw him in the paper. There he was, locs and all, just smiling away. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Poplife (edited May 07, 2001).]

Poplife,

Though I agree with you on all fronts,
the truth is that we all have to conform in some way.. my studies taught me that in many non western cultures people
have a different concept of time than we do..ie the meeting begans when everyone arrives..now we all know that this will not fly..

I love to see my brother and sisters in natural styles ( I have braids right now)

I just live in a very real world and here in Texas people are still very conservative (JW Bush territory)
Just my thoughts

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IVY in my HAND-- AKA in my HEART

[This message has been edited by loviest95 (edited May 07, 2001).]

Yes, we all have to conform in someway. I just think people are bending the rules as to which way they conform. I also think anyone who is living lives in a real world. My reality may be very different from yours, but it's all still very real.

I'm not really against being conservative, but I am against out and out discrimination because someone doesn't look a certain way.

I hate to sound like the racist of the group, but I think that most things we do as African Americans are fine as long as it is in good taste with us (I mean, who can really say how a certain style should look on Us but US). And I think some "white" folx is just mad because they can't do things like we do it so they try to keep us from doing it.

112

I agree that as long as the braids or dreads are clean and well kept then it will be professional looking. My father recently grew his hair out and got it braided and I was shocked that he could wear his hair like that to work. But his braids look good and they are kept up nicely. I think corporate America is becoming more diverse and braids and dreads are becoming more "acceptable." The only time I would say that the braids are unnacceptable would be those times when its "half done" or it looks like it has lint in it. As far as human resources go, the dress code could simply state, that if wearing braids, they must be well kept, and all the way done. The company can give an example of what is acceptable and what is not and if you fall into the category of what's not acceptable then you are in violation.

Interesting topic,

I've been struggling over the last two years to decide what it is that I want to do with my hair. Currently, it's an extremely close natural. I'm debating about growing it into locks and am concerned about how it will appear professionally.

I am very neat in my appearance and would not come to work less than that. The question I have is whether or not if there was a project to come up that would require a lot of exposure to our clients would I be NOT chosen. The final question is in growing locks or wearing braids do they retard your growth in a corporate firm? I think that although it's been established that companies cannot discriminate based on hairstyle, subliminally, decisions may be made that may retard your career growth.

What yall think?

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"Unless you know the road you've come down, you cannot know where you are going"
~Temme proverb, Sierre Leone~

Depending on your profession, braids on men can be "unprofessional". If you are in a "creative" profession or individual one, whatever attire or adornment you choose, is fine. However, if you are representing a privately owned company to the public, that company has a right to dictate how you, the individual, can represent THEIR company. I am in sales and I know that I cnnot represent my company looking "thugged out", be it in braided hair, gold teeth, etc. Being ehtnic does not mean being "thugged out", or "ghetto". Black people have always been able to express themselves tastefully and within corporate guidelines. I don't think we need to bring the "street" into our workplaces, churches, or schools. Braided hair on men (it is not part of our ethnic heritage) is for the streets, the basketball court, or BET, not for corporate settings. Women, different story.

What makes you draw the conclusion that braided hair for men is not part of our ethnic heritage? Are you speaking only of our heritage since arriving in America? I'm asking for clarification.

I don't agree that braids on men are exclusively a "thugged out" look. It depends on the braids, the wearer, his overall style (clothes, grooming) and the level of upkeep.

While in America, male slaves, post slavery, through the decades up to the '60s, men did not wear braided hairstyles. Maybe you can tell me which African tribes that we descend from wore them. I know that the Masai people of East Africa wear them, but I am unaware of any males of West or West-Central Africa that wear braids and/or locks/dreads

I'm not implying that there is anything wrong with braids. It is just that I have not witnessed the "cultural" or "historical" link that Africans or African American men wear braids, especially in professional settings, i.e, ministers, doctors, dentists, lawyers, salespeople, politicians, etc. I don't recall the N.O.I or any of the Black Panthers or any Afro-centric organization of the militant '60s wearing braids, like I notice on the people outside of professional life.

Cornel West has worn an afro for a long time but I have never seen it braided in public.

DISCOGODDESS: good post. Just one thing though, we have never been separated from our native hairstyles. Most Black women, especially rural women did not perm their hair until much later. I have seen plenty of pictures of my mother and aunts with their hair in its natural state. When you were a little girl, I am sure that your hair was not permed, but rather styled or worn in its natural state in a very African/African American style i.e. plaits, braids, pigtails, ponytails, Afro-puffs. So there was a connection to our roots. Black men wore their hair short because it is either too hot for manual labor or too dangerous to work near machinery. Of course, the kind of men who "conked" their hair then are the same kind who sport braids now.

Pertaining to Africa, none of the pictures, drawings, or photographs, of West or Southern Africans portray any of the males as having long hair, braided hair, or locked hair. If someone can tell me if locks appeared before the advent of Rastafarianism, I'd like to know or if braids worn by men appeared before the 1960's.

BTW: Braids can be worn tastefully and professionally, but it is not necessarily racist or culturally insensitive if people find them disconcerting in a professional environment.

i like folks w/braids or dreads, to me they're sharp. i must draw the line at cornrows. i didn't like them in the 70s, now they look unattractive and dated in the 00s. i don't want to see any one fired for this look or turned away from a BGLO but to me personally, they make a person look like a walking mugshot.

cornrows on male or females or both? Just asking I wear cornrows sometimes, it pulls your hair less then flowing braids. I hope mines are not dated ;-)

WHAT ABOUT GOLD TEETH?

Let's add that to the discussion. Excluding music artists and professional athelets, is the appearance of a "slugged out" grill "appropriate" as well?

Uhh, that would be a no.

Has anyone seen a corporate brother or sister rockin' the gold/platinum mouth? If so, do tell!

I think it is Ghetto/unprofessional and NOT needed in the workplace ... that is a real different question then Braided hair in the workplace, come on Soror come with something better.

What do you mean, come with something better?

Why not add THAT to the equation? MANY PEOPLE, are getting their grills slugged out. They are in college classes and all. So, one day, they will apply for jobs, just like someone who has braids OR dreads. IT IS AN ISSUE!

I guess it can be considered an issue, but I (me personally) don't value it or worry about it as much as the braids thing. See one part of this debate it Braids are okay for some (women) and not for others (men), but GOLD TEETH. Well like doggystyle said about male braids (hope I am not mis quoting) ... gold teeth are for the streets.

I feel it is ghetto/unprofessional ... now my mom has a cold crown in the back of her mouth, but that is really different then popping a gold cap over your tooth. In that case let's talk about all this ear/body PIERCING ... I see the males and females come to work with tongue rings and eye brow rings ...is that for the work place - I SAY NO TO ALL.

All this is very unprofessional. It may be chic, and hip but it is for the streets, or those creative positions some hold. If my lawyer was in the court with any of the above (NOT TALKING ABOUT BRAIDS) then I would think s/he was crazy. And that is simply because I hired him and he represents me ...I would not do/ bring those things to work.

ADDED-> I am not trying to OFFEND any in how you wear your braids, your ear rings or anything, or in where you work ... I am stating my personal opinion.

[This message has been edited by LadyAKA (edited May 08, 2001).]

Soror AKA2D has a point. I don't want to get off the subject of this topic, but what about people who get tattoes? For example, I know of a soror who got an ivy leaf tattoed around her wrist.

Gold teeth maybe for the "screets", but there are many members of OUR BGLOs who are.. "slugged" at the top and "slugged" at the bottom (Exquizit, I know you know where that came from, you too Soror Wonderful http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif)

I have SKEEN it with my own eyes and it ain't cute! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif

I have a tattoo but in the clothes I wear to work, you would be NONE the wiser ...so again it may be an issue, but in answering the question I say NO it is not for the workplace. I think in terms of myself or my job and then I think about people I may hire to represent me. My lawyer, my doctor NO I DON'T want to see it, the man that cuts my grass, paints my house, maybe even the guy that comes in to redecorate my house fine do as you please, but not in the corporate light.

Girl, I bet you are stylin'! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif I'm sure you are quite in with the times.


Besides, cornrows are really good for giving hair a rest. The also can ne used to create some nice styles. I don't wear them too often, but I really like when women get thin cornrows that all run into the crown and then twist them all up in a fancy up-do. Ethnic and classy!

Thanks Poplife, I am about to get my braid on for Puerto Rico .... I can't wait!!!

Actually yes. I read about them during my transtion from perm to nappy. I will give you exact refrences if I can find them but honestly I read so much during that time it might be impossible. I remember them saying there was a tribe in West Africa where the head priest wore his hair in locs. If a baby's hair 'locs naturally' then the parents were instructed to leave it alone because it had great spiritaul meaning.

Doggystyle82: I'm unaware of any particular West African cultures in which men wore braids, but I wouldn't rule it out, simply because I don't know about it. As evidenced by our people's use of chemical/heat means to straighten our hair, we don't HAVE to have a historic or cultural tie to a hairstyle, but since it is well documented that women in cultures all over Africa wore braids, I would hazard to guess that perhaps men may have worn them in some form or fashion as well, outside of the Masai culture you mentioned (thanks for that info, btw).

If I recall correctly, the prominent men in academia, politics, music and such who wore afros in the early 60s were considered radical. You didn't see MLK and company rockin' the 'fro. But by the 70s, the hairstyle gained more mainstream acceptance and was considered a fashion statement. Even whites were using blowout kits and low- to mid-size 'fros were not uncommon for brothers in corporate America (such as there were brothers in Corp. Am.). There was a gradual cultural shift from what was once considered radical to its acceptance as "normal."

I say that to say that if it was considered radical to simply wear your hair in its natural state and allow it to grow in the 60s, I'm thinking that braids or locks wouldn't have even been on the radar screen of most brothers, radical or not. Now, these styles are almost mainstream and may wind up being as common in corporate life as the low 'fro was. Just because we didn't do it before doesn't mean it can't or won't be done.

After all that, I will say that my personal opinion is that we all have to decide how much we're willing to conform and judge that against how much we think we're being asked/forced to conform in order to be in certain fields. If we want to be investment bankers and wear our hair in locks, then we're going to either have to conform until we get in a powerful enough position to do so or find an investment bank/firm that's edgy enough to be okay with that. On the flip, like Doggystyle82 stated, the more creative/individual the field, the more creative the dress, hair and other grooming.

if the look is well kept...then i see no problem with it...now of course in certain levels of corporate america, there is the expectation that you conform to a certain protocol set forth by the respective company...if you are aware of that and choose to work for that particuar company...then you should conform to that protocol within certain limits...for example, in the military women used to not be able to wear braids...now they can...but the braids have to conform to regular standards everyone else has to meet (i.e., be lifted above the collar in uniform, have a "natural" appearance, and fit neatly under the uniform hat without interfering with properly wearing it...) certain industries of course are more lenient when it comes to a set protocol...entertainment for instance versus walstreet...so if a man chooses to wear his hair in braids, twists, or the like he should keep that in mind...not change his look to fit protocol...but just keep that in mind when seeking employment in certain industries...


[This message has been edited by VctoriasSecrt3 (edited May 09, 2001).]

I don't want to jump around the fence, BUT I spoke to a friend at work whom is from Nigeria and he stated that braids were not worn by men in Nigeria/Africa ... as far as he is concerned - He is 30. He said something interesting, his mom used to braid his hair on the weekends because she was bored but on Monday his head was neatly fro'ed out or combed back (it wasn't long, just braidable). Now this is just from one guy. He said when he came here he thought it was weird to see people going to school and work with braids.

Like I said I love braids and think both men and women can wear them professionally to work!

I have only seen one and it still looks ghettofabulous! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif



[This message has been edited by tickledpink (edited May 09, 2001).]

Before I posted anything, I wanted to see everyone else's views. I think that braids are ok as long as they are well kept. However my struggle comes in defining "well-kept" in a professional sense. We all know that we are referring to "lint balls, etc." but there is still a fine line (for instance, someone may disagree with a braided hairstyle and attempt to use the "well kept" rule as a guideline). I recently saw someone at work that sat down and while he worked began to unbraid his hair, then proceeded to walk around all day with half of his head undone. This is the 2nd time that I've seen someone do this. I wanted to say something to him, but we currently do not have anything in our dresscode that prevents it (HR issue), although I feel it is totally unacceptable for several reasons:
1) It looks very unprofessional.
2) It appeared to be very unhygenic. He was picking and rolling lint balls. I also have braids, but please...

It angered me because we have made great strides in this style being acceptable in corporate America and here he was confirming all of the misconceptions that people have.
Even though I didn't have the words to say, I still made sure to shoot him the evil eye
every now and again http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/mad.gif . When he came in the next day, his hair was neatly rebraided.

In college, I dated a guy who wore dreadlocks. Whew...I had a little flashback for a second there. There is something very sexy about a man with some well maintained dreads. I used to love to...oh, I won't go there...

Now, when I see dreadlocks on a man, the first thing coming to my mind is not "professionalism". However, it all depends on the person. That particular man that I dated in college still wears his dreads to this day. He was a genious back in college, he went on to MIT for his master's degree in actuary science and is now very successfull in his corporate career. For him, his dreads mean something very spiritual. I can't fault a brother on that. They are very well maintained. So, for the right man, they can fit very well. Just for me, I can't get my mind off the sexiness of them. I don't think I could ever sit down in the boardroom with a fine dreadlocked brother and be able to concentrate.

I want to add my two cents in on this discussion. I feel that everyone is right on this subject. I love to see men in dreds; locks, twists, etc. if they are nice and neat. Not like Coolio's or Busta Rhymes. That is ridiculous. But I guess people wear their hair in a way that fits their demeanor. This is only a guess. My husband has a nicely shaped head for twists, dreds, and cornrows. I have tried a many of times to get him to have his hair done, but he likes the low cut look that goes into a goatee, and it looks good. He put me in mind of a black Jon. B. by the way he has his goatee shaped.