A Hairy Issue

By Ruchika Tulshyan

Millions of viewers worldwide watched Gabby Douglas balance, jump and twirl herself into winning a gold medal for Team USA, in the Summer Olympics.

Yet, I was amazed at the backlash from Twitterati about – of all things – her hair. The discussion on the texture of African American hair aside, what resonated with me was how nasty people could get. Naysayers could not marvel at the feats she accomplished, her incredible talent, and what she had to sacrifice for her to even get to compete in London.

This got me thinking about Corporate America, and how women are often made to conform to ‘uniforms’ that do not accommodate for their ethnicity. A New York firm recently told my friend of Indian origin that her shirts were too tight. We went to purchase her outfits together, and I can attest that they were not. The only thing that made her stand out at the office was her busty figure. This is quite the norm for many Indian women.

African American women describe their woes of feeling compelled to relax or straighten their hair, to appear professional at work. They often have to spend hundreds of dollars and hours of their time to make this transition. Having straight hair is yet another racial bias. On one hand, we appoint Chief Diversity Officers to Fortune 500 companies, while on the other hand we force women of all backgrounds to conform to a single “look”.

If Olympic superstars aren’t safe from this type of superficial backlash, then imagine how it trickles down to the workplace! If women continue to feel coerced into changing their natural selves, what are we saying about accomplishments vs. appearances?

I, for one, loved Gabby’s response: “What’s wrong with my hair? I just made history and people are focused on my hair? It can be bald or short; it doesn’t matter about my hair.” Kudos to a 16-year-old who put into perspective what even the most accomplished corporate women struggle with. If your talent can speak volumes, then your hair, body type, and skin color should be total non-issues.

** The views expressed in this piece are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Little PINK Book or any of its partners or affiliates.