Unprofessional hair: The experiences of Black women with hair in South African Corporate Organisations

Abstract

Despite the increasing acceptance and admiration of natural hair, Black women still alter their hair to resemble more Eurocentric hairstyles when immersed in certain environments. This is because, for Black women, their natural hair is not just hair; it is a phenotypical characteristic that has - and continues to subject them to racial discrimination (Gougen & Hamlims, 2021). This study explores Black women’s experiences in relation to their hair in South African corporate workplaces, examining ideas of professionalism within these spaces and their impact on Black women’s hairstyle choices at work and overall workplace experience. In South Africa, the pertinence of Black women's hair is not recognised, and consequently, injustices towards hair are often minimized, thus failing to recognise and address hair discrimination as a form of racial discrimination. Further exacerbating the situation is the limited scope of literature in South Africa documenting the challenges Black women face with their hair, particularly in corporate workplaces. A study of this nature is therefore essential because corporate workplaces often serve as a microcosm of a country’s socio-political climate (Mokoena, 2020), and this is amplified in South Africa, where the remnants of colonial and Apartheid intervention (mirrored in corporate spaces) are prevalent. Using qualitative research methods rooted in an interpretivist design, data was collected from 16 Black women working in South African corporate organisations. Participants were interviewed using one-on-one semi-structured interviews conducted on Microsoft Teams, and the data from these interviews were manually transcribed. Thematic analysis revealed three key findings: (1) In an effort to fit in and avoid the daily adverse effects of having natural hair in corporate workplaces, Black women negotiate their identities by wearing Eurocentric hairstyles; (2) There are specific conditions, such as seniority in the workplace, having a ‘good’ Afro, and self-advocacy which permit Black women to feel empowered to wear their hair naturally at work; (3) Corporate organisational culture indirectly and subtly influences Black women’s hairstyling choices – often putting them in positions where they have to pander to the white male gaze and dominant Western ideology in order to be considered professional.