How To Change The Bias?

Sharpened

A fleck on His Sword
This is why I favor naturals wearing their own hair out more. How else can we change the perception faster? Any ideas?

New Evidence Shows There's Still Bias Against Black Natural Hair

February 6, 20176:01 AM ET

Karen Grigsby Bates




A new study confirms that many people — including black ones — have a bias against the types and styles of natural hair worn by black people.

portishead1/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Stories about black women whose employers asked them to cut their dreadlocks or to trim their big afros have surfaced with more frequency in the last few years. Now a new study confirms that many people — including black ones — have a bias against the types and styles of natural hair worn by black people.

The "Good Hair Study" was conducted by Perception Institute, which describes itself as "a consortium of researchers, advocates and strategists" that uses emotional and psychological research to identify and reduce bias in areas such as law enforcement, education, civil justice and the workplace. The study resulted from a partnership with Shea Moisture, a black-owned hair and body products company, and aimed to better understand the connection between implicit bias and textured hair.

The Good Hair Study asked over 4,000 participants to take an online IAT, or implicit association test, which involves rapidly-changing photos of black women with smooth and natural hair, and rotating word associations with both. According to the study, "a majority of people, regardless of race and gender, hold some bias towards women of color based on their hair." But the results also indicate that this bias is learned behavior, and can be unlearned.

In the study, millennials of all races came across as more accepting of textured hair. And "naturalistas," women who choose to wear their hair natural, "showed either no bias or a slight preference for textured hair."

Some key findings confirm that black women suffer more anxiety around hair issues, and spend more on hair care than their white peers. They are almost twice as likely to experience social pressure at work to straighten their hair compared to white women.

The study also concludes that, "White women demonstrate the strongest bias — both explicit and implicit — against textured hair." They rated it as "less beautiful," "less sexy/attractive" and "less professional than smooth hair." However, white women who are in contact with black women naturalistas demonstrated lower levels of bias. Given that white women make up a large majority of the 38 percent of female managers who decide what looks are appropriate for work, legal conflicts sometimes ensue. And courts tend to rule in favor of employers in such cases.

Noliwe Rooks, a Cornell University professor who writes about the intersection of beauty and race, says for some reason, natural black hair just frightens some white people. "I have yet to come across an actual court case ... where the texture of hair for another racial group has reached the point of a court case," she said.

The good news is that natural hair has become increasingly popular, as black women decide to give their hair a break from chemicals and heat. The Boston Globe reported that "sales of hair relaxer dropped from $206 million in 2008 to $152 million in 2013."

At the same time, demand for products for natural hair began to increase. Tellingly, beauty companies outside the black beauty and hair industries began to notice. Carol's Daughter was bought by L'Oréal in 2014. Today, numerous non-black-owned hair-products companies have lines for naturally curly hair. There are even online curl pattern charts that "grade" curls' looseness or tightness to guide the towards products that will work best for her.

It seems the naturalistas are making inroads.

Certainly, popular culture is infused with images of women with natural, unstraightened hair: Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi and Marsai Martin have all gotten praise for frequently going au naturelle on their hit show Black-ish. Esperanza Spaulding reigns over her bass with a towering Afro. NBC viewers reeled when Tamron Hall traded her slick pixie for a little curly fro in 2014.

So for younger people, natural hair is just that — a natural, obvious thing to wear. Even the U.S. Army got on board after an initial stumble. If trends signal what's ahead, workplaces may eventually become safe havens for natural hair, which has endured as a touchstone in racial politics for far too long.
 

YvetteWithJoy

On break
Thanks for sharing.

Truth: It was hard to transition because everyone around me expects my hair to be straight.

Truth: I struggled myself with acclimating to my texture. After 35+ years with straight hair, and living in a Eurocentric-beauty -type society, of course I did.

Truth: I can't be bothered now. Hair is just hair to me, now. I credit this to LHCF and my husband's and mom's unconditional acceptance of my hair.

I'm not going to put damaging chemicals in my hair to feel "okay-looking" any longer. That is progress. Now I'm working on spending less time, energy, money, and thought on hair and products: Just for me, the spending and energy and time is unbalanced sometimes. I don't think hair should be this big a part of my life or budget. It's better (smaller), and all feels balanced again.

My natural hair at its best blows my relaxed hair at its best OUT OF THE WATER. I have made the right decision for me, and I want other women to feel free about their hair choices no matter what they opt to do with it.
 

YvetteWithJoy

On break
P.S. Zero judgment, but . . . Sometimes I dream that we all cut our hair spending budget by 50% and funnel it into black children's lives. I sometimes gasp at the rate we spend. I include myself. I was doing so until I just couldn't justify it because I had to admit I was spending too much.

No judgment: We are free to spend on what we want. The spending is just so huge! I have dreams about those dollars as investment dollars LOL! I put a lot of money into savings and charity now that I used to spend on hair products. I had to deliver myself. I had let the spending get bad in seeking hair ease/solutions.
 

Alta Angel

Well-Known Member
Every time I wear my hair straight my WW coworkers ooh and ahh over it. Inevitably one tells me I should keep my hair that way. As the kids say, "Nah!" I love how natural hair makes a statement without me uttering a word. For them it symbolizes militantism and lack of assimilation...which they cannot handle. When I wear a twistout, mini-twists, or a puff, the WW are silent. My students love the puffs and twistouts! Inevitably one of them says, "Big hair don't care!" I love that AA students see my natural hair and tell me that their own natural hair is beautiful too.
 

TwistedRoots

Back2Life Back2ReLaxer!
I find that our hair is looked at as cool/trendy that's why it's deemed unprofessional to others. I will say that I agree that its mostly blacks that are the most conditioned. We are so quick to rebuke an idea that deviates from the "norm" society infringes upon us. This isn't only a hair issue. We literally find anything to separate us from each other. There needs to be a united front of open acceptance amongst each other...I believe that then the bias that we see(in terms of hair) will cease to be an issue.
 

Daina

Well-Known Member
In my experience the bias is there and strong on both sides of the color and gender aisle. I just recently completed a leadership development program for women who are officers of a company and it came up that women white or black with curly hair are perceived to be unkempt and less smart.:confused: One yt woman in the group said she purposely straightened her hair before every one of our sessions because of fear of backlash, at her company all the female officers yt or black had straight well kept hair. Even my husband when I first made the decision to significantly reduce heat usage said that curly hair to him looks undone. He was used to me being a straight-haired natural. Now I only straighten my hair 3-4 times per year and every time I do, I get the oh your hair looks so pretty, so long...the yt people are always so amazed my hair, "our" hair can do so many tricks (yes one of my yt co-workers actually used that term). To be curly or straight one day and in a bun the next day was magic to her...bye Becky! I am also apparently the hair authority for the yt people whenever there is a question on another black woman's hair in the office...one employee over processed her hair and decided to shave it all off and start fresh, well folks were fit to be tied - immediately thought she was sick. The day she came into the office with a wig dam$ near stopped productivity for the entire day...just ridiculous.

What gives me hope is when all the little girls and teens at my church come up to me and say your hair is so pretty I love your curls and want to wear their hair natural as well! I bought many products and given tips to quite a few of them that have been encouraged to take better care of their hair whether relaxed or natural. Personally I think the bias will always be there...#thestruggleisrealandwillcontinue!
 

MizAvalon

Well-Known Member
It's true that most ww are biased against anything except straight hair. I know a ww that called her own grandchild's hair ugly. Mind you, this child is fully white and has slightly curly hair. Not even full on curly like the actress who played Felicity but because it's slightly curly and not straight like the rest of her family, it's considered ugly.

I know exactly what she feels about ethnic hair if that's how she feels about very slightly textured white hair.
 

YvetteWithJoy

On break
In my experience the bias is there and strong on both sides of the color and gender aisle. I just recently completed a leadership development program for women who are officers of a company and it came up that women white or black with curly hair are perceived to be unkempt and less smart.:confused: One yt woman in the group said she purposely straightened her hair before every one of our sessions because of fear of backlash, at her company all the female officers yt or black had straight well kept hair. Even my husband when I first made the decision to significantly reduce heat usage said that curly hair to him looks undone. He was used to me being a straight-haired natural. Now I only straighten my hair 3-4 times per year and every time I do, I get the oh your hair looks so pretty, so long...the yt people are always so amazed my hair, "our" hair can do so many tricks (yes one of my yt co-workers actually used that term). To be curly or straight one day and in a bun the next day was magic to her...bye Becky! I am also apparently the hair authority for the yt people whenever there is a question on another black woman's hair in the office...one employee over processed her hair and decided to shave it all off and start fresh, well folks were fit to be tied - immediately thought she was sick. The day she came into the office with a wig dam$ near stopped productivity for the entire day...just ridiculous.

What gives me hope is when all the little girls and teens at my church come up to me and say your hair is so pretty I love your curls and want to wear their hair natural as well! I bought many products and given tips to quite a few of them that have been encouraged to take better care of their hair whether relaxed or natural. Personally I think the bias will always be there...#thestruggleisrealandwillcontinue!

Love this post.

And the bolded made me laugh OUT LOUD! :lol: THAT is hilarious.
 
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