Jeanette Devaughn decided to go natural while working in the banking industry and did not meet with disapproval.
A whole lot of black women had a beef with Chris Rock when he produced “Good Hair” and shed a light on black hair care dollars and sense. The documentary opened up a dreadful side to the billion dollar black hair care industry and the harmful toxins used to give black women the coveted silky manageable hair.
But, now an even more disturbing report has entered the scene via a study conducted by Boston University which proves that relaxers used to straighten black hair have a proven link to the fibrous tumors that disproportionately affect black women.
The real news is that some women, even after seeing the documentary and hearing about this study, will make a conscious choice to continue the treatments because some say it’s the difference between getting a job and/or keeping a job.
Women interviewed in the report say that stereotypes have prevented black women from emancipating themselves from the “creamy crack” and they would make sure their hair is permed before an interview or conducting business. A shame, right? Do you agree?
Check out the report.
-J.C. Brooks
Study Causes Hair Scare about Tumors: MyFoxHOUSTON.com
March 1st, 2013 at 2:51 pm
It’s a shame that black women are made to feel that a perm/relaxer is necessary, but it is no surprise. In the American society, having silky pressed hair is more culturally acceptable and fits the generally accepted standard of beauty. Some employers (and people in general), are accepting of ‘ethnic styles’ if appropriate and neat. Others however, find ethnic styles sometimes intimidating or too different because they diverge from the normal accepted standards. It definitely has an effect professionally. The more black women who wear natural hair, the more society will get ‘used to a new norm’. But the undertones of why black women may feel pressured to have a certain image runs much deeper than this article.