Chelsea Curry recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, receiving her Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology with a focus on health promotion in behavioral science. Curry is interested in pursuing a career doing physical or occupational therapy and/or sports medicine. As Curry prepares to enter the workforce, she has concerns about applying for jobs. It’s natural for any graduate to feel a sense of anxiety during the transition from college to work. However, how to wear your hair should not be a cause of worry.

 

When asked what type of hairstyles do you typically wear to interviews, Curry responded,  “Usually I’ll straighten my hair or do like a slicked back ponytail. I will literally change my hairstyle like the day of or the day before just because I feel like certain hairstyles are not accepted in the workforce.”

 

During the interview Curry related a time recently when she wore her hair natural to an interview for the first time. Everyone stared at her as if they were thinking: Who is this? Who does she think she is?  Why does she think she can even work at this place? It was not a pleasant experience. Curry reflected that she gets a lot more positive feedback when she wears her hair down or straight, or a ponytail versus wearing braids or natural hair. In previous jobs where she had worked there for awhile, if she changed her hairstyle to braids or a certain natural style, they would look at her kind of funny with an expression like “what is this?”

 

When I asked how people’s reactions to her hair made her feel she said, “It kinda sucks, but I’ve gotten used to it because it has happened all of my life.” She hopes that things will change in the workforce; that people will become more accepting of hairstyles like braids, weaves, etc. She admits for natural styles to become “normalized” will require more people of color to make a statement and start wearing their hair naturally. For people just getting out of college, looking for a job it may be more difficult to take a stand.