The subject imposes itself on the political agenda in the midst of parliamentary holidays. Olivier Serva, deputy of the first constituency of Guadeloupe (Liot) is working on a bill aimed at recognizing “hair discrimination”. The opportunity for us to launch a call for testimonies on the subject. Twenty stories have been written by you. Women mocked for their red or frizzy hair, men with long hair forced to tackle prejudices… With, for some, direct consequences on their professional life.
Faced with pressure from his hierarchy, Morgan faced an ultimatum: cut his hair, or stop his internship. “It was my first internship as a nursing student in mainland France, I am from Guadeloupe and I had dreadlocks that came to the middle of my back, recalls the young man. I tied my hair back as required by the dress code for a caregiver. The manager called me after two days demanding that I cut my hair because “my haircut is not clean” and that she does not tolerate this kind of thing in her service”. To continue his studies, Morgan was forced to cut off his hair, which he had worn for ten years.
Cut your hair to get a job
Same dilemma for Mickaël. Aged about 20 in the mid-2000s, the young man was interviewing for his first job, in the engineering community. He wears mid-length hair, often tied back. “During the job interview, I was asked to cut my hair so that I could work with them. At the time, I hesitated for a long time, I didn’t really have a choice and I still regret it a little,” he laments.
For others, their haircuts have led to ridicule from their colleagues. With her curls and long loose hair, Juanita had to endure a whole series of demeaning nicknames: “mushroom”, “Lion King” and “a whole bunch of inappropriate thoughts”. At work, colleagues “had fun touching them without permission”.
Dealing with inappropriate remarks from colleagues
“We don’t have to have a specific skin color to suffer from hair discrimination, underlines Fabien, who works in the public service. I have long hair and have been wearing earrings (in both ears) since I was 20. I have more than regularly suffered discriminatory speeches as much because of my ponytail as my earrings. Even when you are the most competent on a subject, you are not sent to certain meetings with the “big guys”, because “you understand, your hoodlum’s face is not serious”, “continues the 50-year-old, who says in favor of a law on the subject.
Sometimes the remarks of the management fuse after several decades of good and loyal service. Its cut considered too long by the management, Carl adapted by opting for afro braids. “It was very badly taken to the point of reproaching me even more strongly”. Matthew doesn’t remember being discriminated against because of his Afro haircut. “But I paid attention to these questions. I have always moved away from certain jobs where it could have been a problem, ”he summarizes.
For Thierry, the problem is different. A former homeless man sporting a “punk” crest, he then shaved his hair. His athletic physique and his cut made him pass for… A skinhead, to the point of being often “taken to task”. He has now abandoned the shaved head to “reassure” and not be “too divisive”.
Véronique, white and blonde with blue eyes, often mocked for her curly hair, finally sums up the debate quite well. “You have to fit into the mold at all costs! It’s the dictatorship of the imposed smooth hair, it’s terrible for morale on a daily basis, “she exclaims, before denouncing a” robotization “.