Natural and Corporate...Can They Mix?

I  was conversing with a friend of mine, telling her the of joys of becoming natural (as I do always, as a shameless advocate of natural living :-)).  She is really excited about  possibly locing her hair. We talked on and on about the beauty, meaning and endless styling possibilities locing has to offer. Then, she expressed her mother's  distaste for locs. She said that her mother is all for natural hair, but she does not care for braids or locs, her reason being, that whenever her daughter decides to enter the corporate world, she believes she will not be accepted.

My experience as a natural-haired black woman in corporate america has been pleasant. But I know that unfortunately, this is not the norm. Many are intimidated by things that look different, are outside of their "norm" and things that, quite frankly, they don't understand. Men have an even harder time gaining acceptance as their long hair is oftentimes equated with hardcore rappers, street gangs and incarcerated felons thereby representing brute vs. brains. It is surely an unfortunate reality we face.

Natural brothers and sisters, it is up to us to prove the naysayers wrong. How will we do this you may ask? We will do it by being the best at our professions while presenting ourselves with class and dignity. Our hair does NOT define us! It is an accessory, an expression of who we are. It should not be used as a means to define who we are. People choose to wear natural hair for different reasons. To some, it is a fad, a look that is popular at the present time that they choose to take part in. For others, myself included, it is an expression of self-love, a magnification of self-beauty, and a symbol of self-empowerment. The beautiful individuals displayed above are distinguished, professional, and are rocking their natural hair. That's right corporate america, the two can co-exist!

Black/African-American natural hair is not just a fad. It is lifestyle for most. It is not going anywhere so all might as well accept it, and get used to it. But of course, there will always be those that will never let stereotypes go, and will continue to refuse to embrace innate truths, and adhere to reason. For those individuals, I would like to part with a few famous quotes:

The whole idea of a stereotype is to simplify. Instead of going through the problem of all this great diversity - that it's this or maybe that - you have just one large statement; it is this.
Chinua Achebe 


An understanding is perhaps better than an alliance, which may stereotype arrangements which cannot be regarded as permanent in view of the changing circumstances from day to day.
Edward Grey 


And to my fellow naturals, for inspiration, I leave you with this:


Stereotypes do exist, but we have to walk through them.
Forest Whitaker


What are your experiences/thoughts on wearing natural hair in corporate america? Please, share, inform, enlighten!