Black Hairstyles in the Workplace and Why This is not Ordinary

Along with the Visual Culture in Politics class, I am also currently enrolled in a Dress and Culture course. In this class we often discuss why certain dress seems to appear out of the ordinary to us and not to everyone. Recently, we had a guest speaker come discuss natural hair for the African American race and its history. She discussed with us that not everyone has accepted natural hair and that for a long time, people were identified by whether they wore their hair "natural" or not. She shared with us this blog post that takes caucasian business women and styles their hair how some African American women might wear their hair. It discusses the issue of how, when we see these hairstyles in the workplace, we do not see them as professional or "appropriate" for the workplace. But why? In this particular image, is it the attire that makes it look different? Is it the look on this woman's face? Why do we not consider braids or "afro" hairstyles professional? Many African Americans are offended by the fact that their look is not accepted by everyone. There have been many women that have been told to straighten their hair or get weaves, to fit the "norm" that society has created. Especially women that have professions where they are highly respected or looked up to. For example, news anchors have been wearing hair that is not theirs for many years and some are starting to shave their heads and rock their "natural" hair. One other reason that women have also been trying to love the hair they were born with is to set examples for kids. Many young girls feel like they do not fit in and will continue to feel this way if they do not look the same as everyone else and conform. Like this woman in the image, we see this as abnormal, so if a young girl wants to get a good job someday, she will feel like she needs to change herself, and this is not how it should be. I think that these pictures could change the way we view natural hair in the workforce. Braids, twist, and afros could become more widely accepted if we start to show things like these and if we stop considering it as outside of the norm.



http://www.balleralert.com/profiles/blogs/black-hair-styles-in-the-work-place

 

Jackie-O

Jackie Kennedy has been a fashion icon since the day President Kennedy was elected president. Whether you know much about President Kennedy of any of his family, you have seen images of Jackie or know that she is a major face of style. For every event, in and out of the White House, Jackie presented herself with poise and grace. Even through the assassination of her husband, President Kennedy, she was always very elegant and put together. From her big black sunglasses, to her pink Chanel suit and pillbox hat, women have admired her chic fashion for decades. In these images, we can see how simply beautiful Jackie Kennedy was. In all three pictures, she is not dressed extremely glamorous, but still pulls off each look

as if it cost more than we can afford. One of the main reasons that so many people looked up to her  style is because she made it look so easy. She never looked like she  wore a lot of makeup or had a lot of hairspray in her hair, she just looked effortlessly beautiful. Jackie always had a way of relating to the people. In these images, we see how what she wears is so modern for that time and what any at that time could afford and would want to wear. It is crazy how many people looked up to Jackie just by how beautiful and put together she always looked. Jackie was definitely one to admire with her poise, grace, and class that she carried wherever she went. 

Flag Fashion

The American flag is iconic in general. However, celebrities have been making this icon even more popular by wearing it and incorporating it into their fashion. In the image above, we have many celebrities that are showing off their patriotism with their clothing. Jessica Simpson is rocking the flag bikini while giving a peace sign, which could also be conveyed as patriotic. Katy Perry is flaunting a flag printed top with some blue, sparkly high-waisted shorts. All of these styles are current among younger girls and many people would see these images and immediately want to purchase these items. By seeing top Hollywood icons support our country through their actions, and through something as relevant as fashion, it makes us (the viewing population, or the people that admire such stars) want to be just as patriotic. We immediately want to start wearing the flag or flag printed items. They make it look cute and political at the same time. They show us that representing our country can be as easy as buying a shirt with a flag printed on it.