Celebrity Hairstylist Johnny Wright On Hair Bias When Styling Black Hair
- Posted on 16 November, 2019
- Trending
- By Anonymous
Tamron Hall’s hairstylist Johnny Wright discusses the hair bias against black hair styling he experienced during his training to be a hair stylist.
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Johnny has done Kerry Washington's hair, Queen Latifah's hair, even reese witherspoon he's a wide range of clients. His most famous client is not me. His most famous client is the former First Lady Michelle Obama, who he served as her personal stylist for eight years. You know Johnny we've seen First Lady, Michelle Obama we're here in natural we've, seen the bangs, where everyone was talking about it and the governor hit the note. This is about race, it's also about gender. When you look at your years of studying, Johnny's done my hair. Since he was 18, I won't tell you how old he is now, but he was there he's not 19. So it's been a long time. You me on the fact that even how people are trained to do hair has a tinge of bias yeah and that white, stylist or the style guy you guys are taught in, does not did not teach ethnic hair until recently yeah. So the Milady's hair book is what we learned from all stylists all side of them from there just about about five or six years ago. Just entered a textured hair section in the book so prior to that black stylist wise, not as we all learn mostly about white hair that stuff, you would learn either through your own home, because you learn from your grandmother how to do text. Your hair cord you'd learn in the salon. Cuz somebody taught you, but in the official guide for hairstyling yeah it wasn't something that it was a find out specific. Now it is in the book and everyone is supposed to learn it. Everyone should learn and everybody should be able to welcome anyone in their chair, but absolutely the fact that you know, even when we're talking about non tech share, just curly hair people associate that with being casual. Yeah are not being professional. This beautiful lady next to me, she walks in with braids certain department stores, people assume something about her yeah. It'S the perception that we've had and luckily now that black women are really starting to embrace their curls deficits from perception is changing and people are thought in seeing that it can be sophisticated. It can't be tamed and it can look just as good as any type of hair. It doesn't suddenly mean that you can't do the job exactly which is crazy and itself for people. Your hair, how you wear your hair, determines whether or not you can be an engineer or whether or not you can walk in the store safely. Exactly that's why this is a serious conversation. It'S a serious conversation, even the autopilot not too long ago, with Gabrielle Union and Yvette Nicole Brown talking about the Union and they're going into on sets and people are not there to style their. They don't. So they were just crazy. They were saying they walked into a movie set or TV set. Nolan can sit out there. No one could tell they're here and that you know happened to me for many many years in recent time. I walked into a place where no one could do my hair, but what I thought was so special, a stylist from New Jersey who happened to be white, came to me and said: can you call Johnny and have him teach me how to do your hair? Because I'm embarrassed that I've had my license for all these years and you walk in one of the bigger names in this building and I don't know how to do your hair and I thought that's how you do it. I don't know you ask exactly. Education is key, and you know with this industry is forever changing. You know, there's new trends. Every week, every month you always got to stay on your craft and textured hair is here to stay because we're not going to wear you
Comments
Tahtahme's Diary: Not just how we style our hair! How it literally grows out of our head bothers these people. They aren't just pissy about braids and locs, they also call fros, coils, twists etc. ALL unprofessional or ask us whats the occasion! The occasion is I was born a Black woman!
Marvellous M: "Because textured hair is here to stay and we're not going no where". Damn straight!!
Crystal O: Everyone keeps saying to hire black stylists. Did you all hear what he said? Even what the black stylists were taught was biased. How many of y’all have gone to black stylists who don’t even know what to do with your natural hair besides straighten it? ♀️ We still need to educate ourselves before educating others. I’m for spreading knowledge, but we seriously need the uplifting.
Ruby Tuesday: Tamron serving me life in that dress....oh those colours in that print dress......life !
darmedusa: A while back when I attended cosmetology school, the White mannequin styling heads were referred to as the "normal heads". The Black mannequin styling heads were referred to as "Black hair" as in, "O.k. class let's take out our Black hair"! I was one of two sistas in the class and each day was quite interesting, especially when it came to weird questions mainly FROM THE INSTRUCTOR about my locs.
Deborah Johnson: Our hair should never be tamed. Its rises up toward Heaven, what is more beautiful than that. I'm done!
Enid Clarke: I noticed that some people in the back ground didn't seem to agree with what was said regarding black people should be able to walk in any salon to get their hair done, their body language gave it away.
Nette Love: I see some white resistance in the audience, get over it, textured hair is equally as significant.
Chicago0048: The black actresses should bring their own hair stylists -- demand it!
Shelbi Morgan: I personally believe that when I wear my hair to job interviews they denied me because of my hair
Island Girl Ruby: This resonates with me so much. I remember once a salon cancel my appointment because the one girl who could do afro textured hair called in, smh.
Imani T Robinson: I had a black milady book when I was in beauty school over 20 + years. We need to hire more curly hair experts instead of begging someone that would rather pet your hair. Js
Kathy MahoneStreet: There are some black stylist that doesn’t know how to style natural hair as well because it was not taught in cosmetology school! I had to learn how to do my own natural hair by watching you tube videos.
The SalonCHAT: Love Tamron and Johnnie. Met him years ago in Chicago. He was a cosmetology student while I was getting my instructors license. He’s always been the real deal even when he first started in the industry. Glad to see their continued success in the hair and tv industries ❤️ and I’ve always loved me some Tamron Hall and her famous pixie!! ❤️
Sinndy Morr: I agree! Education is essential!! I am 48 yrs old. Very few stylists, I have come into contact with, have been educated with textured hair. Yes, I have felt bias because of my curls. Stylists have pressured me to straighten my hair with heat and products I know would damage my curls. The levels of bias I have felt are nothing compared to a person with a tighter curl pattern. Still, the bias is real.
Kate DUFIE: Tamaron looking good in that Africa print dresss❤️❤️❤️
EVANS: Nonblack people can go into any salon or barber shop. Black people would fare better going to black salons and barbers
CatEyedGoddess: Acceptance?! 3 Months ago I came to work with my natural hair blown out. Put it in a cute ponytail and the manager ( black women ) told me my hair was a mess and I looked like a black militant. Before this job I worked in a place that low key banned any type of non traditional hair style. I came into work one day with braids and had was grilled by all white managers about my hair. Every black women that worked there that didn't have a white type hair style was grilled, asked to remove the hairstyle ASPA, written up for unprofessional appearance, etc etc.
Lisa Bullock: Yes a good salon, and stylist, should be able to do any kind of hair, make and female xoxo
Kathy MahoneStreet: I took cosmetology in the 80’s so I know exactly what he is talking about!
Jasmine Dolcine: Everything they’ve said is on point!!
MisterClassic77: One more reason why we need to invest in our own brothers and sisters.
dani: Crazy! So glad my class taught us everything
R: Don’t encourage everyone to learn to do our hair. It will be just like when the major baseball leagues accepted players from the Negro leagues. Get my drift.
GeminiLotus♊️: I wonder who were the nine salty people that thumbed down this video??
Frederika27: Tell those style book authors 4c hair deserves to be shown and not ignored!
R: I’m not sure how I feel about them calling my hair “textured hair” what is that about?
Gail Jackson-Chapman: This is so right. I had that done to me. Not a good feeling
S. Boone: What gets me, back n day, whites wore bee hives.., but colors Afros were not accepted.
LaLa Land: ....Or you simply HIRE someone who knows how to do Afro textured hair. What kind of privilege is that, to be hired for a job you have ZERO skill for???
Maryanne Braxton you look fantastic.: I am a Caucasian woman. I did hair in my twenties. The only hair I wanted to do was black women's hair. I used the bumpers with the stove and I was a badass with a Pixie Girl.
Jo Ann Lewis: I had a white girl cut my hair while in boot camp - she did a hell of a bob cut.
Breezlee: Or how about hiring some black hair stylists who know how to do black hair. Gove them some of those prestigious Hollywood stylist jobs so they can make money. Don't teach them to take away from us like we always do.
Deron Reed: it took me a long time to like my hair....i love my hair now.
SG G: I live in Iceland since 97, when I had my son, I desperately needed a haircut, gye saloonist refused to touch my hair with her expensive "scissors" because of my nappy hair, hair issues here is a nightmare
Mrs. Stewart: Milady was originally written for the care and styling of "round celled hair". There was a chapter or 2 in the book about "flat celled hair" when I was in cosmetology school. The book literally called our, black women's, natural hair "overly curly" as to say we have more curls than what are normal. I'm glad that no matter what the book says or doesn't say, we are loving ourselves and our curls more and more as time goes by.
Chebo: The usual suspects don't look happy♀️♀️
doglover&sunshine25: Amen and hallelujah I agree with you.
Latoya Racquel: The white couple behind Tamron look so disinterested. But something that he said stood out to me “ black women are wearing their CURLS”- not all natural women are going to achieve or want to achieve curly natural hair. Even within the natural hair community there is this bias to curly hair vs coily. Got a long way to go.
Mercedes: Tamron missed the point. It seems to me the white stylist should have been motivated before now to learn and study black hair
M J: Why don’t Black veteran actresses, actors, models, etc. bring their own stylists? For example, JLo has been patronizing her own people since her very early days. Whether they were Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican you best believe they were Hispanic. Same goes for Gloria Estefan and many others. They don’t worry about teaching, showing, directing or guiding nonHispanics on how to be them!
Kathleen Harris: Amen!
M: I remember when I first went natural and I wanted a roller set. The hairdresser told me if you don’t have a perm you can’t get that hairstyle.
Listening ViaYouTube: Great topic
BRILLIANT DIVA: Love Bug: I beg your pardon. Maybe you’re at the wrong establishment. In the N S E W it’s been inclusive for 30 years.
mscardioqueen: Perfect!
Cecilie M: Now, what I am about to Tell you may shock you; but it is true! Madam C.J. Walker; who is Black, invented the Pressing comb in 1900! She was the first Black Millionaire! Cosmetology, is the largest Union in America! We are all Licensed family members! Black Hair is taught In Beauty College! Non Black stylist are afraide of the pressing comb and the stove; and the Relaxer; which is necessary to get their licensed! That is a State Board Requirement! The non Black stylist; who learned it in Beauty school, are the best! The only advice that I can give Black Stylist is, if another non black stylist isn't trained to do Black hair; the Licensed Hair Stylist should get Professionally trained to do Black Hair! They didn't want to learn it In Beauty College! When you give your craft to another stylist; who did not want to learn it in Beauty College, they will steal your clients! Haven't You given away enough? You give away your art and you will have no customers! In the industry, they pay stylist very well! Who, will get that $50,000.00 or more for doing hair on set or a Professional's hair? Also, Tamron, the stylist who wanted you to get Johnny to teach her how to do your hair, did not want to learn how to do Black hair, when she was in school! Andre, already had Oprah's hair! She did not want to miss that big money, not doing your hair! It's about the dollars and who is getting paid!
drema burney: MOST BLACK HAIR STYLIST ARE UNABLE TO DO TEXTURED HAIR. STILL DOING WEAVES AND BRAIDS AND PERMS.
R D: What I find so interesting is, we are so hated for EVERYTHING. From our hair to our hips to our butts to our breast to the color of our skin..... but meanwhile no one bats an eye at white people tanning or implants all over their bodies for what we have naturally. It’s embraced by both blacks and whites. That’s shameful and disgusting.
Pamela Taylor: If you go to there BEAUTY COLLEGE That OTHERS BUILT, and TOOK OUT LOANS then No NOBODY GONNA include COMPETITION
Introvertsan: This is true
DeShawn Hatcher: If you don't know, you shouldn't be taking the job.
TaD D: Johnny who is your barber? Or does he do his own hair
Jay the Thinker: It’s not just “black hair” it’s curly hair period. They mainly teach you to work on straight hair. So any girl with a curl pattern is enough to scare most stylist.
watchlighter: Is he STRAIGHT ?
Pamela Carter: OK, did anybody else notice the Orb flying around?
jolen smith: Click bait.shoot I thought that was arsenio hall at first
Kimberly Dill: She's cute with her hairstyle T Hall
Lenore Hamilton: LEARN SOMETHING, BOOS BECAUSE IT ADDS COINS!
Mystic Diamond: Not surprised
BRILLIANT DIVA: That’s not true. The Hair Salon Books have included Styles and Instructions for Textured Hair for 30 years. 30 years
Sacha6100: michelle obama wore her natural hair?
Ossie R: I was hired by white people in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s with my natural Afro in a white collar, professional position so some people don’t have issues with hair if you give a good interview. I’ve had most of my hair criticisms from Black people.
Zari: While I love her dress the set seems so odd to me. It's very 90's... Looking at the thumbnail you would think this is a dated talk show. Also, why is he sitting in a lone chair in the middle of the audience?
lasanders30: Textured hair is not black hair only. I have met many non black people with textured hair. There hair is kinky and curly.
Veronica Cross: If black ppl would stop complaining how hard it is 2 do our hair. Maybe other group of ppl would embrace it more. We downgrade our own community and then want others to embrace us.