“I Don’t Do Your Kind Of Hair" White Stylist Refuses To Do African Ame

I first saw this story on yesterday, and certainly it is a controversial topic since race is sort of the center of discussion here.

Before I lay into the meat of the matter, let me tell you what happened. An African American college professor, Dr. Lisa Thompson went to TGF salon in Houston Texas and wanted to get her hair done by her regular stylist.

She was told that her regular stylist no longer worked there so she asked a white stylist who we just know as Joanna if she could do her hair. For some, this would seem a bit strange, because if your stylist isn’t there, typically you wouldn’t take the chance with someone else. On the other hand you go to a salon which is part of a branded chain you kind of expect that everyone will have the same skill set right? Maybe not!

The white stylist told Dr. Lisa that she could not do her hair, because she doesn’t ‘do African American hair’. The way the story came across was that the white stylist admitted over and over that she could not do African American hair because she did not have that skill, she said she had a black friend and every time she did her hair, she always messed it up.

Here’s the thing, here we have a salon clearly branded in a way that you would believe that all stylists would have the same skill set. They should be qualified enough to do all types of hair, including natural African American, textured hair.

If this were not true then the company is at fault in advertising as such. Of course they knew were wrong because they since then issued an apology to Dr Lisa Thompson with the following statement:

“We apologize to Dr. Thompson for her experience in our salon. At TGF, we are committed to creating a welcoming environment for all of our guests. We will provide additional training for our staff at this location and hope that she will consider giving us another opportunity, which will be complimentary.”

The other thing to consider is that the same refusal could very well have come from a black stylist who like the white stylist may not have the skill set to do natural hair.

You and I know that there are black stylists out there who still are not qualified to do natural hair and who definitely need training in that area. Why would I take the risk to have my hair done by them only to be disappointed? If that had happened the conversation today would be completely different.

The question is, is this an issue of blatant racism?

I am going to go out on a limb and say it isn’t blatant and there is no way to prove that it is racist. I think the issue of race became relevant simply because the stylist is white, plain and simple.

She would have to be crazy to just be blatantly admit that she does not do African American hair because she has some adverse hatred towards black people. Lets go back to how we define racism and see if it can some how be applied.

Racism is the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.

That is much different from openly admitting your short comings with regards to you hair care abilities. According to Dr. Lisa all she wanted was a wash, conditioner and blow dry and the way the stylist was addressing her is what made her give the stylist the side eye in the first place.

When you watch the video you will see Joanna’s attitude towards her potential client, it was pretty unprofessional albeit honest which puts her in a bad light.

The issue isn’t racism, the issue is this perception that African American textured hair is some weird humongous task that a typical everyday stylist would not want to be responsible for.

The thought that our hair is so different that it would cause fear for a stylist, despite the color of their skin and how they feel personally towards another race, is the better contention.

We have to stop throwing race around when dealing with every issue that involves a person who is not African American, because first of all you have to be very sure about what you are saying when making that accusation. Second of all race is just a distraction to the bigger conversation of education with regards to textured hair and the need for our stylists to get educated and figure this out.

I don’t know about you but whether she had an attitude or not, if my stylist isn’t there to do my hair, I would just hold on to the money and take my behind home. Even though this is a chain, hair care is still a personal thing. We want to trust the stylist who is working with our hair and the stylist needs to be confident about what she is doing before coming near my head.

Watch the video and weigh in below, racism or just lack of education?

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