Professional, neat, groomed, elegant, put-together, official, dignified. Unprofessional, messy, dirty, undone, ghetto, ratchet, ugly. Think of what hairstyles and patterns come to mind when you hear the first group of words, and what comes to mind when you hear the second. There are both implicit and explicit biases associated with how non-Black people perceive Black hair. Sometimes, these biases even come from within our own community. The first step to breaking them down is acknowledging their prevalence.
For many of us, hair discrimination starts early, before we can even understand the meaning or reason for the discomfort that we feel. A shared experience among many Black girls and women is being petted like dogs by teachers, friends, or even strangers, some of whom give the illusion of respect by first asking, “Can I touch your hair?” For others, it’s the rhetoric used when their hair is described, such as “poofy, fluffy, exotic, crazy, wild” or comparisons of our hair to animals, like a lion’s mane, or the coat of poodles. In both instances, Black people are dehumanized, embarrassed, and disrespected.
The “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair” (C.R.O.W.N.) Act is a campaign created in 2019, intended to protect people of color from discrimination in professional and academic settings based on hairstyle or hair texture. While many studies have examined how racialized names are discriminated against on job applications, hair is yet another marker of race that people unjustly use to judge the intelligence and competence of predominantly Black people. Men and women fall victim to hair-based discrimination. Partnering with Dove and LinkedIn, the C.R.O.W.N. Act campaign found that Black women with curlier hair patterns are two times more likely to experience microaggressions in the workplace than Black women with straighter hair, and over 20% of Black women have experienced being sent home from work because of their hairstyle. These statistics attest even further to how, in addition to racial identity, hair in particular plays a significant role in respectability politics. This legislation not only protects Black students and professionals from discrimination but also establishes a baseline of belonging and combats the concept that hairstyle is representative of one’s intellectual or professional capacity.
While The C.R.O.W.N. Act is a great step in eliminating the discrimination that Black people face regarding their hair, it is only as powerful as people are willing to act in accordance with it. It does well at preventing explicit discrimination by banning employers from using hair as a reason to not hire someone or to send them home. However, there is more work to be done on the individual and interpersonal level to break down implicit biases and eliminate them as a reason that people may face trouble in professional spaces. Furthermore, as of 2026, only 27 states have signed The C.R.O.W.N. Act into law. For progress to continue, The C.R.O.W.N. Act must be signed into law and acted upon in all 50 states. Additionally, while The C.R.O.W.N. Act works to dismantle the systems and practices upholding hair-based discrimination, individuals must do the work to break down their own biases in order to truly advance in the fight against discrimination.
Within Black communities, there have been divisive conversations over what qualities make “good hair” vs what makes “bad hair,” a conversation that is closely tied to colorism, sexism, heteronormativity, classism, and internalized racism. Those determining whether hair is “good” or “bad” ascribe “goodness” to proximity to straightness/looseness of curls, length, and even color, with long, loose hair being “good”, while tightly coiled shorter hair is deemed “bad.” This rhetoric only further contributes to the idea that features that are closer in proximity to European traits are better than those of African descent, a centuries-long idea that is still upheld. When young Black children, and most often Black girls, hear their hair described using “bad” or “good,” it not only impacts their confidence but also the attitude they carry toward doing their hair. Ultimately, hair is a feature that is meant to be experimented with in whatever way yields the most confidence for the beholder. If, from a young age, Black girls are taught that their natural hair is bad, unmanageable, and wild, the attitude they have towards doing their hair often becomes negative, and they believe their hair to be a burden, a problem to be solved.
There are constant reminders, whether it be through experience or social media, that people still believe they’re entitled to comment on the hair of Black people. While the C.R.O.W.N. Act provides legal protection from discrimination in office and school spaces, Black people are continually policed outside of those contexts regarding hair. A recent example of a Black woman who faced criticism for wearing her natural hair is Coco Gauff, one of the most skilled tennis players in the world, at just 22 years old. Gauff was shown in a Miu Miu photoshoot wearing her natural hair in a ponytail, showcasing her coils without slicking them down. Many criticized her hair, saying it looked “undone,” “messy,” or “unprofessional.” In a TikTok video responding to the backlash she faced after the photoshoot, Gauff explained that the concept for the photoshoot was an everyday look, leading her to do her everyday hair and makeup. “I’m not gonna apologize for the way that my hair looked because there are other girls who have the exact same hair as me and I just wanted them to feel represented that your hair is literally fine the way it is. My hair was good enough for a high fashion brand like Miu Miu to promote one of their newest launches. So if my 4c hair is good enough for that, yours is good enough for you to do whatever you want to do.” She continues by emphasizing that however you want to wear your hair, natural or not, is perfectly fine and up to your own discretion, “If you want to straighten your hair, permanently straighten your hair, perm your hair. If you want to wear your hair Afro, wear your hair afro. If you want to wear braids, wear braids. If you want to wear cornrows, wear cornrows. If you want to slick back your hair to the Gods, slick it back; if you don’t and you just wanna put it in a bun, put it in the bun.” In encouraging Black people, and specifically, Black girls, to wear their hair whatever way they like it, Gauff exemplifies the message of The C.R.O.W.N. Act, which is to have complete freedom over your hairstyle, without interruption from others.
Another phenomenon that Black people often fall victim to is the over-politicization of Black hair. While many aspects of Black identity have been politicized, Black people should also be allowed to exist and thrive in spaces without being a topic of politics. Many of the hairstyles that Black people continue to wear do have historical significance and connections to efforts of resistance and powerful social movements. However, Black hair is not inherently political. Just as any other features on Black bodies are not political objects for debate, Black hair also does not exist as a topic for non-Black people and communities to weigh in on. It is an aspect of identity and a method of personal expression. Black beauty can exist without being tied to a political message or an act of protest, just as other races use aspects of their appearance to express themselves both in and out of cultural contexts.
Just as Brown v The Board of Education ruled that schools couldn’t discriminate against students on the basis of race, The C.R.O.W.N. Act makes an important step toward eliminating racial discrimination. However, the progress cannot end there. Government action is significant, but individuals also must work to break down their own biases, and ensure that they are practicing the missions of The C.R.O.W.N. Act in their interpersonal and professional relationships.
