As I’m sure any person who’s had to undergo a job interview, or even a school presentation, is well aware there are certain obvious ‘do’s and don’ts’ concerning how you present yourself. Now, some of these make sense, for example: don’t complain about your last job/specific coworkers, don’t overshare, and don’t be rude. Others however, have no business being ‘requirements’ because they’re not rooted in anything relevant––whether you’re trying for a job at a Fortune 500 company or a part-time job in the summer. A lot of these things; being ‘properly dressed and well groomed’ and ‘speaking professionally’ are rooted in racism, classism, and are outdated.
First and most importantly, there is the issue of hair. I am not a Black person, but I have seen many of my friends struggle with explaining––and even defending––their natural or protective hairstyles. Just like how my hair grows out of my head, that’s how it grows out of theirs. Even if it isn’t, that has nothing to do with their ability to do their jobs. Racist and discriminatory hair policies imply that any style that conforms to a white standard is above any other style.
I have dyed pink hair, and have been known to do all the colors of the rainbow. Even at interviews for a part-time job at a restaurant (which again, doesn’t matter because there is no job that is ‘better’ than the other), I was told I had to dye my hair back to my natural color. I had no idea why this mattered, and at one of those interviews I was told I could keep my color if I worked in the back where no customers could see me. My hair color has nothing to do with my ability to perform a job, nor how well I interviewed. Prejudice rooted in counter culture makes the assumption that I like alternative or rebellious things and will behave accordingly, which isn’t the case.
Along those lines of course, is tattoos. Just recently I have started seeing more leniency regarding tattoos. In the past, having no tattoos was the norm. Then, things shifted to allow them to be covered by clothing. The prejudice here is again rooted in the idea that people with tattoos are somehow criminal. Like the popular meme says: “If anything, tattoos show that I can sit under a needle for hours, which is kind of what office meetings are like.”
Even things like being well-groomed and having clean professional clothes that fit are only available for those with access to those things, excluding a large group of people who badly need the jobs.
I wanted to end this article with code switching, as it is also another professionalism facet that I think needs to be abolished. As an Asian-American girl whose first language is English, it is shocking the number of times people (administrators at school, professional people, strangers, etc.) have told me how well I speak English. AKA, I sound white and don’t speak with an accent. Not only does this invalidate the fact that many people who do speak English with an accent happen to know at least twice as many words as an English-speaking person does, but it also centers whiteness as default and dominant. People who use AAVE have to switch to using ‘proper’ English and risk sounding ‘white.’
It is institutions like this that keep systemic racism in check. Do I believe any structural change will happen any time soon? No, but I believe awareness and introspection of why we believe in professionalism is a good first step in combating it. No longer should we just blindly accept that certain things are professional or not. My hair or even the way I talk does not have anything to do with my work ethic, qualifications, or my potential to a company. Don’t turn away the best possible person because you judged them for their appearance.