CNN iReport

Of course, hair matters!

I work in a very visible, professional office setting where I am representing my company and/or my division in public and throughout the Foundation. Before I say one word, people size me up visually. As an African-American I am also a minority in my division. Why is this important? It means that my presence already stands out. A distracting hair style may cause me to negatively stand out among my peers where I already stand out due to the color of my skin.

My current employer is very liberal compared to my previous employers in terms of allowing employees to express their individuality through choice in hair styles. I lean more towards the traditional, non-creative choice of hair styles.

It is better to blend in with the crowd for as much as you can then to stand out. It was one of my previous supervisors in my earlier years fresh out of college who pulled me aside and said that “we as women do not want to distract others with our appearance”. The point of her conversation was that the people may not hear you because of how you look.

As a goal oriented individual, I was not going to adversely affect my corporate climb by bucking the system and flaunting my individuality in their face. I can do that at home!

Karen Hills Brown

Internet Reporter/Virginia