Curly, frizzy, kinky : from too much to not enough

Curly, frizzy, kinky : from too much to not enough

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© Kézia Poudou

Deemed too unkempt, not professional enough, too flashy or not clean enough... Curly, frizzy or kinky hair is still struggling to gain full acceptance in French society.

In 2005, a French airline steward was dismissed because of his hairstyle: he wore braids. This was permitted for women, but not for men.In November 2022, the Court of Cassation ruled in favour of the steward for the sake of gender equality rather than discrimination. Liot MP Olivier Sevra wants to close this legal loophole. The Guadeloupean MP is preparing to table a bill to combat discrimination in hair colour, length, texture and baldness.

Discrimination is currently punishable by law in France. Discrimination occurs when a person or group of people are treated differently on the basis of variable criterions, including physical characteristics. But this is not enough for Olivier Sevra, who « considers that the law needs to be clarified », he reports in an interview with Ouest-France. A similar law already exists in the United States: The Crown Act. Passed in 2019, this law prohibits, in certain states, denial of access to employment or school on the grounds of hair texture or protective hairstyles, such as braids. In the United States, two out of three black women change their hairdresser for a job interview, according to a study published by Dove and Linkedin in 2023, and 41% of them switch from curly to straight hair. Ethnic studies are prohibited in France. So there are no figures on this subject. However, numerous testimonials tend to confirm the existence of discrimination against CFB hair. Throughout this web documentary, French women share their doubts, their moments of embarrassment and the questions they have asked themselves in four different places, that have marked their relationship with their hair: work, school, the street and the hairdresser.

ON THE STREET

AT THE HAIRDRESSER'S

AT WORK

AT SCHOOL

DANS LA RUE

THE TEXTURED HAIR ARMY

Crédits :

REMERCIEMENTS :

Podcast : Sons additionnels : Joseph SARDIN LaSonotheque.org (CC0 1.0) DavidGreck (CC0 1.0)

A big thank you to all the speakers who agreed to share their experience and knowledge with me and who gave me their time. To my mentor Michaëlle Gagnet for her availability, her invaluable advice and her kindness. I would also like to thank the ISJT and all its teachers for their support throughout this project. Finally, I would like to thank all my colleagues who lent their voices to the English version of this web documentary: Anna Autin, Inès Desnot, Erika Dodo, Shaï Pauset, Chloé Le Meur, Charlotte Benatti, Fanny Sauveplane, Charlotte Hernandez and Lilia Ouzzane.

Curly and frizzy hair: an obstacle to recruitment?

Motivation, ability to listen, skills: many factors are assessed during job interviews. While these have an impact on the quality of the work, other more superficial and discriminatory requirements can also come into play, such as hair texture. Marion and Valérie tell us about their worst job interview.

Valérie

Marion

The root of hair discrimination

© Pierre Boilley

Deemed « unprofessional » or « neglected », curly, but especially frizzy and kinky hair can be the object of discrimination. For historians Pierre Boilley and Nicolas Bancel, and sociologist Juliette Sméralda, the heart of the problem goes much deeper than mere aesthetics. « I don't think curly or frizzy hair on a dominant white male poses much of a problem. On the other hand, slightly straight hair on someone with black skin is something else, » confides historian Pierre Boilley, a specialist in contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. There are many accounts of women in the workplace who have received remarks about their hair. But what if the problem wasn't their hair, but what it reflected? That's according to the professor at Paris-1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. In his view, the problem isn't hair, but race. « In France, white is dominant. The French population is made up of whites, blacks and people in between, such as North Africans, but you can feel that there's a hierarchy. This is clearly

seen in all forms of discrimination, from hiring to housing. We're not out of the woods yet, » he laments. The historian is convinced that, consciously , but above all, unconsciously, whites peoples feel superior and black people inferior. To understand the origins of this inferiorization

of black people, we need to go back to the roots of racism. A means of justifying the slave trade « It's all based on the beginning of the slave trade. We had to manage to inferiorize people who had been considered as saleable, exchangeable and transportable objects, otherwise it posed a moral problem, » recounts Pierre Boilley. According to the historian, part of this justification can be found in the Bible, in the myth of Ham.

According to historian Nicolas Bancel, a specialist in French colonial and post-colonial history, the creation of these works marked a further step in the separation of black and white men. In encyclopedias dating from the end of the 18th century, naturalists Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon and Carl von Linné listed 5 and 4 different races respectively. « In these two encyclopedias, the black race is characterized by its inferiority in relation to the white race, » he explains. Among its faults, are laziness and unintelligence. « There's a link made between « racial » qualities and a physiological description. It's as if physiology determines these qualities, » he adds.

Following the flood, Noah planted vines with his sons. Wishing to taste his wine, he fell asleep drunk in his tent. Cham, his son, enters the tent and sees his father in a state that does him little credit. The next day, Noah learns of this, and decides to curse not Ham, but Ham’s son Canaan. Although there is no mention of their skin color, this passage from the Bible has been used to try and justify slavery. « There was a whole incredible construction that was put in place in the 15th, 16th century around this Chamite theory. It said that, by default, God had condemned black people to be the slaves of others. It was therefore justified to take them into slavery and use them as slave labor, » continues the historian. Little by little, this construct entered people's heads and supported the existence of race. Whites were superior, black people inferior. Measuring the « racial » characteristics of bodies Added to this were the great encyclopedias which, at the end of the 18th century, established racial categorizations for the first time. These were used to classify everything from the living to the inanimate. In the case of human beings, they were designated as the « human species » and then separated into races.

© Nicolas Bancel

The black race: between man and animal Then, in the mid-19th century, racial anthropology appeared, along with anthropometry. This consisted in measuring the « racial » characteristics of bodies and making a general description.

The representation of blackness in writing «From the mid-19th century onwards, colonization developed, and with it the progression of colonial conquests from 1850 onwards, if we exclude Algeria, which is a rather special case. A whole series of representations spread across a growing number of media: major daily newspapers, illustrated journals, magazines specializing in travel and exploration, all displaying images of the populations to be conquered or to be conquered in the future. So what should we show? Obviously, the savagery of these populations, representations that will legitimize colonization. Colonizers and explorers were portrayed as heroes in the face of populations considered savage, cruel, barbaric and with strange habits » he develops.

The question of continuity between Man and large anthropoids such as the gorilla was highlighted by Darwin in his first book in 1851. This closeness to the animal was also to be appreciated by a descriptive device of the Black Man's physique. The more advanced the jaw and the narrower the forehead are, the closer to the animal it is, according to the scientists of the time, since this would be a sign of unintelligence. « It also refers to the impulsive nature of African populations, in terms of both food and sex, » explains Nicolas Bancel. The popular representations that the French have of Black Men are therefore linked to the representation that scholars have of them.

The historian immediately evokes the example of the Hottentot Venus, whose real name was Saartjie Baartman. Originally from South Africa, she was imported to Europe to be exhibited. Her bodily particularities fascinated: her steatopygia, very large buttocks, her macronymphia, oversized genitalia, the shape of her skull and her hair. « The scientists who examined her during her lifetime or after her death made frequent comparisons with the great apes, particularly the orangutan. The black race could then be considered a frontier race, with one foot in humanity and one in animality, » explains the professor at the University of Lausanne.

« Frizzy hair is one of the markers of racial inferiority » According to the two historians, hair is not the real problem, but rather a physical characteristic that enters into racial categorization. Black skin, frizzy hair, a hooked nose, large lips: the more you have these physical characteristics, the closer you are to the Black Man. As Nicolas Bancel explains: « For scholars studying the ’Negro race', kinky hair is one of the markers of racial inferiority, because it refers specifically to African populations bearing this stigma. » « What's more, today the African continent, which has achieved a great deal but also suffers from wars, rebellions and epidemics, is still considered to be the continent of all miseries, the responsibility for which is essentially placed on Africans, » adds Pierre Boilley. As a result of these clichés, Africans are seen as less intelligent, lazy and unpredictable. These preconceptions are accentuated by each of the physical attributes associated with them. « If you go to a job interview and you're a black person, that can already be a problem. If you also show off an Afro hairstyle, it reinforces the stigma.

Whereas if you have your hair straightened with a 'normal' hairstyle, you'll be more easily accepted, » illustrates Pierre Boilley. A selection on the job market? Behind this discrimination, sociologist Juliette Sméralda sees selection on the job market. « It's where we display our social etiquette, where we feel like grown-ups, » she explains. According to Juliette Sméralda, there is an instrumentalization of the black body with the aim of denying it in certain jobs. But that's not all. There's also the satisfaction of a prejudice that lies at the root of the colonial powers' relationship with the colonized. « In other words, blacks are sub-beings and we white men, who are civilized, bring them civilization. Since they don't know anything, we're going to do things for them. As you can see in the colonies, all the administrative staff are white. If it were only in Martinique, we could call it an accident. But if it's the case in Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Reunion Island, it's a deliberate policy, » says Juliette Sméralda.

What if it was the hair that was bothering you?

« You also have to realise that white people have a problem with hair. While they treat black people like monkeys in physiological terms, white people are the hairiest people on the planet. In other words, they have the most hair everywhere. So they've developed hair-removal techniques with all kinds of creams and devices to get people to straighten their hair and remove it everywhere. There's also the question of the hairdresser, who you have to go to every month. These are all practices that white people have invented because they have a problem with hair. So when they see black people's hair, it makes them look shaggy. »

Juliette Sméralda, sociologist

"Tahiti Bob", "poodle": School and the birth of a physical complex

Secondary and primary education play an important role in students' lives. They attend school 5 days out of 7, and spend more than 26 hours a week in class. It's not just knowledge and skills that are passed on. It was there that Marion and Kiriel saw the birth of what was their greatest complex: their hair.

Kiriel

Marion

« This can lead to the other person being perceived as a danger »

INTERVIEW Nicolas Desforges, psychologue et psychothérapeute, who evokes the consequences of humiliating nicknames on children's mental health.

When you're a child and you're the target of repeated nicknames such as "Tahiti Bob", "Bob Marley" or "poodle", what can this do to you? Depending on the child, their entourage, their development, their resources and his social environment, the impact will not necessarily be the same. On the whole, these situations of mockery and rejection can make a child more fragile. In the short term, this can have an impact on the child's desire to go to school, as it can affect his or her self-esteem and sense of security and tranquillity in the school environment. As far as the psychological consequences are concerned, they are more likely to focus on self-esteem, self-confidence and trust in others. There are also long-term consequences, such as avoiding relationships. In more extreme cases, it can lead to perceiving the other person as a danger or someone who can do harm. I have patients who were bullied at school as children, and they may experience relationships with others as complicated, with the risk of being judged and mocked. If these elements were experienced in the past and have not been worked on throughout their lives, his situation is exacerbated. As adults, they may feel that the other person is a danger in the same way they did when they were 15, 10 or 8.

© Kézia Poudou

How can we protect ourselves from these remarks? There isn't necessarily a miracle solution. The first thing to do is to try to understand what resources the student can rely on. It could be his or her own resources of confidence, assertiveness and repartee. It can also be through referral to people, inside or outside the school, on whom he or she can really rely. Needless to say , I recommend seeking professional help to get out of a harassment situation and find solutions. Seeing a professional can also help protect you from long-term consequences. By having support, a free space where they can understand and express their feelings, can help them realize that what they are going through is not their fault, that they don’t deserve it, and that they have not done anything wrong. This could avoid any a negative impact on their development. Ideally, from a psychological point of view, the child should be able to cope on their own, as they learn to stand up for himself and assert himself. Furthermore this can nourish and build their confidence. This is not always possible for the child, so unfortunately it's not always the case.

When hairstyling rhymes with torture

Selma and Lisa Lou have both had bad experiences with hairdressers, refusing to style BFC hair and using inappropriate styling techniques. Since then, they've shunned hairdressing salons.

Valérie

Lisa Lou

Selma

BFC hair banned from « classic » hairdressing salons?

Many women with curly, frizzy or kinky hair are disappointed with so-called "traditional hairdressers", and thus cut their own hair or have turned to salons that specialise in curls. The reason for this dissatisfaction may lie in the training given to future hairdressers.

Microaggressions in the street

Derogatory remarks, scornful gaze or humiliating actions - the street is not always kind. Difference often provokes a lot of stares and microaggressions, as Selma and Mamiky have testified.

WHAT IS A MICRO-AGGRESSION? Attitudes or comments that appear banal, that reflect stereotypes towards a community and that are perceived as hurtful by certain members of that community.

Mamiky

« It's not a harmless or isolated gesture »

© Juliette Sméralda

Like Selma, many women with curly , frizzy or kinky hair have had their hair touched in the street by strangers. While some people really not care, others may experience it as an act of aggression. Juliette Sméralda, PhD in sociology and author of "Peau noire, cheveu crépu : L''histoire d'une aliénation", believes that this gesture is neither insignificant nor isolated.

When she hears Selma's account of the day a stranger touched her hair in the street, Juliette Sméralda is not surprised. For her, this gesture is neither insignificant nor isolated. « The frequency with which it happens shows that it's not an individual phenomenon. It's repetitive and that means it's civilizational. What's going to lead us to explain this rationally and not anecdotally is precisely the fact that it's always the same population that's doing it. It's very rarely Asians, it's white people. It's linked to the collective unconscious, » she explains. « Ce n'est pas un phénomène individuel » In this unconscious, the black man is, according to her, a curious beast for the white man, and his body is not respected. « Black people are not considered to have noble feelings, such as modesty, » adds Juliette Sméralda. In her opinion, this could explain the freedom of gesture that some people allow themselves.In fact, she compares the act of touching the hair of a person with BFC hair to taming an animal. .

« We've been brought up to respect the body of the dominant. This means that we're not allowed to touch or paw it as we wish. What's more, we've been taught to find all the qualities in the white body and to consider it as the body of reference » introduces Juliette Sméralda. This sociologist and author specialized in the condition of Afrodescendants in the Caribbean, the psychological after-effects of the transatlantic slave trade, and the links between Africa and its diaspora.

« There are too many differences, so we're going to overcome our fear, because this difference is frightening. So we're going to touch the other person's body, domesticate it, make it proximal as we would with a dog,» she explains before concluding, "there's a real problem behind these practices ». A global village But for the sociologist, the reason is not solely racial. Reading Sir Alan Burns's « The Prejudice of Race and Color », Juliette Sméralda began looking for an explanation based on ethnic and ethno-cultural differences. « There are things people don't like about each other, but these are not things we are taught to deal with in intercultural relations. We learn to say hello, to cuddle, to brush up against each other, to do things that are ridiculous, » says Juliette Sméralda. She explains that, in the absence of real intercultural relations courses to explain and put into words what we don't like about each other, whether it's smells, colors or hair textures, it's normal for there to be a certain difficulty in living together. « More we are in this village, the more we rub up against each other »« We say we’re a global village. The problem is that the more we are in this village, the more we rub up against each other and have to live with this form of contact, proximity and sometimes promiscuity on a daily basis, » she explains. The sociologist points out that this rejection of race exists among all people. A black person might find white skin unsensual and sallow, just as a white person might find frizzy hair unattractive. According to her, the difference between these two examples is power. « Once you don't like certain things, certain people, and you're in a dominant position, you become a little tyrant. The white man had time in his position of power to say that his color was the most beautiful,» explains the sociologist.

After the rain, the rain weather?

While people with curly, frizzy or kinky hair still feel that they are different, the increase in their representation in society is tending to reduce this feeling. Whether on social networks or within associations, the involvement of some people is gradually changing attitudes.. Paris, Champs-Élysées, January 2023, a woman passes by with her Afro hairstyle, proud and self-assured. Above her head, a billboard advertising « Les secrets de Lolly », a brand of hair care products specializing in curly, frizzy and kinky hair, also known as BFC, adorns a building on the « most beautiful avenue in the world ». Not far away, a Crédit Mutuel advert airs on TV, in which the little boy with curly hair spends time with his grandfather.

More and more, BFC hair is taking its place in the public space, whether on TV or in the street, under the impetus of little hands who, little by little, are helping to change mentalities.

« Doctor of the curl » « They call me doctor of the curl, and I really like that nickname, because it means I've cured them » confides Kenza. This 25-year-old influencer floods her Instagram wall with a wide variety of hair tips. Blending humor and information, this content isn't just about aesthetics. According to her, talking about hair is anything but superficial: « It's much deeper. It's about the construction of oneself, one's identity and one's origins » she defends. The Parisian has been creating content on social networks for over five years now, and over the past year she has taken a more militant approach. When she started out, she simply shared feedback on products or the benefits of a homemade mask.

Kenza Ben kenadil

© Kenza Ben kenadil

Although the young woman continues to make videos of this kind, she now wears a new hat, which she proudly assumes on her Instagram biography: « activist against hair discrimination ». Raising awareness and giving visibility Kenza raises awareness among her nearly 130 thousand followers of the inequalities suffered by people with curly, frizzy and kinky hair. By raising awareness and giving visibility to all, this virtual space plays, according to her, an enormous role in self-acceptance. « If social networks would not exist, where would we go to find information about this hair? Do we see it in supermarkets? No. Do we get it at the hairdresser's? No, or very rarely. On TV? No more, says the activist, before continuing, representation is important in a society if we want to feel good » However, she acknowledges that society is changing. More and more women with BFC hair are proudly wearing their hair and educating the curious about its upkeep, something the young woman, had difficulty finding when she was younger.

« I lacked that knowledge, I had to look elsewhere for information, which is why I followed a lot of American influencers, » she confides. A demand for proximity Although social networks are the main source of information on the subject, they are not the only one. Olivia is part of an

association at Science Po Paris aimed at promoting BFC hair. Between conferences, interventions at fairs and festivals, this association aims to stand by the side of applicants. « It can be complicated to talk to influencers who have a high profile. The advantage of associations is that they're more accessible, so we can answer questions more easily, » observes the thirty-something year old woman.

© Sofie Melin

Olivia Noré

Victor Dordonne

© Victor Dordonne

« That's not going to change anything for those with curly or frizzy hair » A problem that Victor, hairstylist and influencer, also points out: « Almost all the influencers we see today are curly, »

Once a month, Sciences Curls organizes « workshops » in the Paris region. Olive oil, castor oil and all sorts of natural ingredients are made available for a rather special cooking class: « There are a lot of people who are confused about how to look after their hair. During these workshops, we're going to teach them simple home-care recipes that they can reproduce at home », explains Olivia. The participants could have found these recipes in just a few clicks on the Internet. But for Olivia, there's no substitute for the opportunity to exchange ideas and ask questions. « Sometimes you can try a tutorial and then realize that it doesn't work, because the person doing it doesn't necessarily have the same hair texture as you », she illustrates. A hierarchy within BFC hair? While information about curly hair is growing on social networks, they are still neglected. Such is the difference that Olivia senses a hierarchy within curls. « There can be a certain discrimination between those with 3A curls' type, so curly, and those with 4C frizzy hair's type. I really hope that in time there will be room for everyone, » she hopes.

grumbles the man from Bordeaux, before continuing, « There have been a lot of influencers around curly hair, but that's not going to change anything for those with curly or frizzy hair. It doesn't help them understand how to take care of their hair type, » he declares. For him, the real issue in the acceptance of curly and frizzy hair lies in the hairdresser's salon. « What's going to make a difference is having real hairdressers, real professionals who bring their expertise to bear on the well-being of hair, » concludes Victor.