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Using a social-identity based impression management framework, the authors explored the influence of Eurocentric preferences on the hairstyle choices of Black female executives. Two studies were conducted examining hairstyle choices. Results suggest that Eurocentric preferences, stereotypes, and bias seem to have a significant influence on the hairstyle choices of Black women working their way up the corporate ladder and less of an influence on Black female entreprenetcrs. Implications for practice are provided as well as directions for further research.

Good hair means curls and waves (no)

Bad hair means you look like a slave (no) ...

Hey (hey)

I am not my hair

I am not this skin

I am not your expectations, no (hey)

I am not my hair

I am not this skin

I am the soul that lives within

-Lyrics to "I am not my hair" by India Arie (2005)

INTRODUCTION

The role of hair in the workplace, particularly African American hair, has received a great deal of recent attention among both academics (Awad, Norwood, Taylor, Martinez, McClain, Jones, Holman, & Chapman-Hilliard, 2015; Ellis-Hervey, Doss, Davis, Nicks & Araiza, 2016; Hudson, Hunter & Rogers, 2017; Opie & Phillips, 2015; Randle, 2015) and the popular press (Byrd & Tharps, 2014; Gordon, 2013; MacFarlane, Tropp & Goff, 9017; Perkins, 2016). African American hair styles in the workplace have also been the subject of legal battles (Bennett-Alexander & Harrison, 2016; Greene, 2017; Hazen & Syrdahl, 2010; Macon, 2015; Rosette & Dumas, 2007). Below we describe the historical and political background of hair styles among African American women, the costs of altering hair texture, perceptions of Afrocentric hairstyles in the workplace, and the treatment of Afrocentric hairstyles in the courts. We then apply a social-identity based impression management framework (Roberts, 2005) to predict the hairstyle choices of Black female executives. For the purpose of this study, Eurocentric hairstyles, with reference to Black women, are defined as those that require straightening hair (either chemically or thermally) or otherwise altering hair in texture and/or length to give it a more Caucasian or Eurocentric appearance. Afrocentric styles include afros, braids, twists, dreadlocks and other styles that allow the natural texture to remain unchanged.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Historically, Black women's hair choices have been largely influenced by societal pressures to...

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