KINKY HAIR! It's a GOOD THING!

[undergroundrailroad]

I don't care what DILLARD'S has to say. If I walk in their beauty salon, I expect them to wash and style MY KINKY HAIR!

Read on!: Dillard's says 'ethnic' hair harder to clean in response to discrimination suit

By Emanuella Grinberg
Court TV

Almost three years after Vaughan Thomas says she paid an inflated price at a Montgomery, Ala., hair salon simply for being black, lawyers for Dillard's beauty salons went to court Tuesday to defend the department store from allegations of what Thomas and others call "race-based pricing."

Thomas is one of eight black women suing the department store for racial discrimination after she allegedly was told that Dillard's beauty salons charge black customers more than whites because of the "kinky" nature of "ethnic" hair.

"Hair is hair regardless of what color you are, and the prices should be the same for everybody," Thomas told Courttv.com. "This is a practice that's still being done in the 21st century, and it should be stopped."

While lawyers for Dillard's deny that the retailer practices "race-based pricing," they claim that scientific evidence supports the theory that "ethnic" hair requires more effort to treat — and therefore should be subject to higher pricing.

[msgadget]

1. Hehehehehe...'...scientific evidence supports...'

PERFECT cartoon! :rofl: I'm sorry, Underground, that's funny! LOL! Identical services should be priced identically. I SERIOUSLY doubt sistas are stepping into Dillards asking for weaves, braids or complex club 'do's. Qanda quoted a great newspaper clip in her reply to those in the main forum who were discussing this. It's here:http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2248090&mesg_id=2251818

This 'scientic study' is...so...is stereotypical the word I'm looking for? It's very cringe-worthy.

...a study published in 2003 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, highlights the "highly brittle, tightly curled" texture of ethnic hair as a factor that prolongs the cleansing portion of the treatment.

The brief also refers to "lack of resiliency" and the frequent use of "intricate coiffures" and extensions as other factors that affect the complexity of drying and styling the hair of black customers.

"These factors would typically indicate that the pricing for the shampooing, conditioning and styling of the African-American client would normally be higher than that of the Caucasian client," Westman claims.

Edit for Qanda link.

[kitkatrose]

2. Feh. I hate stereotypes mascarading as science.

I SERIOUSLY doubt sistas are stepping into Dillards asking for weaves, braids or complex club 'do's.

So do I. I know I don't trust a predominantly white facility w/ anything beyond a shampoo, which I'm doing for myself.

The brief also refers to "lack of resiliency" and the frequent use of "intricate coiffures" and extensions as other factors that affect the complexity of drying and styling the hair of black customers.

Cuz white people never have extensions and brittle hair either, huh? :eyes: I'm in the process of growing out my perm (I've had it for 9 or so years) and my real hair is a lot stronger than my permed hair. Honestly, I wish white people would leave my hair to me, cuz they don't know what the hell they're talking about w/ those stupid comments about brittle and whatnot. Yeah some people's hair-regardless of their color-is naturally brittle. But guess what, most of it's damaged because of chemical usage and we aren't the only ones in that arena. Idiots. :fume:

[undergroundrailroad]

4. Hi Kitatrose!

I totally agree with you. The natural hair is stronger and beautiful! OVER processing is not good for the hair.

Thanks for the comments and have a great weekend!

Undergroundrailroad :hi:

[ismnotwasm]

5. We don't know what we're talking about

Unless we've actualy touched or combed unprocessed black hair.(I have-it's soft and beautiful to me)We make racist assumptions based on a racist premise. Without second thoughts evidently, without regard to the to the fact that maybe we actually DON'T know what we're talking about. (Not all whites, but far,far too many)

I read about this and it made me sick. 'Nuf out of me.

[kitkatrose]

6. I hope you don't mind me asking this--

I'm assuming you're white btw, so correct me if I'm wrong--but could you explain the fascination about touching black people's hair? Cuz I don't get it. :shrug:

'Nuf out of me.

Nope, always feel welcome to comment. :hi:

[undergroundrailroad]

3. LOL Ms. G! Wasn't that the perfect

cartoon! :rofl:


India Arie has a song out titled: "I Am Not My Hair". Here are the well said lyrics:

well if i wanna shave it closer or if i wanna rock the locks
that wont take a bit away from this soul that i got
little girl with the press and perm
age 8 i got a jerry curl
13 then i got a relaxer
i was the source of so much laughter
15 when it all broke down
18 when i went all natural
february 2002 i went out and did what i had to do
because it was time to change my life
to become the woman that i am inside
97 dreadlocks all gone
i looked in the mirror for the first time and saw that
hey i am not my hair, i am not this skin i am not your expectations
i am not my hair, i am not this skin i am the soul that lives within
good hair means curls and waves
bad hair means you look like a slave
at the turn of the century
it's time for us to redefine who we be
chillin out like a south african beauty
gotta own lock like bob marley
you can rock a straight like oprah winfrey
if its not whats on your head its whats underneath then say
hey i am not my hair, i am not this skin i am not your expectations
i am not my hair, i am not this skin i am the soul that lives within
is the way i wear my hair make me a better person
is the way i wear my hair make me a better friend
is the way i wear my hair determine my integrity
expressing my creativity
breast cancer and chemotherapy
took away her crowning glory
she promised god if she was to survive
she would enjoy every day of her life
on national television
her diamond eyes are sparkling
bowed head like a full moon shining
singing out to the whole wide world
hey i am not my hair, i am not this skin i am not your expectations
i am not my hair, i am not this skin i am the soul that lives within
hey i am not my hair, i am not this skin i am not your expectations
i am not my hair, i am not this skin i am the soul that lives within
well if i wanna shave it closer or if i wanna rock the locks
that wont take a bit away from this soul that i got
if i wanna wear it braided or down my back
i dont see nothing wrong with that

Have a great weekend Ms. G! :hi:

[jmm]

7. I "love" how I'm expected to pay more

for the honor of being somebody's guinea pig. Clearly any hairdresser that would charge more to do my hair based on my skin don't know enough about hair to get anywhere near it and at best would only be experimenting on me.


"Black hair" and "white hair" are not monolithic. My brother's hair is no more "ethnic" than Keanu Reeves's so I'd love to see the "scientific" evidence supporting charging him more than Art Garfunkel.

[undergroundrailroad]

8. Amen! J,

did you watch the VH1 program finale for FLAVOR OF LOVE?

Well, when Hoopz went to have her hair done for the BIG night (when Flav had to choose between her and NY), I LOVED her reaction when she saw the results of her hair style, of course done by a high-end, foo-fy, foo-fy shop that VH1selected ( :rofl: LOL!). Anyway, when Hoopz saw her weave she said (without missing a beat) "take me to the ghetto!" . An entire episode could have been created on her reaction and makes your post so real.

:hi:

[jmm]

10. I only saw the last few minutes

Now I really want to catch a repeated because that sounds too funny.

:hi:

[kwassa]

9. By this reasoning, men with pattern baldness should be charged less.

but ...... guess what?

I have pattern baldness and get charged exactly the same as a man with a full head of hair. Talk about rip-offs.

My wife, who is black, and myself, who is white, finally got fed up with haircutters altogether, and now we cut each other's hair. She actually cuts most of her hair herself, and I just do the back, though I have done the complete job a few times. She wears her hair in a natural style, and had much trouble finding black hairstylists who knew how to cut natural hair.

[undergroundrailroad]

11. I think that's great Kwassa! Indeed, you are correct about finding

hairstylist who know how to cut natural hair. As of late, I have backed off the chemicals myself. But when you think about it, the stylists who do the weaves, braids, designer relaxers and colors make the most money! I know several shops that don't even blink at excepting less then $500.00. The hair has to be real, the color has to be matched, etc. PLUS you have to maintain those styles. After a couple of weeks, you have to go back for a hair hook up (just to make sure everyone knows it's the real deal ;-) ).

Thanks for the post!

Undergroundrailroad :hi:

[bliss_eternal]

12. People like this are going to put themselves out of business

...it's just a matter of time.

Our world is becoming MORE multi-cultural and diverse, not less. Someone showing you the door or refusing you, merely makes someone else (even that person, if they see it as a business opportunity) rich.

The person that makes the effort to learn to work with the kinkiest of curls to the straightest of straight, will never lack clients, and I suspect earn some good karma points in the process. ;)

I visited a stylist in what is known to be a caucasian predominate area. Not only could she cut my hair, she did so willingly. She has a multiethnic clientele and is ridiculously busy, booked months in advance.