Grown men with braids

**empowered** · 10-15-2010, 03:35 PM

I's true, black men with long hair that's not in locs are judged greatly. They are viewed as immature and the "first appearance" rule make it hard for them to obtain a decent job. I prefer short cuts. What about white men with ear length hair with corporate jobs? Does anyone know if they are viewed any different?

**rjohns** · 10-15-2010, 04:20 PM

previously, i have been partial to a short hair cut on men which may stem from my military influenced upbringing. it wasn't that i had a problem with black men, in particular, having braids or cornrows, it was men having long hair period.

in the office settings i have worked in, i have never seen a white man with a ponytail or long shag haircut (not saying there aren't, just that i haven't worked with any). on the otherhand, i have started to see black men with locs that are usually pulled back. so i don't know if in the orginal article, the author has negative feelings about men with long hair period. or if it's the cornrows or braids she particulary dislikes. in the business world, it may be a bias to long hair on men as a whole.

on another note, i have started getting approached by men with long hair a lot more lately (primarily locs) which may be due to having gone natural myself, and i'm a little more attracted and open than i was previously to hair other than the short cut. we sometimes have that instant conversation started about the hair thing.

**canmechelle** · 10-15-2010, 04:36 PM

I personally dont like long hair on men of any race. I know this thread is geared towards OUR men and the way that they can be discriminated against b/c of it. I think that locs are more accepted form in the corporate world for men but only after they have matured. Outside of professional sports or entertainment, I cannot think of ANY men that have long hair in a professional field save for a very few broadcasters with locs. There is definitely a double standard with this. An hispanic co-worker of mine just cut his shoulder length hair that he wore in a ponytail because he said it was time for him to look like a grown up.

**Michele4905** · 10-15-2010, 04:38 PM

I'm that big of a fan w/ a man with braids and ponytails but I try not to judge because, hell, I hate for people to judge me negatively based on my hair.

Now men with BAA's and locs??? Yum!

**thePerfectFool** · 10-15-2010, 04:48 PM

I know two black males who wear braids at my college. One of them (the elder) is extremely immature and leaves me with the impression of a 5 yr old in a man's body. The other is very feminine, loud, and messy (cant keep his or anyone else's business to himself). On the flip side I have known black males with braids that are masculine, mature, hardworking people. To me saying men with braids are immature, lazy etc. is the same as saying people with locs stink because they "can't" wash their hair.

A style is a style people...

**fuzzyhair** · 10-15-2010, 04:49 PM

Here is my HO on men with braids, be it cornrows or box:

I personally dislike those styles on men. Where I am from those styles are associated with the thug life mentality and I just can not wrap my mind around dating someone who lives that lifestyle. I think that is why most corporate businesses will not hire someone with those styles. I have never met a professional man wearing box braids or cornrows. Most men have worn those styles in high school and maybe college, but no grown man worth something will wear his hair in cornrows because of the stigma attached to them (my honest opinion). Is it wrong to attach a stigma to a hairstyle? Yes. Even locs are starting to get the stigma because more good for nothings are jumping on the bandwagon.

I will take a shaped up afro any day over a grown man wearing cornrows or box braids.

**BeautifulButterfly** · 10-15-2010, 05:07 PM

the article says:

The first thing I have noticed is that grown men with braids tend to either not have jobs, or very low paying jobs where they can basically get away with looking any old kind of way. You’ll never find a man with braids in any professional type of environment as there is most likely a dress code to adhere to and a man with braids would automatically be breaking that code. Let’s face it, nobody is gonna hire a braid wearing, beads hanging from the end Brotha to help run their company… they just aren’t.

not true. although it may be rare, it does and can and does happen. one of the Dallas County commissioners (John Wiley Price) has cornrows.

my personal feelings about men with cornrows are negative. i don't particularly like it. i agree that it looks juvenille. as for long hair on men, thats ok. as long as its not relaxed or in cornrows...

**FaithNPraise** · 10-15-2010, 05:15 PM

This is interesting...our men aren't "allowed" to wear their natural hair or most of us don't like that look on them. But if the tables were turned it's a lot of neck rolling and sucking teeth

**BeautifulButterfly** · 10-15-2010, 05:17 PM

^^i know. isn't that pitiful...

**BeautifulFlow** · 10-15-2010, 05:21 PM

Braids don't bother me. Depending.

AND, how can you knock braids but get upset when there's some sort of discrimination against a person with locs? A man should not be limited to locs if he wants to keep his hair long.

I'm not knocking opinions of braids, but how can you say, locs are professional, afros, twist outs, cowrie shells and all kinds of other natural styles are ok or professional? o_O