"Glamour" Takes Heat For Calling Afros, Dreadlocks Fashion "Don'ts"

Philadelphia Inquirer:

One of the things that Glamour magazine is famous for is proclaiming certain clothing choices "fashion don'ts."

They're usually tasteless or careless mistakes that women make - exposed thongs, muffin-top jeans, stockings with sandals or sheer mesh blouses over bare skin.

So, you can imagine how taken aback some black female attorneys at a New York City law firm were to learn from a Glamour editor recently that afros or dreadlocks were considered a fashion don't for the office.

Yes, folks, this really happened. When I got the first of several e-mails about the incident, I doubted the veracity of the claim. It read a bit like one of those wacky urban legends that float around the Internet.

Read the whole story: Philadelphia Inquirer

Comments

[badgirlinchicago]

Some of the comments above really show the level of ignorance that currently exists in American society. Why should a black woman have to have straight hair in order to fit in corporate America? Who gives a fuck about what some white person thinks about black hair? I guess black women should bleach their skins and wear a long blond weave to emulate the epitome of beauty, the scrawny, white woman.

[billu]

It's FASHION bag girl. They make people feel bad about everything. "You're not cool unless you buy..." It's not racist it's fashion they are promoting an entire marketplace through advertising based on making people feel bad about the way they look now.

[SelfishHedonist]

This is tricky... Say you had a young white executive who got corn rolls while on vaca in Jamaica... if she wore her hair like that upon her return to the office, with a professional suit, she'd be asked to take them out.

Dreads are NOT natural. They are gross. That said, I'm not Black and therefore I'm not really sure what hair maintenance is like for them. All I can comment is how dirty and disgusting dreads look/smell. I'd never date anyone who had them, and would probably limit the amount of time I spent with someone who had them as well.

Afros are totally cute, though.

[nrk8]

look here. I wear locks, not dreadlocks. There's a difference between the two, get your facts stright. Secondly, I don't know who you've been spending time with who has locks but you have been very misinformed. As a lock wearer, my hair is more than likely cleaner than your own because I wash and retwist it 3 times a week. How can you say that they're dirty, smelly and disgusting if you don't know what the maintenance is?
In my opinion, you are every bit as ignorant as that editor for making statements about things that you don't understand.

[tombollocks]

It is only fashion-meaning, it HAS no meaning.

[jmpurser]

Well, I'm a white guy and I'm split. I think dreadlocks are really creepy but I've seen a lot of nice afros.

That said, if anyone from Glamour ever got a peek at me it might just kill them dead from shock.

[billu]

Well of course nobody else can have an afro or dread style. Only blacks so it must be racist. It's Glamour relax.