Dr. Steve Perry says CNN demanded he shave his hair

By Tenisha Mercer
www.HairNista.Blogspot.com

I'd probably go batshit crazy if an employer asked me to drastically alter my appearance, but it's usually a different story for TV personalities (and probably explains why I never did TV). Now, educator Dr. Steve Perry says CNN pressured him to shave his hair after appearing on the news network.

"Literally asked me to shave my hair," Perry told Martin recently on NewsOne.  

Wait. Huh? What?

Dr. Steve Perry says CNN asked him to shave his hair
Source: NewsOne

The "look"

Sadly, we've heard this story before, usually when it comes to Black TV reporters fired for wearing natural hair, but a man? And Perry wasn't only the only one to feel the pressure to conform. Martin said he was also pressured to fit his hairstyle into a certain "look."

"We went through it at CNN,” Martin said to Perry,” when they were trying to change how a brother looked, how a brother talked. Folks were trying to get you to change your hair.”

I wonder what that "look" was.

What's this really about? 

Men have different battles with their hair. I don't see what's wrong with Perry's curly, low cut fade. It's professional and stylish. And I can't figure out why they wanted a contributor -- not an anchor or TV personality -- to change his hair to suit them. Being on CNN isn't this man's full time job, kids are.  Same with Roland. What's wrong with his hairstyle?

I'd have told them to eff off.  That may be part of the reason why Martin is no longer on the network.

Woman Sues BP over Natural Hair, Ethnic Attire

By Tenisha Mercer
www.HairNista.Blogspot.com 

We love to say, 'it's just hair.'

But ask Melphine Evans, and she'd tell you otherwise. Evans alleges she was fired as an executive at BP Oil for wearing braided hair and ethnic attire -- yet another story of a corporation discriminating using hair or ethnicity in its employment practices.

Melphine Evans is suing BP Oil for firing her for wearing braids and ethnic attire

We've said it before and we'll say it again: No one should be fired for wearing natural hair -- or ethnic clothing, for that matter. Still, it's a common theme. We've seen it plenty of times before, whether it's a TV station allegedly firing a TV reporter who wore natural hair or a school threatening to kick out a 12-year old girl in Orlando, Fla. with natural hair.