Stop Asking Black People If You Can Touch Their Hair

A recently viral video has reignited the debate about Black hair and the politics surrounding it.

Photo by Anna Shvets:

In a Twitter video that has amassed over 6.5 million views, a Black woman assumed to be named Gracie, is seen with her natural hair out, in what looks to be her workplace, as her presumably non-Black coworkers surround her and touch her hair in awe.

Before asking your coworker about their hair, I encourage you to do research on your own about the historical context and politics of Black hair.

One of the individuals in the video is heard saying “you’ve never seen natural Black hair?” Aside from the sanitary concerns that come with people touching your hair, the act of touching a coworker is wholly inappropriate and unprofessional. Even asking “can I touch your hair?” is inappropriate and should be prohibited. ‘I don’t understand what is so egregious about asking an employee to touch their hair’, you may wonder. You may also be thinking ‘but I really like her braids and want to see how they feel’ or ‘I’ve never seen an afro up close and wanted to see what the texture was like.’ It is an invasive and a micro-aggressive behavior to ask an employee if you can touch their hair. The only thing more offensive is assuming that it’s okay to touch a person’s hair and proceeding to touch it without getting permission. Below is a list of three reasons why you should never ask a Black person to touch their hair, much less a coworker.

1. Sanitary concerns. Research indicates that only 66% of Americans wash their hands after using the bathroom and a study conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that most people (97%) fail to correctly wash their hands. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) keeping your hands clean is one of most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. In addition, the CDC indicates that “hand washing can prevent about 30% of diarrhea-related sicknesses and about 20% of respiratory infections.” The unfortunate truth is that most people are not washing their hands correctly, if they are washing them at all, which leads to the spread of germs and illnesses. Our hands contain an abundance of germs. Among the many reasons why it’s completely inappropriate to ask someone if you can touch their hair is all of the germs that are carried and transferred by our hands. Would you want someone touching your hair with their likely germ-infested hands?

2. Perpetuates inequities. If you are a non-Black person reading this, ask yourself this: how often have your coworkers ever asked to touch your hair? It’s likely that as a non-Black person the number is low, if ever at all. For most White-identifying employees, the idea of a coworker asking to touch your hair is incomprehensible. Asking to touch a Black person’s hair when you do not and have not ever asked to touch your White counterparts’ hair further perpetuates inequitable treatment and makes the presumption that Black hair is an aberration. By asking to touch a Black person’s hair, you are feeding into the narrative that White hair is the norm and anything outside of it abnormal. When you assume that White hair is the default, you are furthering the divide that Black employees may feel and creating a hostile work environment. If you are interested in learning more about a coworker’s hair, simply ask them to tell you about their hairstyle because you are intrigued and want to learn more about it. But keep in mind, no employee is under an obligation to educate you on their hair, the significance of a particular hairstyle or why they decided to rock a particular hairdo.

3. The historical context. When a Black employee is asked by another employee, especially one with seniority if they can “touch your hair,” it leaves the Black employee in an awkward position where they feel obligated to say yes so they are not labelled as difficult, mean, angry or all of the above. When a Black employee refuses to allow their coworkers to touch their hair, this can have negative effects on the relationship with said coworkers. On the flip side, when Black employees succumb to their coworker’s desires and allow their hair to be touched, it could leave these employees feeling like they’re on display. Understanding the history and patterns of treatment for many Black people around the world can give more insight into why the request to touch a Black person’s hair is so offensive. In the early 1800s an African woman named Sara Baartman was sold into domestic servitude and became a European tourist attraction, where her naked body was put on display. Baartman was put on display because of the European fascination with her body. In 1906, an African man named Ota Benga was also put on display in the Bronx Zoo. Benga became a spectacle because of his boyish appearance. He was put on exhibit and placed in a monkey cage, where nearly a quarter of a million people went to see him. There are many more stories like this throughout history. For centuries, people of African descent have been ogled and treated like zoo animals all for the sake of entertainment and the public’s fascination with their features and body, which have routinely been labeled as ‘other.’ Asking to touch a Black person’s hair is likely to conjure up feelings of otherness and makes an individual feel like they are on display, with their body being seen as entertainment for their White counterparts.

Before you ask your Black coworkers if you can touch their hair, think about these three things and reconsider. Instead, if you are really fascinated by a coworker’s hair, ask them where the style originates from or how long a style like that can last. Keep in mind, though, that if they are reluctant to answer or don’t feel comfortable talking about their hair, you must respect their decision. Lastly, it’s important to understand that much of the information you would want to ask can be found by doing a quick Google search. Before asking your coworker about their hair, I encourage you to do research on your own about the historical context and politics of Black hair.