A story out of Houston has us pondering race and hair again. African American college professor Dr Lisa Thompson went to the TGF salon in Houston and, when she discovered that her regular stylist wasn’t there, was turned down by a white stylist who repeatedly insisted that she doesn’t do “African American” hair.
On the one hand TGF is a chain store that should be able to handle the hair texture and length of any client who walks through the door. On the other hand, was the white stylist — who identified herself simply as Joanna — right in expressing fears that she would mess up Thompson’s hair? The style Thompson wanted was very simple — a wash, conditioner and blow dry.
The TGF Hair Salon has since offered the following statement:
“We apologize to Dr. Thompson for her experience in our salon. At TGF, we are committed to creating a welcoming environment for all of our guests. We will provide additional training for our staff at this location and hope that she will consider giving us another opportunity, which will be complimentary.”
Ladies, what are your thoughts?