The French House of Commons endorsed a bill on Thursday aimed at prohibiting unfair treatment due to hair styles, colours, or textures such as dreadlocks, braids and afros. Critics of the proposal argue it represents an unneeded adoption of American concepts. Guadeloupe’s National Assembly member, Olivier Serva, who initiated the legislation, said the law would empower victims of hair discrimination, whether in the workplace or elsewhere, to voice their grievances and achieve judicial wins. “The pain [stemming from hair-based prejudice] is significant and we have to acknowledge it”, he stated in an interview with Reuters.
To become law, the proposal must get the approval of the Senate. In support of his bill, Serva presented a 2023 report from Dove, Unilever’s shampoo division, and LinkedIn, stating that two-thirds of black women in America adjusted their hair for job interviews, and that black women’s hair was 2.5 times more likely to be considered unprofessional.
The bill is designed to eliminate all prejudice related to hair texture or style, and would equally safeguard blonde women from sexist bias, according to Serva. Out of the 577 members of the National Assembly, only 50 attended the vote, with the bill receiving strong approval by a 44-2 margin. Four votes abstained.
In comparison, America has at least 23 states that have passed similar regulations protecting individuals from workplace and school hair discrimination.
The initiative has encountered opposition in France, a country that upholds universalism, promoting equality for all, and overlooks ethnic quotas or ethnic-based data collection. Les Republicains’ conservative representative, Fabien Di Filipo, sarcastically questioned the necessity of the bill in a parliamentary committee, hinting at laws protecting bald people who he said were underrepresented in shampoo commercials. Philippe Schreck from the extreme-right National Rally suggested that legislators should focus on what he deemed as more urgent matters such as the nation’s public debt.
Nonetheless, on the streets of Paris, numerous black women voiced their support for the pending legislation.
Didi Makeda, a student who has embraced her natural hair since the age of six, applauds the bill in question, highlighting that unique hair textures contribute to individuals’ identity. In support of her point, fellow student Tracy Kofi endorses the move to penalise organisations that reject potential employees based on their hairstyles. The core victim of this discrimination, Olivier Serva points out, are individuals who fail to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards.
Mr Serva indicates the significance of the legislation, as its enactment could make France the pioneering country to nationally acknowledge hair-based discrimination. “This progressive development is a moment of pride for our country,” Serva stated after the assembly vote. The legislation looks to revise existing labour and criminal anti-discrimination laws to legally forbid discrimination against individuals with curly, coiled, or unusual hairstyles deemed ‘unprofessional’, as well as those who are bald.
Although the bill was not conceived for the purpose of tackling racial discrimination directly, the primary motive was indeed race-related. Serva, himself of black ethnicity, explained to the Associated Press about the prevalent bias, discrimination, and stereotypes faced by those failing to match Eurocentric beauty norms. Supported by left-leaning political parties and members of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party Renaissance, the bill successfully passed through the National Assembly.
The bill is set to move to the Senate, dominated by conservatives, where it will most likely face opposition from right-leaning and far-right lawmakers. These individuals view the bill as an attempted transposition of the American understanding of race and racial discrimination into France. – Reuters/AP
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