Dear Google,

It has come to my attention that recently there was controversy on the internet over googling the phrase 'unprofessional hairstyles for work.' What popped up were photos of women with natural hair styles or people with really curly hair, most of which were Black, yet when you Googled the exact opposite, 'professional hairstyles for work,' Caucasian women popped up with straight hair. This caused a large uproar in the African American community because of the image it portrays.

As a Caribbean-American woman with naturally kinky hair, I do have to go out of my way to change my hairstyle when I apply for jobs. Prior to realizing this I never knew having natural hair would hinder me on a job search. That was until I applied for a job in retail and on my interview the manager asked me "What are you going to do with your hair?" I looked at him confused. My hair was out and curly in a manner I thought to be very nice. What did he mean by what was I going to do with my hair????

I planned on leaving it as it is because it is beautiful. Maybe later on in the season I would change it into a protective style such as a weave or braids, but I wasn't going to specifically change my hairstyle to get this job, especially for a store that thrived on individuality. I told him nothing, and we finished the interview, but his demeanor changed; the employer who was so interested in my responses and seemed ready to hire me suddenly became ready for the interview to be over all because of my hair.

Mind blown by the situation, I spoke to a friend who told me this was a common thing when applying for jobs. Men with braids or dreads usually cut off their hair to look "professional" enough for a job. Natural women braid, weave or even perm their hair so they are not seen as "unprofessional" in the workplace. I believe we are being stereotyped. If I have my hair in an Afro, does that automatically make me a single black mom living in section eight housing?

If a young man walks in with cornrows, do people automatically believe he's going to steal from you? People within the black community are tired of living with double consciousness and are tired of having to destroy every detail of what they love about themselves to make it in a world designed for them to fail. Why is it that we associate ethnic traits with unprofessionalism? If someone has curly hair they should not be denied a job. My hair can simply be straightened but there should be no reason for me to have to straighten my hair to work in retail or any other profession. Unprofessionalism should not be physical traits instead it should be based on behavior.

Instead of fighting off the stereotypes, Google, one of the biggest and most used search engines played into it. There is no excuse as to why black women with natural hair pop up when you Google "unprofessional hairstyles for work," but when you google "professional hairstyles for work," a majority of the women are white with straight hair.

Google has been called out for other instances where it has shown obvious acts or racism, but this being as recent as last week had made the matter worse. There are real people using Google to determine things like these and by stereotyping and using racism behind its searches, Google is adding fuel to the fire people are trying to end. All I think you should do, Google, is just think of the offensive things you are doing and take a step back and ask yourself if you would like to be put in the hot seat again?

Sincerely,

The woman with the unprofessional hairstyle for work