California is about to become the first state to ban discrimination based on hair style.

California will become the first state to ban racial discrimination based on hair style thanks to a new bill that was passed last week.
The CROWN Act, which stands for "Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair," passed Thursday in the Senate 69 to 0 and is heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who's expected to sign it into law, NPR reports.
The bill was introduced by Senator Holly J. Mitchell and co-founded by Dove to ensure that "traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and hairstyle, be protected from discrimination in the work place and in our K-12 public and charter schools," according to a press release.
Hair styles included in the bill include Afros, twists, braids, and locks. "The history of our nation is riddled with laws and societal norms that equated 'blackness,' and the associated physical traits, for example, dark skin, kinky and curly hair to a badge of inferiority, sometimes subject to separate and unequal treatment," the bill notes.
The bill also addresses the shortcomings of existing federal law, which currently protects people of color from being discriminated against for wearing their hair in an afro, but fails to address the other styles mentioned.
Beauty standards in the United States have far too long been riddled with racist undertones, often favoring Eurocentric characteristics.
"Despite the great strides American society and laws have made to reverse the racist ideology that Black traits are inferior, hair remains a rampant source of racial discrimination with serious economic and health consequences, especially for Black individuals," the bill reads.
Pro-vax mom gets in trouble with the law for having an unvaccinated sick baby.
It also addresses the fact that professionalism is unfairly associated with predominantly white traits, as well.
"This idea also permeated societal understanding of professionalism. Professionalism was, and still is, closely linked to European features and mannerisms, which entails that those who do not naturally fall into Eurocentric norms must alter their appearances, sometimes drastically and permanently, in order to be deemed professional," the bill reads.
Mitchell told NPR she's been contacted by numerous people who've recounted stories of discrimination based on the way they wear their hair.
"The sheer volume of women and men and parents of students who have been sent home because someone deems their braids, twists or locks were inappropriate for workplace settings, the sheer volume of people, suggests this clearly is a law whose time has come," she said.
A study released in 2017 showed an overwhelming bias towards black women who wear their hair natural.
The "Good Hair Study" was conducted by the Perception Institute, "a consortium of researchers, advocates and strategists" who conduct emotional and psychological research to identify and reduce bias, in partner with SheaMoisture, a black owned beauty brand.
Ack! I need chocolate! The science of PMS food cravings.
Over 4,000 participants took an online implicit association test where they were shown rapidly-changing photos of black women with smooth and natural hair, along with word associations for both.
The results show that the majority of participants, regardless of their race, showed an implicit bias against black women's textured hair. Furthermore, on average, white women show an explicit bias toward black women's textured hair and rate it as less beautiful and less professional than smooth hair.
"Our findings provide an important backdrop to recent events related to natural hair — from legal cases on hair professionalism to appropriateness in school — and have direct implications for future research and conversations related to black women's experiences. This study is the first to use the Hair IAT and to conduct a national study of women's anxiety linked to hair," the Perception Institute said.
While California is the first state to pass an anti-discrimniation law focussing on hair styles, both New York and New Jersey have proposed similar legislation. In February, New York City enacted a policy protecting cornrows, fades, Afros, and other hairstyles
"Black hairstyles are protected racial characteristics under the [New York City Human Rights Law] because they are an inherent part of Black identity," New York's Commission on Human Rights said.
- 10 weirdly named natural places in America and the stories behind ... ›
- What's the biggest difference between 'natural' and 'organic' products? ›
- This blogger got into 'green' beauty for an extremely personal reason. ›
- How Viola Davis is changing Hollywood makes her Walk of Fame ... ›
- Her red-carpet hairstyle turned heads, but one fashion cop didn't get ... ›
- Sara Barnes ›
- Keri Russell's been asked about her hair for 16 years. Now she's ... ›
- Kylie Jenner isn't always a force for good. But her parenting style is ... ›
- These stunning portraits of black girls rocking their natural hair are a ... ›
- Illinois passes a law banning hair discrimination in schools. - Upworthy ›
- Illinois passes a law banning hair discrimination in schools. - Upworthy ›
- California moves to ban racial discrimination based on hairstyles ... ›
- California Senate Passes C.R.O.W.N. Act To Ban Race-Based Hair ... ›
- Succession to the Crown Act 1707 - Wikipedia ›
- CA State Assembly passes Crown Act, bill that protects against hair ... ›
- Crown Act: California woman says bill to end race-based hair ... ›
- Bill Text - SB-188 Discrimination: hairstyles. ›
- New rules on royal succession come into force - BBC News ›
- April 24, 2019: USA TODAY - California's CROWN Act seeks to end ... ›
- California's CROWN Act seeks to end racial discrimination based on ... ›
- 'The CROWN Act' To End Hair Discrimination In The Workplace And ... ›



A Generation Jones teenager poses in her room.Image via Wikmedia Commons
An office kitchen.via
An angry man eating spaghetti.via 
Gif of baby being baptized
Woman gives toddler a bath Canva


An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.