PARIS (AP) – French lawmakers are considering a bill Thursday that would ban discrimination regarding hair texture, length, color and style. The authors hope this groundbreaking measure will send a message of support to Black people and others who face hostility in and out of the workplace because of their hair.
“It’s about time,” exclaimed Estelle Valois, a 43-year-old consultant having her short, coiled hair cut at a Parisian salon. There, hairdressers are trained to work with all types of hair, a rarity in France. “Today, we make further progress in dismantling these barriers of discrimination.”
The bill follows similar bills in more than 20 U.S. states. The bill, proposed by Olivier Selva, a French lawmaker from the French island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, says that if passed, France would become the first country in the world to recognize hair-based discrimination on a national level.
The bill would amend existing anti-discrimination laws in labor and criminal law to discriminate against people with curly or coiled hair or other hairstyles deemed unprofessional, or against people who are bald. This clearly outlaws the law. That was the main motivation for this bill, but it does not specifically target discrimination based on race.
“People who don’t fit the Eurocentric criteria face discrimination, stereotypes, and prejudice,” Selva, who is black, told The Associated Press.
The bill is backed by lawmakers from President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party and left-wing parties, so it could be passed by the National Assembly (lower house) on Thursday. But it faces opposition from conservative and far-right lawmakers who see it as an attempt to import American concepts about race and racism into France.
In the United States, 24 states have adopted the CROWN Act (Creating a Respecful and Open World for Natural Hair), which prohibits hair discrimination based on race in employment, housing, schools, and the military. A federal bill was passed by the House in 2022, but Senate Republicans blocked it a month later.
Opponents of the French bill argue that the French legal framework already provides sufficient protection for people with natural afro hair, braids, cornrows, and low hair who face discrimination. There is.
The bill’s authors disagree. They cite the example of a black French steward who sued Air France after being denied boarding a flight because of his braids and forced to wear a straight-haired wig. Aboubakar Traore won his case in 2022 after a 10-year legal battle. But the court ruled that he was not discriminated against because of his hair, or because he was a man, but because women were allowed to wear braids. I put it down.
France does not collect official data on race. France follows a universalist vision that does not differentiate its people by ethnic group, making it difficult to measure race-based hair discrimination.
Supporters of the bill hope it will address the long-standing struggle of Black French people to embrace their natural hair, which is often stigmatized as coarse and unruly. .
Aude Rivoreille Jeanpeux, a hairdresser and mother of three biracial children, said that while some people see the bill as frivolous, it has a deeper meaning.
“It’s not just about the hair. When I’m asked to grow my hair out, I’m like, ‘No, this isn’t legal. You can’t expect that from me. What does it have to do with my professional ability?’ People will be empowered if they can answer, “No.” ”
At the Jeanpu Rivoreil salon, we care for all types of clients, from those with straight hair to those with tight curls. “It’s so inspiring to see 40-year-old women, sometimes in very high positions, finally embracing their natural beauty. And it happens every day,” she said.
Salon customer Valois wants her 5-year-old daughter to live in a society where hair is not stigmatized.
“When I was younger, I remember lamenting the lack of salons and even hair care products (for curly hair). There was a time when you had to use products that didn’t suit your hair. Today, things are more accessible and I’m glad that change is happening,” she said.
“There’s no need to be ashamed of yourself, whether it’s your hair or the fact that you don’t have it!”
