Woman Wears ‘Wacky Wigs’ to Work After Her Pink Hair Is Banned by Her Office

People who work in the business world need to be aware of certain unspoken standards on how workers should dress. Private companies likewise want their personnel to keep their style under control, at least while they are inside the work environment, much as visible tattoos are a severe no-no for government positions in India. A US woman was forced to wear an odd wig under such a rule after her corporate employer voiced concerns about her coloured hair. Emily Benschoter, a corporate employee, highlighted a sizable section of her hair in a vivid pink hue. But the office boss advised the woman to cover up her hair when she got a job in the hospitality sector.

Benschoter, a resident of Georgia, spoke with Newsweek about her experience. The 29-year-old identified herself throughout the chat as “a self-expressive person” who feels “confident with the pink hair.” It was discovered that she was chosen for a front-of-house position after a face-cam interview where it would be difficult for the interviewer to judge the candidate’s hair color. However, the issue started as soon as Benschoter arrived at the workplace. She said that having hair of a different color would be seen in the job as “unprofessional or distracting.”

Benschoter asked her boss for advice in an attempt to save her work, and she advised choosing a wig that was natural in color. “I couldn’t dye my hair for a job that I spend 40 hours a week at. I thus devised a plan to maintain both my career and my hair. I enjoy my pink hair since it is who I really am. Therefore, I now choose weird wigs on purpose, which is rather entertaining, she said Newsweek. She also thinks it is “dehumanizing” that she cannot be taken at face value because of the “non-traditional hue” of her hair.

Benschoter, who often uploads videos to TikTok, initially voiced her worry there. She appeared in a dreadful blonde, shoulder-length wig in one of her postings on July 19. According to the Independent, the film was accompanied by subtitles that stated, “When you have pink hair but corporate does not approve so you wear terrible wigs.”

Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, often known as the CROWN Act, was developed in the US in 2019. It was developed to provide legal protection for protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists, and knots in the workplace and public schools in order to combat racial hairstyle discrimination. Benschoter’s pink hair, however, is not natural, thus this won’t apply in her instance.