No. You Cannot Touch My Hair!

In a profession where touching hair is our livelihood, imagine having your hair touched by complete strangers all of the time. Dr. Mena Fombo tells a hair-raising personal story through a witty, yet compelling TedTalk, where she explores of the objectification of black women.

Dr. Mena Fombo is the driving force behind the international campaign “No. You Cannot Touch My Hair” which has attracted contributions from people around the world.

Over half of the respondents to her survey said that they had their hair touched on a monthly basis by people they’d never met before. 18% said it happened every week. The vast majority described the touching as intrusive, invasive and unwelcome. 90% of those responding identified as female, and the majority were black or of mixed race origin. Some said it felt like being petted in a zoo.

Mena says: “We are not animals in zoos – #DONTTOUCHMYHAIR”.

As hair professionals, we can help spread Mena’s message by discussing this matter with our clients, #DONTTOUCHMYHAIR, because unless you are in a stylist or barber’s chair, you should not be touching someone else’s hair.

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