A teenager is speaking out after her supervisor at Chick-fil-A sent her home for having blonde braids in her hair, according to Yahoo news, the supervisor told the teen blonde is a “unnatural” hair color.
Autumn Williams, 16, of Concord, North Carolina told the news out out that she had her blonde braids in her head when she went to orientation and nothing was said about her hair color. During the orientation she says, the only guidance she heard about hair was that it had to be pulled back from her face, which she said is reasonable. On July 13th while she was working the front counter she says her supervisor came up to her and asked if they could have a conversation in private.
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“She said, ‘Our supervisor drove by yesterday and noticed blond in your hair and since blond is an unnatural color to you, we have to ask you to take the blond out of your hair and then come back when there’s none,'” says Williams. “She said, ‘We understand that’s a long process for you so take your time and you can email me when you’re ready to come back,'” adds Williams. The 16-year old went on to say how her supervisors comments made her feel like something was wrong with her appearance. “It was very stressful — it made me feel like there was something wrong with me and my appearance.”
Williams called her mom Nina Burch to ask for a ride home; when Burch arrived, she says she asked for an explanation from the manager, who shared the supervisor’s phone number. According to Burch, the supervisor refused to elaborate on the call. Autumn says when she got on the phone, he said, “We already had a conversation about your hair. If there’s any confusion, you can refer to the handbook.”
Burch then took a screenshot of the handbook and showed the news outlet what it states. “Hairstyles must be neat and professional in appearance. Unnatural hair colors or eccentric styles (e.g., Mohawks, shaven designs, etc.) are not permitted.”
Burch says when she read the terms saying unnatural hair color she took that as blue or pink because that doesn’t grow naturally from the scalp. And the teens hair is naturally brown so the blonde braids were the closest match to her natural color.
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On August 1, Williams says the store owner reached back out to her and said she could have her job back. “He was apologetic, saying this shouldn’t have happened,” she says.
Burch says they have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) “to see if there’s a route we should pursue legally.” Autumn says she isn’t comfortable returning to work, explaining, “No one should tell you what you are based on your appearance.”