France’s National Assembly on Thursday approved legislation against a form of discrimination that’s often overlooked: prejudicial treatment on the basis of hair.
The bill, which still faces a vote in the Senate, is inspired by laws in the United States, where anti-racism campaigners have long argued that black people face unfair pressure to modify their natural hair.
“They called me into the office and said, ‘we know you care about your hair …’ And I said, ‘oh and you don’t?'”
Fanta, a former police officer, is black. She says she’s experienced what’s been dubbed in France discrimination capillaire – hair discrimination.
“They asked me to straighten it because it wasn’t professional. My hair, even if I straighten it, the minute I take a shower it’ll go curly again. So they were telling me: ‘we don’t accept you as you are’.”
The message doesn’t have to be said out loud to get through, says Louis, a student in his early 20s.
“There have been certain times when I’ve had interviews for internships and I’ve realised that my hair was a problem for them, and that people prefer a, how shall I put it, straighter style – no braids, short back and sides.”
Even if the bill passes, legal experts say discrimination cases – of any kind – are notoriously hard to win.
France’s public rights watchdog received 6,703 complaints of discrimination in 2023, according to its annual report, 2 percent of which related to physical appearance.
One of the judgements it issued last year related to a 4-year-old boy whose teachers repeatedly asked his parents to cut or fasten his long afro hair on the grounds that school rules forbade “fanciful” styles.
The watchdog found the incident, which took place in 2018, constituted discrimination on the grounds of “physical appearance in relation to gender” and “real or presumed ethnic origin”.
It recommended a review of the rules at that and other schools, as well as anti-discrimination training – but has no power to impose sanctions.
Court cases, which could result in fines or other penalties, remain rare.
