Black Women Are Reclaiming School Picture Day

Ah, school picture day. That fateful day each school year when your image would be immortalised forever, whether your smile was less than photogenic, or your uniform less than pristine. It is hardly surprising that not all pupils share the same experience. New research by Dove found that nearly half of Black and mixed-race women with afro-textured hair have experienced race-based hair discrimination at school. And over half said it continues to take a toll on self-esteem and mental health to this day. In light of their findings, and to raise awareness on the subject, Dove has launched a new campaign titled Reclaiming School Picture Day.

“When I was younger, my head of school forced everyone to shave their afros off because they deemed them unkempt, unruly and not smart looking,” explains influencer and author, Stephanie Yeboah, one of eight women featuring in a moving short film forming part of the campaign. “I used to try and chemically straighten my hair to try and fit in with the Eurocentric ideals of beauty at the time,” admits Yeboah who, alongside author and activist, Emma Dabiri, discusses being castigated for hair was internalised as “ugly”, “difficult”, and “different”.

In the film the women pose for portraits agains the traditional backdrop of school photographs; but this time unapologetically sporting the afros, braids and twist outs which led to “othering” during their formative years. “It reminds me of what a long way I’ve come with my hair,” says Dabiri, who you can join in the campaign to make hair discrimination- which has led to students being excluded from school- illegal under the UK Equalities Act.

As part of the diversity championing beauty brand's research they spoke to 2,000 British women about hair discrimination, which they found started as early as five-years-old and was experienced by 84% of respondents. Not only did they discover that 28% of Black and mixed-race women missed their school photo because of negative attitudes towards their hair’s texture and styling, but 84% altered their hair to conform to uniform policies.

Dove’s campaign goes one step further too, encouraging more people to sign Emma Dabiri and Zina Alfa’s petitions to make hair discrimination illegal under the UK Equality Act.