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A Dallas woman has gone viral on TikTok after sharing that she was allegedly denied a job opportunity because of her hairstyle, which was plaited in braids. The woman had attended an interview for a valet position at a company that, according to her, described itself as a high-end valet service catering to elite clients such as professional baseball players and politicians including Hillary Clinton and George Bush.
After gathering with several other applicants for the one-on-one sessions, it eventually came to her turn to meet with the interviewer, whom she identified as a White woman named Christina. She said the interviewer initially seemed friendly and conversational, asking about her current job at the airport and even joking about her experiences there. However, once the formal questions began, she noticed something different about her session.
The Tone of the Interview Changed
According to the woman, while other applicants were asked detailed questions about their experiences, her interview consisted of only four: her previous employment, availability, ability to drive a stick shift, and reason for wanting to valet. After she answered those questions, the interviewer suddenly grew hesitant about bringing up another matter. “She goes, ‘Okay, so I don’t really know how to word this,’” the woman recalled, adding that the interviewer took several pauses before continuing. “So your braids — we don’t do braids. We don’t allow braids. And they’re pretty lengthy because they’re pretty long.”
Although the woman was stunned by the comment, she still offered to put her hair up neatly. However, the interviewer allegedly told her that the clients they serve “are very particular” and asked if she would be willing to remove her braids before orientation the next day. The woman said she agreed only because her braids were overdue for a redo but made it clear she would not change her future hairstyles. “Because now you’re putting a restriction on my hair. I don’t do that,” she said.
That moment, according to her, effectively ended the interview. “She said, ‘Okay, well, thank you very much for coming in,’” she recalled. The woman felt that the interviewer could have simply chosen not to hire her rather than abruptly ending the conversation. “I’m honestly very speechless. I’ve never in my life been denied from a job because of my hair — because I have braids,” she said. “And it’s not like I look crazy.” Before ending her video, she named the company and noted that she was supposed to hear back the same day but never received a response. “They clearly don’t hire Black people,” she said.
Netizens React to the Dallas Woman’s Experience
In the comments, netizens were divided on whether she was racially profiled or simply affected by a policy issue. “Your hair is so neat and professional, it’s out of your face and won’t interfere with your performance. She’s crazy,” one viewer wrote. A second added, “She even specifically said braids? So illegal. She clearly knew she was discriminating.” One person expressed disbelief that the interviewer seemed to be “protecting her racist clients,” while another urged the woman to “go to HR and file for discrimination.”
Those who believed the matter was more about company policy than race defended the interviewer’s stance. “Let’s be clear. She had an issue with the braids, not your color,” one comment read. Another person said, “Companies having dress codes is not discrimination. Seriously.” Someone else reasoned, “She was stuttering because she already knew how you would take it. The company simply has dress code preferences, and some of those are hard to communicate.”
