It's Crown Day. Black women beauty insiders are advocating for the Crown Act to celebrate their natural hair
- The Crown Act outlaws hair texture discrimination in 13 states and more than two dozen cities.
- Black women in the beauty industry say the bill is a victory for natural hair acceptance.
- The fight continues, however, as natural hair discrimination is still legal in 37 states.
While a reporter in Michigan, journalist Brittany Noble never really wore her natural hair, instead opting for a sewn-in weave. But then she noticed her hair texture changing.
The former news anchor experienced trials and tribulations navigating her changing crown, telling Insider she "really wanted to wear my natural hair, but I was still trying to give it that European look."
After becoming pregnant, Noble finally took the leap, sporting her natural hair on-air. She says she was soon criticized, and later fired. According to a Dove and CROWN Research study, hair discrimination is an experience Black women like Noble know all too well.
"It's really unfortunate that in some states this style is still not accepted," she told Insider, now residing in her hometown of St. Louis. "It's why we have to continue pushing for the CROWN act" - legislation that bans discrimination against natural hair or protective styles commonly associated with Black people and indigenous people of color.
While she does "support my TV sisters going to work everyday fighting for us behind the scenes," her exit became the impetus to serve as an advocate and partner with DOVE.
Women across the country are advocating for the bill's recognition by celebrating the beauty of dreadlocks, kinks, curls and twists on the 2nd annual CROWN Day - also known as Black Hair Independence Day
Formally called "Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair," the CROWN Act first became California law in 2019. To date, 13 states and more than two dozen cities have passed Crown Act legislation, with Nevada the most recent last month.
But the struggle for natural hair acceptance is as old as the US's founding, going back as far as Louisiana Tignon Laws that made it illegal for Black women to show their hair.
"We had to get a law passed for us to be who we are natively," Branch said, adding the much-needed legislation also potentially benefits the Black women entrepreneurs like her, whose brands were established to combat social norms.
Research shows the natural hair care product market size was valued at $8 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow 4.7 percent from 2020 to 2027.
"It helped to propel Miss Jessie's," she told Insider. "In 2020, with the Black Lives Matter movement and COVID-19 pandemic, we got a chance to show up and show out online -- our customers continued to purchase the products that made beautifying their hair easier while at home."
Branch founded Miss Jessie's along with her sister Titi in 2004. The brand, affectionately named after the pair's paternal grandmother, purposely focused on curly and tightly coiled hair - entering the marketplace to serve women who wanted to embrace their natural textures.
"In the early days, when Titi and I started to notice, concentrate and focus on texture, we got a lot of fear and reservation, hesitation and negative reactions to women wanting to wear their hair more textured," she said.
Related Article Module: What is Crown Day? Here's what to know about the holiday celebrating Black hair"Women who were in the corporate environment got a lot of backlash whether directly or indirectly, and we felt a shift or change in how they were received in the workplace."
The natural hair shift has become more widely accepted in corporate America and television media as the legislation gains momentum and women boldly sport natural tresses.
"It wasn't until I changed jobs and started working in NYC that I really embraced wearing my natural hair to work," Vina Morris, founder of AfroPink - a breast cancer awareness nonprofit, told Insider.
"I still get asked from time to time 'Can I touch it?' But it's no longer an issue wearing my naturally curly hair with pride."
Noble, who began growing locs or "dreadlocks," during the pandemic is commemorating Crown Day by sharing her new look - encouraging "women to share their stories and keep the movement alive."
Now laws are being made in support of us making decisions with our hair. But in our minds and hearts we had already been there and embraced it. Miko Branch, Miss Jessie's co-founder
The same power of TV media that nearly shaped her television future, is now eclipsed by the influence of social media and natural hair spaces online.
Branch attributes the influence of social media for keeping Black hair brands alive and thriving - despite 37 states that still permit institutions to discriminate based on how Black women's hair can naturally grow from their head.
"The Crown Act was a milestone that lets us all know we're working and fortifies for natural hair companies that we're here to stay," she said.