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Salon Accused of 'Black Hair' Surcharge [charge black people more than whites]
Washington Post ^ | Sunday, May 29, 2005

Posted on 05/30/2005 10:00:15 AM PDT by Asphalt

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- An Alabama woman is seeking class-action status for a lawsuit against a Dillard's Inc. hair salon for allegedly charging black women more than white women.

Debbie Deavers Sturvisant alleges that a hair salon in a Tuscaloosa, Ala., Dillard's department store charged $35 to wash and set her hair, while white women paid $20 for the same service.

Sturvisant's lawsuit could bring a whole new level of attention to the general practice across the country of charging differently for hair care based on ethnicity.

Officials in Arizona, California, Florida, Maryland and Massachusetts have already addressed race- and sex-based pricing differences at hair salons.

"The stereotype is that all black hair is the same. But that's erroneous...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
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To: ArmedNReady
Have you ever seen a Labrador Retriever that needed grooming?

That was part of the joke.

41 posted on 05/30/2005 10:46:01 AM PDT by cowboyway (My heroes have always been cowboys.)
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To: RaceBannon
My office mate, who is black and I, fish belly white, discuss our hair all the time. Mine is very short and fine -- takes 10 minutes to get it cut.

On the other hand, her hair takes special care so it doesn't break off. When she goes to have her hair done, it takes around 3 hours. She does protein packs, double conditioning, and other stuff. Looks really great when she has it done, but I don't think I could ever sit for 3 hours to do all that!
42 posted on 05/30/2005 10:46:32 AM PDT by duckbutt ( If you let a smile be your umbrella, then most likely your butt will get soaking wet.)
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To: ArmedNReady
Clearly a case of racial 'fro-filing

LMAO

43 posted on 05/30/2005 10:48:12 AM PDT by cowboyway (My heroes have always been cowboys.)
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To: mhking; Sister_T; T Lady; radiohead; brwnsuga

This is why I now do my own hair at home. No salon, white or black,can get it right.


44 posted on 05/30/2005 10:49:43 AM PDT by cyborg (I am ageless through the power of the Lord God.)
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To: Asphalt

Easy solution. Itemize the bill based on the materials used and the time per client. That would be the fairest method.


45 posted on 05/30/2005 10:52:42 AM PDT by doc30 (Democrats are to morals what and Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
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To: Asphalt
Well....at least the stylist's didn't hack a loogie in her hair. Something that Je$$ee Jack$son would never do.......
46 posted on 05/30/2005 10:52:52 AM PDT by Osage Orange (Gene Stipe...he's our man. If he can't steal it nobody can..!!)
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To: ArmedNReady; cowboyway

Yes to OE Sheepdogs costing more than Labs. And yes to Labs getting groomed, since baths and nail trims are part of grooming.


47 posted on 05/30/2005 10:56:00 AM PDT by skr (May God bless those in harm's way and confound those who would do the harming)
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To: cowboyway

I agree, very funny.


48 posted on 05/30/2005 10:57:04 AM PDT by Finger Monkey (H.R. 25, Fair Tax Act - A consumption tax which replaces the income tax, SS tax, death tax, etc.)
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To: staytrue
Not really. I think you would be upset if the store charged you more for the same thing as the next guy. In simple terms, it is an un american practice.

So i now have the right to file lawsuits against brand name makers because they charge mote than the generic store brand?

Who are you to judge that I can't spend my money more if I wish for a premium brand or less for the crappy version. Who are you to make me a slave to make premium brands for the price of generic versions. That's American? You must mean pre Civil War American.

Blacks had a right to shop for bargains where they can find them. Salon keepers have a right to charge what the market will bear and a right to charge more if the effort is greater. Nothing in the article says that working on black's hair is the same effort it takes to work on a white's hair.

49 posted on 05/30/2005 10:58:57 AM PDT by LoneRangerMassachusetts (Some say what's good for others, the others make the goods; it's the meddlers against the peddlers)
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To: cyborg

It really depends on the stylist. You have many in the trade that are out for a quick buck, and you have those who have a genuine interest in keeping their clients and taking care of their hair...I am fortunate to have a stylist in the latter category, who also attends my church. She's been my stylist for at least a dozen or so years.

...As for going to a major department store salon, FORGET it! I made that mistake once with JC Penney back in 1988. Never went back.

-Regards, T.


50 posted on 05/30/2005 11:00:50 AM PDT by T Lady (G.W. Bush to Kerry & the MSM: "I've come to settle the Family Business.")
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To: T Lady

I would never go to a department store. I mean the local JC Penny's has one. I get my brows threaded at a Lemon Tree. One day I was too lazy to wash my own hair (I have big hair) and asked the lady how much to wash and set my hair. She started asking me twenty questions and I said in my mind 'you must be kidding she'll turn my head into a bird's nest'. The price wasn't higher I wasn't confident and willing to test the claim that Lemon Tree sux :-)


51 posted on 05/30/2005 11:03:45 AM PDT by cyborg (I am ageless through the power of the Lord God.)
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To: Asphalt

I have no problem with this practice as long as they charge everyone of any race extra to deal with their tight curly hair.


52 posted on 05/30/2005 11:04:10 AM PDT by Nyboe ( if rich democrats really want the rich to be taxed more ... then by all means TAX RICH DEMOCRATS)
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To: alnick

I also have long, coarse, thick hair (I'm a white chick) - I am routinely charged $10 - $15 more than the usual cost of a cut, and am usually charged double for things like highlighting and coloring, because it takes twice the product and time for the colorist.

It's not unfair - it's just sensible. Dillard's will probably pay her off, though, and raise prices for everyone.


53 posted on 05/30/2005 11:04:50 AM PDT by small_l_libertarian (I hope I'm not some kind of psychopath. - Chloe O'Brien, "24")
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To: small_l_libertarian

You deserve a Gold Medal for stating the obvious.

...Methinks this Trial Lawyer wants a big Pay Day.

-Regards, T.


54 posted on 05/30/2005 11:09:25 AM PDT by T Lady (G.W. Bush to Kerry & the MSM: "I've come to settle the Family Business.")
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To: isthisnickcool
I am not a real knowledgeable person on hair care products, but I am just curious if the special rinses and straighteners that are customized for selected ethnic groups are priced the same as the stuff I can buy at the local drug store.
55 posted on 05/30/2005 11:18:57 AM PDT by pointsal
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To: LoneRangerMassachusetts
you would be upset if the store charged you more for the same thing as the next guy

Let me try this one more time. you would be upset if the store charged you more for the SAME IDENTICAL IN EVERY WAY thing as the next guy

56 posted on 05/30/2005 11:34:44 AM PDT by staytrue
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To: dominic7
Your take on the situation is how I always thought things were. Also, it explains why a man is charged less than a woman. I've seen how long it takes for a woman's hair to be done. However, a guy can get in and out in just a few minutes, unless he is having something really complicated done. I guarantee you that if a lot of people had to stand up and work on a woman's hair for an hour or so, they'd be getting paid what they think the time is worth.

In addition, I have heard that a black person's hair has to be treated differently, hence the special section of hair care products for black people.

57 posted on 05/30/2005 11:45:23 AM PDT by Paul Atreides (FACT: You can get more reliable information in a beauty shop, than from the media)
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To: Asphalt
RANT:

Why don't stores charge more for larger sizes? My wife is a petite, and she pays the same for pants or a shirt as an XXL, and those have like twice the material. Not only that, but they clearly weigh more and take up more volume, all adding costs to production and shipping.

WHY?

I DEMAND JUSTICE!

(yes, I am freaking kidding....but curious)

58 posted on 05/30/2005 11:49:01 AM PDT by TheOtherOne
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To: TheOtherOne

I mean we all pay more for S M L sodas, etc. Why not for clothes? The variable costs based on size are probably much greater in clothing than drinks or fries. I demand all Small Medium and Larges all cost the same....or all cost differnt.


59 posted on 05/30/2005 11:55:47 AM PDT by TheOtherOne
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To: staytrue
Not really. I think you would be upset if the store charged you more for the same thing as the next guy. In simple terms, it is an un american practice.

Do you feel that it's an un-American practice for women to be charged more than men to have their hair cut, even though it may take considerably longer to cut a woman's hair?

60 posted on 05/30/2005 11:59:20 AM PDT by judgeandjury
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