A black Banana Republic employee was punished for wearing braids to work
In news that will have you shaking your damn head, a young black Banana Republic employee was punished for wearing braids to her job as a salesperson because, you know, whiteness.
Destiny Tompkins, who works at a Banana Republic outpost at the Westchester Mall just outside of New York City, says she was pulled aside by the shop’s management (aka the Hair Police) after the store’s district manager, a white woman, stopped by for a visit.
The offense? According to Tompkins, her manager “Mike,” a white man, told her that her protective box braids hairstyle was not “Banana Republic appropriate” and was “too ‘urban’ and ‘unkempt’” for the store’s image. UGGGGHHHHHH!!!
“I came in [to Mike’s office] and he questioned me about the dress code and immediately, I thought there was something wrong with my outfit,” Tompkins wrote in a viral Facebook post published Wednesday. “But he sat me down and questioned my hair instead.”
And that’s not even the long and short of it. Mike refused to schedule Tompkins for future shifts at the shop until she took out her braids. When Tompkins pointed out that her box braids helped protect her locks from breakage in the cold-weather months, Manager Mike hairsplained her, suggesting she apply shea butter to her strands instead. But Tompkins was having none of it.
"Box braids are not a matter of unprofessionalism, they are protective styles black women have used for their hair," wrote Tompkins on Facebook. "To be discriminated against because of it is truly disgusting and unacceptable."
So basically your Black employees should imitate White ones because that is the “correct” image?! Inclusive my ass!! #boycottbananarepublic
— 𝚓 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚎 🧸 (@raesofsunn) October 7, 2017
Naturally, the whole experience left Tompkins in knots. “I have never been so humiliated and degraded in my life by a white person,” Tompkins wrote. Feeling too “uncomfortable and overwhelmed” to complete her shift, Tompkins went home early.
After calling the store to find out the manager’s last name (Tompkins has only been employed at the store for a month), her manager refused to give it to her. So she took to Facebook to share her story, and in just three days, her post has received 10,000 likes and over 36,000 shares.
When you walk into work on Monday after plotting the fall of white supremacy within your company #boycottbananarepublic pic.twitter.com/KpWTDhGgcP
— AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM (@YFSE5) October 6, 2017
Yesterday, Banana Republic’s spokesperson Sheikina Liverpool told The Cut, “As a company, we have zero tolerance for discrimination. We take this matter very seriously and we are actively conducting an investigation. We are committed to upholding an inclusive environment where our customers and our employees feel respected.”
@BananaRepublic @GapInc Since my hair would also be “too urban” for your look, I’m cancelling my credit card. #BoycottBananaRepublic #Racist
— ᴀɴɢᴇʟᴏ ᴍᴀʀᴛɪɴᴇᴢ (@ObatalaMartinez) October 7, 2017
For now, Tompkins hopes her experience exposes the “blatant racism and discrimination” practiced by the brand. “There’s no reason why a white person should feel allowed to tell me that I can’t wear my hair the way that I want because it’s too black for their store image.”
