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In April, Karina Carla, 35, returned from vacation with a different look. She, who was going through a hair transition, opted for braids. The decision did not please the medical clinic where the receptionist worked for more than six years, in Nova Lima, in Grande BH (MG).
The claim was that the appearance did not match the image of the place. Six days after refusing to make changes to her hair, Karina was fired. The case ended in court, which ordered him to pay R $ 30,000 for moral damages. The lawsuit was released yesterday by the Regional Labor Court (TRT). The receptionist and clinic filed appeals, which will be judged by the agency.
In the process, Karina said her former boss, noticing the braids, took a photo of her for evaluation by an image consultant that provided services to the site. In a phone call, the consultant, with the employer’s knowledge, reportedly embarrassed Karina and told her to remove her braids.
In the transcript of the conversation, which appears in the process, there is an excerpt showing the consultant saying that the new look is very informal for Karina’s profession, especially in the standard of the clinic, with the clients being served.
“You can’t work with him, he’s very casual, you know, there are even hairstyles, some haircuts that are actually a very casual, very casual company dress code, [e] it doesn’t fit like a bank, a medical clinic, those things, “said the consultant, who also said that the next day she would send another professional to the clinic” so that he can teach how to make a bun, some things for the day. “
TO TwitterKarina reported that she stood firm in her decision not to remove her braids, despite being scared.
“I’m not going to deny that I was scared, because I needed that job and was being pressured by the owner of the clinic and her image consultant,” she said, who also defended braids as part of what she is.
“The braid, in addition to helping me with the hair transition, is part of my identity and culture.”
The clinic claims that the dismissal was caused by the fall of the movement
The medical clinic claimed that Karina’s firing was the result of a drastic drop in movement caused by the covid-19 pandemic. In addition, he stated that the receptionist has always been valued and praised. The company also noted that Karina was not determined to straighten her hair. The image consultant stressed that there was no discriminatory treatment, only the request for a formal hairstyle.
In the ruling of the case, Judge Henrique Macedo recognized that the economic effects of the pandemic may have led the clinic to reduce its staff. However, he argued that the firing was at least due to the fact that Karina had refused to change her look, as her firing occurred less than a week after the image consultant spoke with the receptionist.
Citing various authors, the magistrate noted that braids are a “relevant ancestry symbol for most black women and comprise a set of aesthetic resources that have been used for a long time, but which, today, tend to have a very significant impact on the release. ” image of these women and in the process of (re) building their self-esteem “.
The judge also assessed that there is no element of condemnation in the process that indicates that Karina’s braids were inappropriate to wear in her workplace, in addition to highlighting the veiled racism in society.
“Most of the time, especially in a society that believes in living a racial democracy, it is necessary to deepen the behavior so that it is possible to understand the underlying motivations and, above all, the consequences of these actions. When they are scanned and revealed the underlying intentions, it seems that racism is a problem present in the ‘DNA’ of society, that is, it is projected throughout the structure of relationships that form the institutions (family, church, companies, political parties, etc. ) “.
“Don’t shut up”
Divorced and in the hands of two teenagers, the receptionist says that she speaks to them in the same way that she tells other people who have suffered or may suffer a situation similar to the one she went through.
“I talk to them the same way I tell others: ‘Don’t be silent, fight and don’t accept,'” he emphasizes.
“I believe that by fighting for beliefs and values, we can equalize what is equal, but it is treated with prejudice.”
