Woman Gets Fired For The Color Of Her Hair - And Her Father's Response Goes Viral

Trending | Uplifting

Woman Gets Fired For The Color Of Her Hair - And Her Father's Response Goes Viral

Fox News

Have you ever judged someone solely on their appearance? Most of us have, even though we know that's the wrong thing to do.

I remember having such difficulty finding a job because of the tattoos on my hands and arms. I didn't see how that meant I was uneducated or lesser than anyone else applying for those jobs.

If anything, I was probably overqualified. But every time I walked into that interview office, someone would judge me on my form of self-expression.

My tattoos used to make me feel confident, but now they've ruined my self-esteem, making me feel isolated from the world.

And then there was my dad, who told me every day to not go get another tattoo because one day I would regret all of them. So after 10 job interviews and being turned down for each one because of my body art, my dad felt like he could tell me "I told you so."

That being said, there are some fathers that are even worse when it comes to how their daughters choose to present themselves to the world.

For example, one father chopped off his daughter's beautiful highlighted locks on her 13th birthday, completely humiliating her and making her feel like an outcast. The father did this only because he didn't like the idea of his daughter's hair being highlighted. Ridiculous, right?

While some fathers are extremely unsupportive, there are some who will come to their daughter's rescue in a heartbeat.

Joe Blakeney was appalled when his 19-year-old daughter came home one day telling him that she got fired because of the color of her hair.

He decided to take matters into his own hands.

Blakeney posted of a photo of his daughter, Jess, and himself on Twitter, condemning her previous employer's decision, and encouraging people to hire her.

"Hey Twitter. This is my eldest daughter, Jess. She's had a fairly rubbish time lately. Her last employer decided her hair color was stopping her work productivity and fired her. She's desperate to get another job. She's a hard worker and good kid," he wrote on the social media platform.

The father-daughter duo from Brighton, England went viral, their story resonating with thousands around the world.

"Even though I added the part about my daughter being fired in her last job because of her hair, I didn't add it to cause a stir. If anything we had already accepted the discrimination and moved on," Blakeney said.

"It's only the people who have replied to my tweet that have made me realize that the reason for her being fired is actually a big deal. It seems there are many, many people being discriminated against in the workplace, not just because of the color of their hair. We're talking race, age, sex, gender, disability to name but a few reasons," he added.

The post has received more than 9,000 retweets and 13,000 likes. Hundreds commented and shared their own stories.

"I too suffer from major depression and anxiety. My hair color is the one thing in my life that I can control. Thankfully my current employer (in a white collar job) doesn't have a problem with it. Good luck!!!" wrote one Twitter user.

"This whole thread is amazing. Hair color and tattoos have zero bearing on a person's ability to do a job. Glad this is getting some attention and good luck on the job hunt!" wrote another.

"What a great thing you're doing. My own daughter has been on the receiving end of similar ... behavior because of how she chooses to look," one father commented.

Jess's colorful locks. Fox News

Blakeney and his daughter are simply delighted by the positive response, and hope their posts inspires people to be less judgmental.

"Just be good, have fun, party, spend time with your family, respect others and do nice things for people without wanting something in return. We're not here for a long time, so let's make it a good time! ," Blakeney concluded.

According to Fox News, Jess has received a lot of job offers ever since her post has gone viral! We wish her the best!

Have you ever been discriminated at work solely because of your appearance?

[Source: Fox News]

Moojan has been a writer at Shared for a year. When she's not on the lookout for viral content, she's looking at cute animal photos. Reach her at moojan@shared.com.