Coffee No Cream Ep. 69 - Should Black Women Dress Down for an Insecure Boss?

Should you dress down so your insecure boss feels comfortable? Or is that a hill worth dying on?

Tai Robinson is back, and she’s not giving you the fairy tale version. After years as an HR director, she’s watched appearance keep people out of leadership, and she’s lived it too.

Every time she went job hunting, she straightened her natural hair. Not because she wanted to, but because her goal was the offer, and she had no idea what the person across the table believed.

We dig into your comments from Episode 66 with Beverly Dines: dressing better than your boss, the “conform or move on” reality, why her blue hair is “cool” and ours gets called something else, the CROWN Act, what to ask when someone pulls you aside about your attire, and why Tai tells employees please don’t bring your whole self to work. If you’ve ever been told you’re too much, too dressed, or too different at work, this one is for you.

Connect with Tai Robinson LinkedIn Book: Surviving Toxic Workplaces Listen to Episode 66 with Beverly Dines ☕ Join the Coffee No Cream Community We talk about career, confidence, workplace trauma, healing, and navigating life as Black women, without apology. ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the private Facebook group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Access 2,000+ free educational resources ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Motion Hour with Erin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to figure out your next step ⏰ TIMESTAMPS (0:00) Preview (2:53) Tai Robinson returns (3:43) Can a Black woman be too well dressed at work? (7:38) Should you dress down to protect your boss’s ego? (8:33) Conform or move on (13:52) Appearance when you work remote (16:26) Hair, policies, and the CROWN Act (22:16) Her blue hair is “cool,” ours is “ghetto” (29:43) When someone says your appearance is a problem (32:52) Legit feedback or BS? Questions to ask (42:28) Please don’t bring your whole self to work (43:16) 3 things the HR handbook won’t tell you (45:00) Wrap up