POPSUGAR UK

After a Woman Was Fired For Having Purple Hair, Her Dad's Tweet Went Viral

13/04/2018 - 06:45 PM

Hey Twitter. This is my eldest daughter, Jess. She's had a fairly rubbish time lately. Her last employer decided her hair colour was stopping her work productivity and fired her. She's desperate to get another job. She's a hard worker and good kid. Area: Brighton RT's appreciated pic.twitter.com/7hFQlNxQwB [1]

— Sir JBizzlington of Brighton (@JBizzleBeard) March 25, 2018 [2]

Job hunting can be brutal. Looking for employment while sporting a nontraditional hair colour can unfortunately make the pursuit even harder. One woman named Jess, who hails from Brighton, is going through the struggle right now — but her father's heartwarming tweet of support is currently going viral.

On March 25, Joe Blakeney posted a snapshot of him toasting with his daughter Jess, who currently rocks a gorgeous blue-purple ombré hair colour. Blakeney wrote, "Hey Twitter, this is my eldest daughter, Jess. She's had a fairly rubbish time lately. Her last employer decided her hair [colour] was stopping her work productivity and fired her." He went on to write that Jess is a "hard worker and good kid," but she hasn't had the easiest time finding another job. As he put it, she's "desperate" for a gig.

The post quickly went viral, with over 13,000 likes and 9,000 retweets. Many commenters shared how they've faced similar challenges during their job searches, and the thread has become a celebration of individuality and rainbow hair.

Blakeney told POPSUGAR that the post was a spontaneous decision made as he watched Jess get ready for an interview. "I had a momentary brain wave that I could possibly do something for her. After all, what kind of parent wouldn't want to help their child out?" He didn't intend for the post to go viral. "I was hoping to get three or four retweets at best, and to ask anyone in the local area for any employment opportunities."

The family's hometown of Brighton is known for its bohemian sensibilities, and Blakeney said that he's never seen Jess face discrimination for her hair colour previous to the firing. In fact, "She was hired with the hair [colour], and then got fired a year-and-a-half down the line as they had 'changed their mind.'"

The tweet has inspired quite a few interview offers, including one from Lush, which is well-known for its commitment to diversity when it comes to staffing each store.

Hey there! Here's the link to our Brighton store- https://t.co/zMPaAJxcXh [3] She can keep in touch with them regarding vacancies. At Lush we welcome diversity, the brighter the hair the better 😍 Good Luck! -Victoria 🌸

— LUSH UK (@LushLtd) March 26, 2018 [4]

As Jess continues her search, she has set up a Go Fund Me [5] that's currently exceeded its goal by almost eight times. Even with this widespread attention, Blakeney insists that "My intentions are still the same now as they were when I composed the original tweet. To help my daughter find a job."


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/beauty/Dad-Tweets-After-Daughter-Loses-Her-Job-Because-Her-Hair-44711802