Your Experience Matters
Behind every statistic is a lived experience. Behind the finding that Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional (Dove/LinkedIn, 2023) are thousands of individual moments — a comment in a meeting, a policy that demanded conformity, a child who came home from school in tears, a job interview that ended differently than it should have.
CROWN’s research translates these experiences into evidence. The CROWN Discrimination Index quantifies what individuals have always known. The Data Commons ensures that no experience is lost.
But the evidence begins with you.
Who Can Share
Anyone living in Europe who has experienced or witnessed hair-based discrimination is invited to share their story. This includes — but is not limited to:
- Being told your natural hair is “unprofessional” or “inappropriate” at work
- Being asked or required to alter your hair to conform to grooming policies
- Experiencing negative comments, touching, or unwanted attention because of your hair texture
- Being treated differently in school, healthcare, or public settings because of your hair
- Witnessing hair-based discrimination directed at others — colleagues, family members, children
Your story can be as brief or as detailed as you choose. You may share anonymously.
How Your Story Is Used
Stories submitted through this form contribute to CROWN’s qualitative research base. They are used to:
- Inform the design of CDI survey instruments — ensuring that the questions we ask reflect the experiences people actually have
- Illustrate research findings in policy briefs and publications (with explicit consent, and anonymised unless you choose otherwise)
- Identify patterns and emerging forms of discrimination that quantitative surveys may not yet capture
- Strengthen the evidence base for legislative advocacy — demonstrating to policymakers that hair discrimination is real, pervasive, and harmful
Stories are never shared externally without your explicit consent. They are stored securely, processed in accordance with GDPR and Swiss data protection law (nDSG), and accessible only to CROWN’s research team. For full details, see our Privacy Policy.
Share Your Story
Your story contributes to a body of evidence that grows stronger with every voice. Thank you for trusting CROWN with your experience.