16-Year-Old Chick-Fil-A Worker Fired Over Hair Color Strikes Back

Injustice

Michelle Turner couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Many fellow employees had changed their hairstyles before, and no one ever confronted them about it. She felt like they were singling her out. How did something so simple turn into such a big deal?

She pulled her apron over her head and dropped it on the desk before her. She felt utterly destroyed.

She knew that they were in the wrong, and she refused to let them get away with it. She was going to get her revenge if it was the last thing she ever did.

New Braids

When she first had her hair done, she was over the moon.

After months of saving up, she could finally afford the braids she’d wanted for so long. Michelle had always taken great pride in her appearance.

She had a shift at her local Chick-Fil-A later that day, and she couldn’t wait to show off her new look. Little did she know that someone had it out for her all along.

A Valuable Employee

That day, her shift started like any other. She stood behind the counter, taking orders, and working the cash register.

Michelle was charismatic and energetic, and every customer loved her. In her mind, she knew she was a valuable employee.

She got on well with colleagues, and even considered them to be her friends. But, she had no idea that she was better off keeping her distance from one of them.

She Was Staring

When she first noticed the manager staring, she didn’t think much of it.

She didn’t assume that anything suspicious was going on. As far as she was concerned, the older woman was just keeping an eye on the place.

It wasn’t until she began to approach her that the strange sensation in the pit of her stomach flared up. Something was up.

The Manager

Jocelyn, her manager, had been staring at her since she walked through the doors.

She wore a deep frown across her forehead, her eyes following the blonde braids that sprawled across Michelle’s back.

She reached a hand out to her hair, pulling lightly on one of the braids. Her stare was cold and harsh, sending shivers down Michelle’s spine. What was she doing?

Was Something Wrong?

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” Michelle greeted. She was friendly as ever, but Jocelyn didn’t so much as crack a smile. Michelle was concerned. Was something wrong?

The older woman folded her arms across her chest. She kept a stern eye on Michelle’s hair before clearing her throat.

“You changed your hair?” But she didn’t sound as enthusiastic as Michelle had hoped. Things were about to take a very dark turn.

A Vendetta

“Yes ma’am, I had it done this morning.” Michelle smiled, trying to remain positive in such a tense situation. She was proud of her gorgeous new hair, but Jocelyn didn’t seem impressed in the slightest.

Michelle was concerned. She had always felt like Jocelyn had some kind of vendetta against her. She was never quite as friendly as she was to everyone else.

She treated the other employees differently, especially the ones that didn’t look like Michelle. Soon, she would find herself in a terrifying situation.

Excitement

When Michelle Turner woke up that morning, she couldn’t help the excitement that coursed through her veins. She had been waiting for this day for months.

After saving every last penny, she could finally afford the beautiful, long braids that she’d been dreaming of.

The hours felt like minutes as she sat in the salon chair. She kept thinking about work, wondering if her fellow employees at Chick-Fil-A would love her new style as much as she did. She had no way of knowing that the change would have serious consequences.

A Good Employee

She had been working at a local Chick-Fil-A in Atlanta, Georgia for over a year at this point.

In that time, she had more than proven herself capable. She was loyal and committed to her job, and she never left anyone hanging.

Over time, she managed to become great friends with most of her fellow employees. As far as she was concerned, they all cared for and respected each other. But she was about to learn just how wrong she was.

An Important Feature

When she first showed up for her shift, she rushed to the back of the small restaurant. After pulling her brand-new braids into a high ponytail, she slipped an apron over her head. She couldn’t help but smile when she glanced at her reflection in one of the windows.

Her hair had always been an important feature. She switched it up regularly, but she’d never tried anything like this before.

The blonde braids complimented the light brown tint of her skin, and she knew that she looked gorgeous. But someone else had a different opinion and a sinister plan in mind.

Refreshing

Throughout her first two hours at work, many employees and customers complimented her new look. They had all gotten used to her naturally black hair, but the blonde was refreshing and unique.

She went about her day feeling fabulous. As usual, she served every customer with a wide smile on her face.

She believed in treating everyone with respect, but she was about to get disrespected in the worst way possible.

Someone Was Staring

Everything seemed normal until she found herself helping one of their usual customers.

The old man stood before her, waiting patiently as she gathered his meal and placed it in a brown paper bag.

She placed it on the counter before him, and that’s when she noticed a figure from the corner of her eye. Someone was staring at her and she hadn’t noticed until just then.

Her Manager

When she turned to the figure, she broke into a nervous smile. It was her manager, Jocelyn, and she was staring right back at her.

Michelle didn’t think much of it at first, but the deep frown on Jocelyn’s face made her stomach drop.

She had always been stern and firm with employees. Michelle assumed it came with the job, but she always felt like Jocelyn was extra harsh with her.

They Never Got Along

Although Michelle got along with almost everyone she worked with, Jocelyn wasn’t one of them. She tried, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Jocelyn didn’t like her very much.

Michelle always tried to be friendly, but she never knew where she stood with the grumpy, older woman.

She only ever spoke to Michelle when something was wrong, like when a customer complained, or when she didn’t agree with something Michelle said. Their interactions were anything but pleasant.

She Disliked Her

She often found herself wondering why the older woman disliked her so much. She noticed how much friendlier she was with the other employees, the ones who didn’t quite look like her.

She wanted to be in Jocelyn’s good books, but she seemed to have some kind of vendetta against her.

Michelle swallowed the lump in her throat as the old woman’s eyes narrowed on her. Was there a problem?

She Approached

Jocelyn began approaching the second the old man left. Her eyes remained focused on Michelle until she reached her. “Good morning, ma’am,” Michelle greeted, remaining as friendly as ever.

But the odd sensation in the pit of her stomach grew when the older woman didn’t respond.

Instead, she reached a hand out to the braids on Michelle’s shoulder. She touched them, lifting one as she inspected it closely. “You changed your hair?” She spoke with a single eyebrow raised.

Harsh Gaze

Michelle frowned slightly. She always hated it when people touched her hair without her permission, but she let it slide. “Yes ma’am,” She breathed, “I had the braids added this morning,” She grinned, glad that the old woman noticed.

But Jocelyn’s harsh gaze didn’t falter, not even the glimpse of a smile tugging at her lips.

“Hm, tell me, Miss Michelle. Are you familiar with our company’s policies?” At that moment, Michelle knew that something horrible was coming.

A Violation

“Yes ma’am,” She stammered. Surely the old woman didn’t have a problem with her hair, right? She racked her brain, but she didn’t know why the old woman was targeting her.

“Well, then you ought to know that your braids are a violation of the company’s policy,” She dropped the braid from her hand before folding her arms across her chest.

“I expect you to have it sorted by tomorrow morning,” Jocelyn smirked at the concerned look on Michelle’s face.

They Were Neat

She was in a complete state of shock. She had never experienced anything like this before.

How was this a violation of the company’s policies? The braids were neat and small. There was nothing crazy or messy about them.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” She frowned up at the old woman, “I don’t understand. Am I not allowed to have braids in my hair?” She was confused, but the situation was about to get a lot worse.

Unnatural

Jocelyn rolled her eyes and huffed at the girl. Michelle had changed her hair many times before, but why did Jocelyn have a problem with this specific style?

“You can have braids in your hair, but these are blonde. I’m going to need you to leave and come back once it’s taken out.

It’s an unnatural color on you, we can’t have that” She shrugged and turned on her heel before making her way to the kitchen.

Her Request

Michelle couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her jaw dropped to the ground as she followed the older woman into the back. She didn’t want to fight, but her request was ridiculous.

Many other employees had shown up to work with unnatural colors in their hair.

They were never asked to leave and they were never asked to change their hair back. Michelle knew that she was being treated unfairly. But she wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

She Followed Her

She followed Jocelyn into the back of the kitchen. She couldn’t let the old woman get away with this. She was singling her out, and she knew that it wasn’t fair.

“Ma’am,” She called from behind her, but Jocelyn kept walking, pretending that she didn’t hear her.

Michelle followed her into her office, staring down at her as she took a seat at the desk. The old woman looked up at her over the brim of her glasses, the same stern look on her face.

Apathetic Woman

“I do not believe that I am being treated fairly, ma’am,” She started, tears pinching at the back of her eyes as she looked down at the apathetic woman. “I am not the only employee who has an “unnatural” hair color at the moment.”

She spent so much money on the braids, and she’d wanted them for so long.

She couldn’t believe that the cruel woman wanted her to remove them. No one else had any issues with her hair. She knew that this was all because of Jocelyn’s vendetta against her.

A Harsh Response

“Michelle, save your tears,” Jocelyn rolled her eyes.

“I pulled you aside because of a uniform violation.”

Michelle couldn’t help the tears that spilled from her eyes as the old woman continued, “Now, you can go home and remove those braids from your hair, then you are more than welcome to come back and work in the restaurant. But I do not want to see you until they’re gone.”

Standing Up For Herself

Michelle was taken aback by the older woman’s harsh tone of voice. She couldn’t believe it. It felt like she was in school again, being treated like a child who couldn’t make her own decisions. She wouldn’t allow that.

“With all due respect, ma’am, I will not be removing the braids from my hair,” Her hands shook as she tried to stick up for herself, “I spent a lot of money on them, and I will not allow you to single me out.”

But there was nothing Jocelyn hated more than being spoken back to.

Intimidation

She stood up from her desk and removed the glasses from her face.

She then placed her palms flat against the wooden table before her, leaning over it. Jocelyn glared into Michelle’s eyes as she muttered.

“Then you can hand me your apron and be on your way. I will not be disrespected in my restaurant,” She spat.

Enough Was Enough

Michelle wiped the tears from her face as she pulled the apron over her head.

This wasn’t the first time she had been treated like this by the old woman. She respected herself too much to let her get away with this.

She dropped the apron on the old woman’s desk. Michelle wasn’t going to let her get away with this. She had let this go on for far too long.

No Time To Waste

Michelle left the restaurant as fast as she could. She wouldn’t waste another second on the horrible old woman. But she wasn’t going to let it go either.

As she hopped into her car, she immediately reached out to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and filed a complaint.

To add fuel to the fire, she took matters to Facebook.

Every Last Detail

She posted about the entire situation online, giving every last detail as she spoke about discrimination and workplace intimidation.

She had suffered this treatment for over a year, and she wanted Jocelyn to pay for it.

Michelle promised herself that she would never change herself to fit into someone else’s ideal image.

A Viral Story

Her story went viral overnight, and she was overwhelmed by all of the love and support she received from all over the world.

Many more women came forward to share their experiences with the same kind of discrimination.

While Michelle had become a national hero, she wondered what would happen next. Would the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission be able to help her?

 

Disclaimer: To protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.