Texan Woman Fired For Refusing To Color Her Gray Hair

by Justin Fenner | 6:01 pm, July 11th, 2011

Nothing like a little workplace discrimination to end the day, right? A Texan woman claims she was fired from her well-paid job as an office manager because she refused to comply with her boss’s request that she dye her gray hair and dress younger than her age.

Sandra Rawline, 52, was a manager for Capitol Title of Texas for years until her boss suggested she dye her hair in August 2009. He also requested that she wear “younger fancy suits” and more jewelry to take on a younger appearance.

Rawline, who says she’s had gray hair since she was in her 20s, refused to do so. Less than a week later, she says she was replaced by a woman ten years her junior.

The Houston Chronicle reports that Rawline has filed an age discrimination and retaliation suit in Houston’s federal district court — but the company she used to keep says her story doesn’t gel with what actually happened.

Capital Title of Texas said in a statement that it didn’t terminate Rawline because of her age or appearance, but because one of its customers no longer wanted to do business with her.

“Since the customer refused to work with her any longer, there would be no job left for her,” according to the statement, which did not detail reasons for the customer’s preference. The company added that three employees who are 64 years old still work with the customer.

But Capitol Title of Texas is, according to its website, the largest independent title company in the state. Surely if one client didn’t like working with Rawline, there were others she could have kept on working with? Rawline’s lawsuit is careful to point out that she heard of no job-related complaints (including the dissatisfied client) before or on the day she was fired. She was even awarded with employee excellence awards in 2005 and 2006, along with a promotion in 2008.

It sounds to us like Rawline has the upper hand in this case, but do you think she deserved to be fired for one complaint after years of exemplary service? Or was she fired because she wouldn’t dye her hair?

[The Houston Chronicle via The Huffington Post]

Age Discrimination Gray Hair Gray Hair Lawsuit hair dye Hair Dye Lawsuit

Fcolon5825

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IF SHE HAD GREY HAIR OR NO HAIR, SHE WAS DOING HER JOB FOR A CLIENT. AND HER AWARDS SHOWS IT FROM THE COMPANY SHE WORKS FOR.
http://twitter.com/fathertimema John Casy

I don’t blame this comoany for firing her. I for one do not like gray hair on a woman. I would never hire a broad with gray hair. This bimbo should of color her hair and dress younger and sexy.
She needs to learn this is a mans world. Do as your told. At work and in bed..
I know a woman whos in her 40s with gray hair. She looks like dog meat. Shes so stupid she thinks gray hair is great.
BOBSMATE

WHAT A IDIOT YOU ARE!!!!!!!!
Anonymous

John Casy is only trying to elicit outrage from others. Don’t play along because behind every comment like he made is some twisted little dwarf that wouldn’t know what to do with a woman with any color of hair.
soundguy

believe it IDIOTS exist !
chaz

John Casy sounds like the type of person that could’nt get it at a cat house with a thousand dollars in his pocket!
Parissa

John Casey doesn’t like grey-haired women! Really? Well, I don’t like dscriminatory men! Where do you work Mr. Casey? I’d like to wage a complaint against you, then, perhaps, your ’female, grey-haired’ boss will fire you, too! Of course Sandra Rawline was fired for other than ‘a client disliking her.’ She was fired, primarily, because she didn’t ‘bow’ to her manager’s dictate! Her dismissal was more about ‘power over her’ than it having to do with grey hair. But had she colored her hair as requested he would have found something else to complain about later on: ”Wear shorter skirts,’ or, ”More cleavage,” or “More make-up,” etc., etc., etc. Once you give in to a bully there is no stopping them! If anyone should be fired, it’s the ‘manager!’ I hope Sandra Rawline soon OWNS the Title Company as a result of her lawsuit! She would if I were the judge in this case! Good Luck, Sandra!
Berneice

Hate to inform people,but most people have a few grey hairs in their head by the time they are 35. Just because they die their hair doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I found my first grey hair at 16,and have never dyed my hair. at 55 most of my hair is white,but not all. Why put more chemicals on your body than you have to.Too much dyeing and perming makes the hair dry and straw like and it thins it.I like the natural look. It costs a lot less too.
Jjackson

its a great story ms. rawline has told, however, it is completely fabricated. She already worked in the Galleria area for many years with her gray hair. during the last year of her employment she was completely unraveling. she could work with no one and got into repeated altercations with customers and coworkers. her hygene was a serious issue, not her hair color. she reeked of alcohol on an increasingly regular basis and was combative with all. she can spin her tale all she wants, but somewhere in there she knows the truth.
http://www.facebook.com/jespurp jessica elizalde

why do people do stupid things like this? i mean really. people just mind themselves. so what if you are a transexual. so what if you have a sleeve. so what if you are a christian. so what if you don’t eat meat. REALLY? people just let people be people and the world may be a better place and we wouldn’t have people loosing their job over a natural loss of pigment.
http://www.facebook.com/jespurp jessica elizalde

OH!!!! OH! also sounds like she was sexually harrassed. so THAT is not acceptable
Loveinhair123

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Guest

No wonder the title company is so angry. They should have called in a lawyer and told her exactly why they were terminating her. I believe every word you said because I know her. She is very obnoxious and seems to delight in it, she will do anything for attention no matter how uncomfortable she makes someone.

Texan Woman Fired For Refusing To Color Her Gray Hair

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