Nike Imoru alleges improper hair styling during ‘The Odyssey’ production led to permanent hair loss and emotional trauma.
According to the complaint, the styling left her with nonscarring alopecia and extensive hair loss.
“My hair’s falling out — I don’t know what to do. My hair’s falling out,” Imoru told NBC Boston, describing the moment she realized the extent of the damage.
Imoru performed five roles in the production and said her hair was styled in tight cornrows with added extensions to accommodate quick costume changes. She contends the combination of tension and extension hair created continuous twisting that harmed her scalp.
“Between the tension and the extension hair, it caused a damage so that the corkscrew style extension continued to twist,” she said.
Beyond the physical impact, Imoru described emotional distress in the months that followed. “Dissociation, trauma, anxiety, fear, dread, a real shredding, I would say, of my mental health over the course of a year,” she said.
As reported by NBC Boston, in her lawsuit, Imoru alleges that A.R.T. failed to properly account for the care required for textured hair and treated her differently from other cast members. The complaint states that despite the theater’s previous public commitments to equity, it caused “grave and lasting harm” through “careless and stereotypical assumptions about her textured hair.”
“Textured hair requires particular types of care,” Imoru said. “I don’t believe that was followed through.” She added that clearer communication and direct consultation could have prevented the outcome.
Five years ago, A.R.T. issued a public apology for past instances of racial discrimination. The theater did not respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit.
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Source: Black Enterprise
