Good Hair

Sometimes you watch something that compels you to keep on watching.....it’s often a strange You Tube video like the one of the little person miming to Rihanna's Only Girl - I'm not sure if car crash TV is the right expression but essentially you find yourself mesmerised, glued to the images even though every fibre in your body tells you there is something so wrong going on and that your time would be better spent reading a book or rewriting that CV.

Chris Rock's documentary 'Good Hair' however, compels you in a more positive way; it should be a must for every black person and for every person who has a child with afro hair. The comedian's depiction of the black hair industry as documented in this film left me at a loss for words. I get the hair thing of course; I grew up with a clear idea of what was considered 'good hair' and 'bad hair'. Like most little girls, regardless of colour, I dreamt of having long flowing hair à la Rapunzel. I also had my hair relaxed in my teens as a special treat after pestering my mum for years on end. Therefore I get the issues relating to black hair; however I had no concept of the complexities of the black hair industry. For instance, I know about weaves but never imagined for a second that women spent that much money on them or that they came from hindu temples in India. Chris Rock opened my eyes to a world that I was relieved to note, I no longer inhabit.

He interviewed a lot of black celebrities from Rev. Al Sharpton and his permed hair to Maya Angelou who confessed to relaxing her hair for the first time at the age of 70. It was quite refreshing to see Stars like Nia Long, Salt n Pepa and Meagan Good being honest about their weaves and opening up about the all important but rather delicate subject of black women and their hair. In a superficial world where the thin, long haired, beautiful Hollywood Stars all like to pretend that they look as good as they do with little or no effort, it was nice to see Raven Symone demonstrate that she was wearing a weave (which she loves) by giving it a playful tug. Likewise it was brave of Nia Long to admit that getting her hair wet whether in a pool or the shower was a no-no.

I doubt Good Hair will change people's habits but it may make them think a little bit more about what they do especially where children are concerned. Although I largely believe that the hairstyles people choose do not necessarily reflect who they are, I do think knowing the composition of what you put on your two year child's head should play some part in your quest for her to have manageable hair.

Whilst hair can be fun and playful and about changing your appearance, it can also have some pretty serious health consequences. Good Hair is an eye opener of a documentary that had me strangely captivated.
Good Hair