The Truth About "Good Hair"

In the documentary, “Good Hair” Chris Rock does a great job exploring and revealing the complex cultural and even socioeconomic issues that revolve around Black hair. Black, White, relaxed, nappy or bald, every woman will be able to relate to the lengths, (no pun intended), women go to in order to achieve a hairstyle she believes is attractive and/or “acceptable” regardless of the monetary and even physical cost.

Men who view this film will not only get a deeper understanding of what Black women put themselves through to be cute, but Black men will also possibly see some of their own sentiments expressed about their experience with Black women and hair. One guy in the film said he felt more intimacy with White women because they allow men to touch their hair, whereas most Black women don’t. (Since when does the level of intimacy diminish just because you can’t do a root check?) But the controversy of Black hair doesn’t end there.

“Good Hair" delves into not only what Black women endure to achieve and/or meet the standard for beautiful hair, but explores the deeply rooted influence of where that standard comes from and its effects on Black women’s perception of their own natural allure. In other words, Black girls have been taught to believe their kinks are cursed and must have straight, silky, superior hair. And we’ve been going through hell and high water not to mention buckets of relaxer to get our tresses to bounce and behave. I, a Black woman who had been led to believe that straightening my hair was the only way to deal with my “unmanageable” mane am currently transitioning from relaxed to natural hair, and loving it!

I was always given the impression that my coarse hair had to be straightened, tamed if you will. I can’t remember when I got my first relaxer, but I do remember being told that my hair was too thick and coarse to be worn naturally and it wouldn’t “hold a press”. And I remember envying the light skin-ded girls whose hair cascaded down their backs and could achieve spiraling tendrils with just a spritz of water.

After thousands of dollars and possibly the same amount of hours spent in the hair salon enduring the temple singeing sting of a perm in the effort to get my roots as straight as possible, I’m done. I just can’t do it anymore. Not to mention the stress and tear inducing trials of hair breaking off and coming out from over processing and the overall fragility of hair that’s natural composition has been chemically altered. For girls who wanna do it, cool, but I‘m out and I’m learning to love my nappy, kinky, strong, versatile hair in its natural state after a lifetime of being made to feel afraid of my spongy, coarse crown.

I don’t know how many times a hair dresser has complained about having to deal with my hair. I have watched a stylist break into a sweat trying to work a jar of “super” relaxer through my roots and telling me, “girl you are putting me to work!” I began to hate my hair because of its difficulty to control. In retrospect it probably wasn’t anything more than hateration, and I have finally learned to appreciate my naps as they are virtually indestructible in their natural form. I also recognize a woman’s right to do whatever she needs to do to feel beautiful to herself. And though we as a community are making strides and embracing a broader definition of “fine”, I do wish the idea of Black beauty was more diverse.

“Good Hair”, with hilarious appearances by Ice-T, T-Pain, Nia Long, and Al Sharpton, (who opens up about how and why he dons his (in)famous roller set), among others, is interesting, intriguing informative and highly entertaining. There are parts where you will cry tears of laughter. Black women will see reflections of themselves as the common cultural experiences surrounding Black hair are examined and discussed honestly, empathetically and with Chris Rock’s intelligent brand of provocative wit. “Good Hair” is a good way to have a good time.



How do you feel about Black hair?

Janet Remembers and Smiles...

A great smile is probably the best feature a person can have. And with everything that everyone seems to be going through, a smile can be a hard thing to come by these days.

Janet Jackson has always had one of the most fabulous smiles in Hollywood and beyond. You can pretty much hear the "ding!" bounce off her grill whenever she opens her mouth. Regardless of the "changes" the Jackson crew is famous for, an infectious smile that makes you go "wow!" is something not even the most talented surgeon can create. You cannot manufacture the infectious joy that is inspired by a certain twinkle in the eye and those famous round cheeks that invoke a warm and oddly optimistic sensation; kind of like how you feel when you see an excited child on Christmas morning. That cannot be faked.

In October's issue of Harper's Bazaar the dazzle of her smile is mentioned as Janet lovingly remembers her brother:

..."He loved to laugh. The last time we were together, he'd laugh so hard, he would just start crying. Sometimes his humor would be corny, sometimes dry..."

She smiles at the memory, and Janet's smile is magnificent. "People have actually said that I should get it insured, but I never liked my smile until about six or seven years ago. I thought it was too wide, that it looked like the Joker! So sometimes I wouldn't smile too wide and would just kind of grin."

Janet Jackson was self conscious about her smile? Okay I guess everyone has their own insecurities, but Ms. Jackson has nothing to be shy about. Her gleaming smile has always been one of the most beautiful things about her. And hopefully there will be many more things for all of us to smile about.



Peace : )

Tyra Banks Wins Another Daytime Emmy--Why?

“The Tyra Banks Show” won a Daytime Emmy for “Best Informative Talk Show”, again, for the second straight year in a row. Why? What does this say about America when we are looking to Tyra Banks for information? The implications are frightening. Okay by definition, (informative, adj. Serving to inform; providing or disclosing information; instructive), “The Tyra Banks” show fits the bill. But MOST informative, beating out “Oprah”, “Dr. Phil”, “The Doctors”, really?

When I say to myself, “I need more information on this”, I never think, “Oh, I’ll go to Tyra Banks”. Never. Granted, TTBS has a certain audience. It’s wedged in between where “Ricki Lake” left off and ends a few stops before “Oprah”. So there is a definitive formula for shows to captivate this particular group of viewers who still want to know how to catch a cheatin’ man and how to apply a lace-front wig. (Okay to be fair, if you need a wig and don’t want it trailing down the street in a high wind, then this is in fact necessary information.) But are these kinds of topics groundbreaking or particularly edifying?

Tyra’s show may have gotten more notoriety when the infamous and foreboding clip of her interview with Chris Brown when he first revealed his exposure to domestic violence and its affects on his psyche began circulating amidst the Rihanna beat-down fall-out. But does this and other shenanigans like making the audience appear in their underwear make her show worthy of being deemed the most informative talk show? When I think “informative”, I think of something that is going to enrich, enhance or at least intrigue. Entertain is one thing; provide enlightening material that elevates my existence is another.

It’s great that Tyra has successfully transformed her career from model to media mogul and has chosen to tackle some topics of substance. However, at this point in television pretty much everything has been done and the task becomes taking old issues and presenting them in a fresh light, (with a host who has a bit more presence and polish).

So yes, Tyra does the job of providing information on various issues, but the delivery is not at the level of other contemporaries or certain predecessors. In other words she’s no Oprah, or Sally Jessy or Donahue, and she doesn’t have to be, but she should be comparable if she is being deemed the best.

What do you think of "The Tyra Banks Show"?