"Good Hair" is one of those films those films that I wish never happened. Chris Rock took a totally one-sided approach to black women's hair by only exploring weaves and what-not. Two problems I have with the film:
1. Chris Rock started off by talking about his daughter asking him "why don't I have good hair". It's been a while since I watched the movie but I'm sure he would have told her that her hair is beautiful just the way it is. Umm..so why didn't the movie draw more attention to my sistas out there who are rocking their natural hair? To be specific, not just black women rocking natural hair but those with long, healthy natural hair. Enter white people, who think anyone black woman with long straight hair is wearing a weave.
2. I know he's a comedian but he set out to make a documentary so the least he could do is make a decent one. Chris Rock ignored the reasoning behind black women relaxing their hair and wearing weaves. This is obviously why his daughter asked him about her lack of good hair because good hair is long and straight. Why do many black women think this way? Why do minority women feel the need to conform to this mainstream notion of beauty? This would have been a teach-in moment for all the ignorant white folks out there.
Back to my post about white people who think they're encyclopedias about black hair after watching this movie. This happened at work today:
White Boy: Don't you ever get tired of wearing your hair in braids?
I was just like wtf did you just say? This dude is great and all but come on! He then made a comment about how he knew my hair wasn't mine and watching the movie "Good Hair". He then made a comment like "if you say a black woman with long hair, you know it aint hers" He then asked me if I used coconut oil in my hair because his cousin who was adopted from Ethiopia uses it. Yep, that happened. He got called up to the bosses office (for a totally unrelated matter) but I was disappointed that I wasn't able to educate his ignorant ass! Damn.
I'm sorry non-black people out there, you have no right to make comments about our hair. Black hair brings with it economical, social and political costs. This is something we have to live with and I don't need you interjecting with "knowledge" you got from a Chris Rock film.
Update 06/20:9:03PM: A Facebook friend shared this Youtube vid
1. Chris Rock started off by talking about his daughter asking him "why don't I have good hair". It's been a while since I watched the movie but I'm sure he would have told her that her hair is beautiful just the way it is. Umm..so why didn't the movie draw more attention to my sistas out there who are rocking their natural hair? To be specific, not just black women rocking natural hair but those with long, healthy natural hair. Enter white people, who think anyone black woman with long straight hair is wearing a weave.
2. I know he's a comedian but he set out to make a documentary so the least he could do is make a decent one. Chris Rock ignored the reasoning behind black women relaxing their hair and wearing weaves. This is obviously why his daughter asked him about her lack of good hair because good hair is long and straight. Why do many black women think this way? Why do minority women feel the need to conform to this mainstream notion of beauty? This would have been a teach-in moment for all the ignorant white folks out there.
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| THE FOOLERY! |
White Boy: Don't you ever get tired of wearing your hair in braids?
I was just like wtf did you just say? This dude is great and all but come on! He then made a comment about how he knew my hair wasn't mine and watching the movie "Good Hair". He then made a comment like "if you say a black woman with long hair, you know it aint hers" He then asked me if I used coconut oil in my hair because his cousin who was adopted from Ethiopia uses it. Yep, that happened. He got called up to the bosses office (for a totally unrelated matter) but I was disappointed that I wasn't able to educate his ignorant ass! Damn.
I'm sorry non-black people out there, you have no right to make comments about our hair. Black hair brings with it economical, social and political costs. This is something we have to live with and I don't need you interjecting with "knowledge" you got from a Chris Rock film.
Update 06/20:9:03PM: A Facebook friend shared this Youtube vid
