Good and Bad Hair

Yesterday I went to see Chris Rock's advanced premier of "Good Hair". I was hoping to learn something I didn't already know all the while being entertained in the process. Instead, I laughed at Chris Rock's shock into the perm and weave business empire, none of which is new to me.

Stars like Nia Long, Raven Simone, Lauren London, Meagan Good, and Maya Angelou offered their opinions on the good hair/bad hair question.In the movie you learn about the harsh chemicals of perms (not news to me...I've had chemical burns many times in my life and am currently dealing with the aftermath of my last burn), how expensive weave is (I now this all too well as a near lifetime purchaser of weave), and that human hair comes from out of the country, (Rock visited India in the movie, but if he'd properly done his homework, most black women don't wear Indian hair. It's too expensive!!! Most human hair that black women wear come from China or a yak.)

Rock also didn't discuss WHY black women are so obsessed with hair and why they're willing to torture themselves to fix their "bad hair". The documentary basically says that magazines are why black women are sacrificing their follicles, health, and rent money to get long silky locs. I agree and don't agree with this. It really does depend on the magazine you're reading. Black hair magazines, which are sourced in the film, like Black Hair Sophisticates and beauty hair magazines from hair shows almost always have relaxed hair styles with a few pages set aside for "natural" hair. In most high fashion and white magazines, there's always that one black girl in the group and she almost always has a natural style.

As a woman who has been getting perms since she was seven and wearing weaves since I was eleven I have been thorugh the perm and weave gamet and back. I have dyed my hair, worn a short hair cut, worn wigs and weaves, worn my hair natural, had box braids and micro braids...e'rythang!!! I don't have an answer for this problem (best described as possible self hatred) and neither does Chris Rock. Instead, the choice belongs to the millions of black women and a few men (how-you-doin'-Al-Sharpton!) who fuel this multi-billion dollar industry everyday.