In honor of the upcoming release of Chris Rock’s film “Good Hair,” I am releasing to the world my own, unprocessed, air-dried hair, which I guarantee, you have never seen before. White girls with curls are equally apt to become slaves to the straightening, relaxing, hair coloring and extending industries. Believe me, every race and ethnicity has their own epithet for hair that is genetically “less than.” My younger sister has long, dark, silky hair that doesn’t know the difference between 65 and sunny and the middle of a monsoon. At some point, when my DNA was being coiled, I was given the ability to detect the dew point through my hair – sort of like a human barometer. And at some point, it was decided that I would be born into an era where straight hair ruled, and frizz needed fixing.
This documentary’s already got my tendrils in a tizzy. My roommate years ago (a black girl) massaged Miracle Whip into her ‘do every night, and I just could never wrap my head around it. But the truth is, all women have irrational rituals they perform day and night to “normalize” themselves for a glaring, judgmental public. I’m one of them, that’s for sure.
Here’s the trailer I’ve been obsessing over.
October 5, 2009 at 1:42 pm
This looks awesome!