Well, I had to get this trailer right up on the ol’ blog! With the help of the one and only Chris Rock, looks like the 'Good Hair' discussion is making it to the big screen. From what I can glean from this trailer, 'Good Hair' is defined for the purposes of this movie as the stick-straight, high-gloss, blowing-in-the-wind, black hair that is achieved in one of two ways: relaxers and/or weave. Thus, one can infer that 'Bad Hair' is that which is left to its own, natural devices. The movie looks like it is going to focus on the lengths Black women go to for, well, length!
Watching the trailer, my first thought is 'man, I have been there!'…sitting in the salon, with that 'creamy crack' working it’s magic on my scalp, only to emerge 2 to 6 hours later with a ‘do that is better fit for a Pantene Pro V commercial than biking through the streets of San Francisco.
But, now a new feeling emerges and that is: 'man, I am outta there!'. Do not get me wrong, I really enjoyed having relaxed hair. It looked good, I felt good, and it was all good. As I go through this process of letting the relaxer-habit go, I’ve also had to let other things go along with it, mainly this notion of 'good hair', which, I guess deep down, was what impelled me to go get my hair straightened every 6-7 weeks for 15 years. I liked that with relaxed hair I could get funky bangs cut or wear it with a little flip, have fun with straightening irons, or the way my pony tail swished along my back when I ran (ok, FINE! When I walked). It was easy, it was manageable, and I always got a lot of compliments from friends, stylists and strangers.
However, in retrospect there are a lot of things I did NOT like, namely the $120 I had to pony up for the process here in the Bay Area. Just doing a quick calculation, we’re talking that over the course of 15 years, with an average price of $80 (way to go STL, bringing that price point down), I have spent $9600 getting my hair did. Factor in 20% gratuity and we’re talking $11,520. And by 'I have spent' I mean 'My mom funded a majority of the…'. Oh the places I could have gone! Bottom line: that is A LOT of money just to get some 'good hair'.
Another thing I did not like are these infamous 'chemical burns' that adorn your dome piece (and ears) (and forehead) after the process is done. Didn’t think much of it at the time, but that really can’t be good for you. In warfare, soldiers and civilians are disfigured for life from these burns, while I have been accepting them willingly as part of a beautification process. Color me Californian, but the chemical hair process has become incongruous with the more health-conscious natural, organic lifestyle I lead.
Perhaps my going natural is a sign of the times; times in which the economy has tanked and people of all colors are turning green. All of these factors (and many more) have led me here to redefine my personal conception, and hopefully other people’s conceptions of what this 'Good Hair' is. I look forward to seeing the movie! I hope that it not only reveals some truths about black hair, but also takes this mainstream spotlight to celebrate it for what it naturally is!
Watching the trailer, my first thought is 'man, I have been there!'…sitting in the salon, with that 'creamy crack' working it’s magic on my scalp, only to emerge 2 to 6 hours later with a ‘do that is better fit for a Pantene Pro V commercial than biking through the streets of San Francisco.
But, now a new feeling emerges and that is: 'man, I am outta there!'. Do not get me wrong, I really enjoyed having relaxed hair. It looked good, I felt good, and it was all good. As I go through this process of letting the relaxer-habit go, I’ve also had to let other things go along with it, mainly this notion of 'good hair', which, I guess deep down, was what impelled me to go get my hair straightened every 6-7 weeks for 15 years. I liked that with relaxed hair I could get funky bangs cut or wear it with a little flip, have fun with straightening irons, or the way my pony tail swished along my back when I ran (ok, FINE! When I walked). It was easy, it was manageable, and I always got a lot of compliments from friends, stylists and strangers.
However, in retrospect there are a lot of things I did NOT like, namely the $120 I had to pony up for the process here in the Bay Area. Just doing a quick calculation, we’re talking that over the course of 15 years, with an average price of $80 (way to go STL, bringing that price point down), I have spent $9600 getting my hair did. Factor in 20% gratuity and we’re talking $11,520. And by 'I have spent' I mean 'My mom funded a majority of the…'. Oh the places I could have gone! Bottom line: that is A LOT of money just to get some 'good hair'.
Another thing I did not like are these infamous 'chemical burns' that adorn your dome piece (and ears) (and forehead) after the process is done. Didn’t think much of it at the time, but that really can’t be good for you. In warfare, soldiers and civilians are disfigured for life from these burns, while I have been accepting them willingly as part of a beautification process. Color me Californian, but the chemical hair process has become incongruous with the more health-conscious natural, organic lifestyle I lead.
Perhaps my going natural is a sign of the times; times in which the economy has tanked and people of all colors are turning green. All of these factors (and many more) have led me here to redefine my personal conception, and hopefully other people’s conceptions of what this 'Good Hair' is. I look forward to seeing the movie! I hope that it not only reveals some truths about black hair, but also takes this mainstream spotlight to celebrate it for what it naturally is!
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