Growing up where I did, I was fortunate enough to actually know what folks were talking about when it came to perms, flat irons etc. etc. etc. even though I'm basically just white (well if you saw me at least that's all that you'd think of off first impressions). Chris Rock's new film "Good Hair" focuses on the most basic thought that every Dominican/ African/ African American female will hear or think about at some point in her life, which is "do I have good hair?"
Well defining GOOD is like defining BEAUTY; it's completely different per person. One thing that does pop up more than once in this film is something that cuts to the root of every woman, SECURITY. It seemed that the women that believed they were getting, or had "good hair" were the ones that also believed that they were more secure individuals, as opposed to the other females that were trying to mimick the women they saw as beautiful with "good hair." It's unfortunate and cuts deep across the racial line because ALL females feel the magnifying glass being put on them as early as age 3 regarding their physical beauty! That's right...how many boys do you hear running around giving a sh** about how they look, if they smell good etc. etc. etc.? ZERO that's how many, especially not at an early age.
A strong point was made when Chris asks a group of high school girls if the girl with the afro would get a job if she came to an interview sporting her own natural given afro (aka: the natural hair she had)…the girls with the perms believed that she wouldn't get the job. There were 4 out of 5 girls that had perms that were asked this question by Chris Rock. We have a huge racial issue in this country already, icing on the cake is that these specific students in this fine nation of ours believed before they'd had a chance to really conduct professional interviews that they don’t stand a chance if they walk into the office sporting their natural God given hair without ANY products put in it. Hippy response? Perhaps,…the truth? Definitely. I don't want to toot my own horn, but good lord, these girls need to really understand that your hair is like clothes you sport, it's just one way of expressing who you are, it doesn't MAKE you who you are. And if the highering staff can't see beyond the hair, then THEY'RE the ones with the judgement problem and nobody should want to work for a company that doesn't value their employee, just how their hair is, give me a break. It's not like the girl was rolling in looking like she just woke up, her due was HER OWN HAIR and it looked damn good on her too. Remember the old fashioned saying, "never judge a book by its cover" it's time to really act on that folks.
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