Friday, September 18, 2009

Is 'Good Hair' Still the Goal?

Women of color all know what the term 'good hair' means. For some of us, it's what we strive to have. For others, it's a perception we fight against daily. Its a term that divides us, makes us enemies almost (just like that scene from the movie School Daze?)

Having been on both sides of the aisle, my perspective is varied. In elementary and high school, natural hair was not the thing to have (at all). 'Good hair' was the goal. But ... by my college years, everyone and their mother wanted to go back to natural hair. We even had a Facebook group called 'Stop Living the Lye'. (I know, I know).

Truth be told, my relationship with my hair has been a tumultuous and crazy one. At first I ran from it. Then I embraced it. Now that I'm back on that 'creamy crack' (better know as relaxer), I feel like I've finally found what works for me. For ME, relaxed hair is easy. With relaxed hair, I get the most bang for my buck and save much-needed time to do other things.

Which brings us to the eagerly-awaited documentary, Good Hair, produced by Chris Rock. I, for one, can't wait to see the film. Looking at the movie trailer, what I like most is that it features celebrity women - the women who we often forget are just like us. They sit down and shed light on how they really look, a much-needed reminder for us that what we see in magazines and on tv are just an illusion.

Good Hair will be in theatres on October 9th. Check out the trailer here: