Tha ish: Good Hair review

This review might be a little late, but I was compelled to speak about Chris Rock’s documentary, Good Hair.   I finally saw it over the Christmas holidays and I had to provide my 2 cents. 

First off, I liked it. I enjoyed it sooooo much that I actually watched it two times within a span of 24 hours.  I identified with most of the content that I felt l like I could have been a participant in the film.  Being a black female, I am a bit preoccupied with my hair. I.can’t.help. it. I am a black female!!!  There is so much we as black women need to do to make our hair manageable (by manageable, I do not mean straight—I’m a happy nappy girl). 

Though I found the movie immensely entertaining (listening to the black actresses talk about getting their hair wet was priceless—I was the same way when I had permed hair!), I did find some of the information a little insulting and misleading.  After watching the movie, I found that it made us look as though we hate our (natural) hair and crave long straight hair.  It also made it seem as though all black women are willing to torture ourselves with perm to achieve a specific image of beauty. That soooo ain’t the case with me.

Throughout the film, Chris Rock mentioned that we (black women) permed our hair, wore weaves and wigs to look “white”.  I am personally offended by that statement.  I don’t think that I’m trying to look white by the hairstyle I choose.  I wear what I find appealing. (FYI, I wear my hair in twists with the aid of extensions. And I’m not shy about rocking a shoulder length ponytail either!).  I like both long and short hairstyles and I don’t judge someone if their hair is natural, permed or whatever.

I had a talk with a friend who is in the black hair industry and he did not like the film at all. He felt that it was a little deceptive. The scene that really bothered him was when Chris and the scientist watched a pop can disintegrate in a vat of sodium hydroxide—one of the chemicals used in relaxers/perm.   My friend said that perm is a mixture of carefully measured chemicals and that the scientist ONLY put the can in a tub of an isolated chemical to show the bad effects of that chemical which he kept calling "perm". He found that misleading, because perm does not consist of that one chemical. Although I won’t ever rock a perm, I thought my friend raised a valid point.

Overall, I liked the film.  I just didn’t appreciate how the film made black women look insecure, frivolous, and willing to sell their soul for some “good hair.”

p.s. wasn’t it funny to hear Ice-T speak about perm?  He reminded me of ME when I used to perm my hair.