"Good Hair".

   I keep being told that I have "Good Mulatto hair". That, somehow, being of mixed race gives you "better" hair. I've always thought that permanent relaxers and weaves were just different ways for African American women - and sometimes men - to make themselves "fit in" with the Majority race. Another way of affirming that some African Americans are jealous of white people. But why damage your own beauty just to fake another's?

   I'm sure many of you have seen Chris Rock's documentary, "Good Hair". Around the time of it's release, Tyra Banks did a special on her show about the topic. I'm not the biggest fan of "Do what I say, not what I do" theory, as Tyra is almost never seen without a fresh weave or wig, but the truth within the show speaks truth. As far as fads go, I've seen that Black women have begun to embrace their natural hair, wearing afros, locks, or just rocking the bald look. But the fact that we still have such a huge market for products that promote Euro-Asian assimilation among our people proves that we really are as psychologically damaged as I previously stated in former posts. We soak our hair in base chemicals that leave burns and boils on the scalp, that make our hair fall out and discolors the skin - chemicals you wouldn't normally want to touch in the first place, but that we let sit on our skulls, because the longer you let it sit, the straighter your hair becomes. We braid up our kinky, beautiful, natural hair and let someone sew another's into it, or put a cap over it all and wear wigs in styles we could never physically emulate ourselves. 

   I can see that there will always be a large number of women who will refute the idea that their natural hair is actually "good hair" as opposed to overly-chemically treated or fake hair so long as Jill Scott, India Arie and Erykah Badu are some of the only women representing us in American media. If we're going to start a natural hair campaign, it has to begin with Black celebrities. They get the most attention, and are the most idolized (unfortunately) in our communities, so if they buy into unsafe hypes about Black beauty while refuting their own natural looks, why wouldn't we?

   In any case, take a look at these videos from the aforementioned episode of The Tyra Show, and tell me what you think.