So we’ve all seen the commercials for Chris Rocks’ newest documentary “Good Hair” and it has me really thinking about what that term means.  As an African-American who is also a hair stylist, I can both understand as well as hate that term and its definition. Is there truly such a thing as “Good Hair” or is beauty really in the eye of the beholder? Or is it that the things we are supposed to find beautiful has been drilled into our heads from the moment we entered into society? Because I’m a woman of color, these questions are especially pertinent to me, as many of us chase the Eurocentric image of beauty that is thrust upon us. Just look at what trying to be the European image of beauty has done to the late Michael Jackson; some say this is the most obvious example of a distorted image gone horribly wrong.

For Black people who are trying to chase the Caucasian image of beauty, there is a great deal of danger; danger in the sense that chasing this unrealistic imagery can inflict great physical, psychological and spiritual damage. There are so many different hair textures with our own culture and putting down one type over the other is just downright sad. To me, the term “good hair” should be dead and buried just like the “N” word. To me, when you insult a person for having one type of hair then you’re insulting yourself. As sure as I’m black, someone in your family has that exact same type of hair of the person you are putting down.

But, if we step back and look at the “hair envy” in its totality,  most women and many men- Black, White, Hispanic and Asian alike, struggle to walk the line between being the best “we” that “we” can reasonably be.  Those who heritage gives them curly hair want it straight and vice versa. And you might be surprised to know that not all Asian women have naturally straight hair.  Now don’t get it twisted, there are scores of us women, of all races, who are accepting of ourselves just the beautiful way that God made us.

Beauty is My Business…

Pekela PK Riley
salonpk.com