Good hair… What exactly is “good hair”? Kinky, twisty, wavy, or straight—African- American (AA) hair comes in many ways. There is so much spectacle surrounding AA hair. There are hair shows surrounding it, special hair care products, books, and movies that place the spotlight on this unique curly hair. To conduct research on the spectacle of African American hair, I first went and saw the movie “Good Hair” featuring Chris Rock. The movie was created because of Chris Rock’s daughter crying to him saying “Daddy why don’t I have good hair?” He did not know how to respond, so in turn, he set out to find an answer by asking different celebrities, hair stylists, and even children their opinions on hair. Even I wanted to find a way to answer Chris
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Draelos describes the geometry of AA hair uniquely as a “twisted oval rod”. Due to its geometry, AA hair is susceptible to breakage which is common amongst African Americans. To prevent breakage and static, it is better for African Americans to comb their hair while it is wet. Also, unlike individuals with straight hair, AA hair only has to be washed once a week because the sebum produced by the scalp is a natural oil that makes styling hair easier and it makes the style last longer. The shampoos used for AA hair contain …show more content…
Rooks’ book, Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women, informs readers that African American woman’s hair is her pride. Rooks discussed how in the 19th century, some African- American women believed that if their hair was straight and their skin was light, they were more susceptible of being accepted by Caucasians. As an African American woman, there was always pressure as a kid to be the prettiest girl, with the longest, curly hair that was easy to manage. This relates to Chris Rock’s daughter in a sense because she felt as though she was an outsider. She had a faulty preconception of what “good hair” was according to her peers and the media instead of embracing her identity, just as myself. However, for Chris Rock’s daughter to be an African-American female, she has the flexibility to be whomever she wants. If she wanted to have straight hair, curly hair another day, braids the next week, and pony tails the next month she could do that but she has to be
Draelos describes the geometry of AA hair uniquely as a “twisted oval rod”. Due to its geometry, AA hair is susceptible to breakage which is common amongst African Americans. To prevent breakage and static, it is better for African Americans to comb their hair while it is wet. Also, unlike individuals with straight hair, AA hair only has to be washed once a week because the sebum produced by the scalp is a natural oil that makes styling hair easier and it makes the style last longer. The shampoos used for AA hair contain …show more content…
Rooks’ book, Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women, informs readers that African American woman’s hair is her pride. Rooks discussed how in the 19th century, some African- American women believed that if their hair was straight and their skin was light, they were more susceptible of being accepted by Caucasians. As an African American woman, there was always pressure as a kid to be the prettiest girl, with the longest, curly hair that was easy to manage. This relates to Chris Rock’s daughter in a sense because she felt as though she was an outsider. She had a faulty preconception of what “good hair” was according to her peers and the media instead of embracing her identity, just as myself. However, for Chris Rock’s daughter to be an African-American female, she has the flexibility to be whomever she wants. If she wanted to have straight hair, curly hair another day, braids the next week, and pony tails the next month she could do that but she has to be