hairstyles - Jezebel

posts about #hairstyles more →
Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
A Few Fictional Heroines Help Us Make Sense Of Victoria Beckham's New 'Do
What About Bob?
High Off A Bump
Why Do People Care When A Woman Cuts Her Hair?
Don Draper's Hair Is Much Better Than Jon Hamm's
Bad Hair Day
Does Cutting Your Hair Mean You Don't Want Sex?
Past Fashion: I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

kityglitr
10/09/09

In reply to Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
Well, at least you guys don't live in the butt ass end of Northern California and can actually go see this film. There are so few black people in the area I live that naturally, this movie is not going to make it to our theatres. What's really sad is that we're a university town, and the black population of the school has been slowly, but steadily increasing over the past 10 years, but I still can't find a decent foundation that matches my skin here!!!!
Reply

kityglitr was starred kityglitr was unstarred

mariamariamaria
10/09/09

In reply to Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
You can't be all things to everybody.
Reply

mariamariamaria was starred mariamariamaria was unstarred

noisy doll
10/09/09

@mariamariamaria: that's probably the only "fault" of this movie.
Reply

mariamariamaria promoted this comment noisy doll was starred noisy doll was unstarred

Flackette Goes Retro
10/09/09

In reply to Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
A few years ago, when traveling for work, I shared a hotel room with an African-American colleague. I was in my mid-20s at the time, and I think she was about 30. We learned a lot about each other's beauty rituals that week. I was intrigued that she took the time to twist her hair up and put it in a silk scarf every night, and she was horrified that I went through the ritual of washing, moussing, spraying and blow-drying every morning. She had to coat herself in lotion twice a day so her skin didn't look ashy, and I had to douse myself in sunblock before even thinking about going outside. The humid weather made her hair frizzy when she wanted it to be straight, and my hair flat when I wanted it to be full and bouncy. In essence, we both decided that the beauty routine of the other woman looked like a horrible pain in the ass. I know my flat hair doesn't have the same kind of socio-political implications as a black woman's hairstyle, but I'm just sayin' - hair is something that is frustrating to a lot of women.
Reply

labeled
10/09/09

In reply to Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
Yay, one more appropriate spot to share. (OK, I'm done after this, I promise. If you don't love her by now, it's on you.)
Reply

labeled was starred labeled was unstarred

jenny_dreadful
10/09/09

In reply to Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
"Few people of any race wear completely natural hair. If they did, we would be a nation of Unibombers."

Am I the only person here who does not understand this line at all? Can anyone explain it to me?
Reply

PhillyLass promoted this comment jenny_dreadful was starred jenny_dreadful was unstarred

PhillyLass
10/09/09

@jenny_dreadful: Er, I think it means that unkept hair is a sign of insanity. Or something like that.
Reply

PhillyLass was starred PhillyLass was unstarred

samethingwedoeverynightpinky
10/09/09

@jenny_dreadful: I think he means that the vast majority of people buy and use chemical products on the hair, including shampoo, conditioner, gel, grease, mousse, etc, and spend time cutitng, styling, and combing their hair. People who don't wash, cut, comb, and style their hair look "crazy" or unabomberish. I think the point he's making is that it's not really possible to have "natural" hair in the sense that you just leave it alone, don't worry about it, and never put product in it.
Reply

Cam/ron
10/09/09

@jenny_dreadful: Ted Kaczynski had incredibly unkempt "natural" hair in his infamous mugshot. Roger's point was that just about everybody treats his or her hair in one way or another (i.e. combing, haircuts) rather than letting their hair go "natural," as in do nothing about it.
Reply

Edited by Cam/ron at 10/09/09 4:41 PM Cam/ron was starred Cam/ron was unstarred

confusedforahotsecond is a sodemombeech!
10/09/09

@samethingwedoeverynightpinky: But that doesn't really make sense. If you didn't wash your hair, it would just be dirty. Doesn't pretty much everyone wash and moisturise their bodies (hair included) on the regular?
Reply

samethingwedoeverynightpinky promoted this comment

samethingwedoeverynightpinky
10/09/09

@confusedforahotsecond is a sodemombeech!: But I think that's the point-- most of us do that stuff, therefore most of us don't look like Ted Kaczyinski (sp?). Not saying I completely agree with Ebert, because I do think he's neglecting some underlying issues in his review, but he has a point insofar as A) People of all races, especially women, including white women, do shit to their hair that is expensive, time consuming, and somewhat dangerous (hair dye, for example). Black women's hair issues may be more intensive and have specific cultural context that other people's don't, but it's not like we're some weird subset of the population that inexplicably uses caustic chemicals out of self-loathing or lack of knowing better. b) "Natural" black hair can be super high maintence, depending on its texture and the style you're trying to wear it in. According to this review (I haven't seen the movie yet, so I don't know if it's true) Chris Rock advocates for natural hair. Is Chris Rock going to come comb the tangles out of my hair, and braid it and put it up at night, and give me the money for the leave inconditioner/detangler/ curl definer I need to have my natural hair look neat and healthy?
Reply

confusedforahotsecond is a sodemombeech!
10/09/09

@samethingwedoeverynightpinky: I am with you but what I am trying to say is - shouldn't there be a starting point for "natural"? Before we even get to the expensive shit folk do to look natural, regardless of race and hair texture, isn't there basic grooming that even a person camping out in the middle of nowhere does? I assume the standard for all people is clean and then we start having discussions about what happens after that.
To use the Unabomber as an example of natural is off because he was just straight up crazy. If one were to go to, say, a remote village where people are not spending incredible amounts of time and money on their hair and are still somehow keeping their hair natural, I doubt you would see many Ted Kaczyski doubles.
And, as nyc-caribbean-ragazza said, "natural does not = unkempt".
Reply

samethingwedoeverynightpinky
10/09/09

@confusedforahotsecond is a sodemombeech!: Right, but the point I think (hope) Ebert was making is that healthy well kept natural hair can be time and labor intensive (and expensive). So it's not just a matter of "why are all these crazy black women burning their scalps"-- my life is a hell of a lot easier with a perm than without one, just on a time management level. So it's sort of alarmist to make it seem like black women are going around burning their hair for nothing because they hate themselves. (I don't have any position as to whether the movie actually does this, not having seen it, but I think that's where Ebert was going.)
Reply

shorty63136
10/09/09

In reply to Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
I'm really not surprised that he didn't get to deep into the issue. He's a comedian and this topic can get pretty complicated and it's a sensitive thing for a lot of people. COULD he have? Of course. I'm pretty sure he could have stepped out of that comedian box, gone for the gold, and made an award-winning documentary about a serious issue. I would expect something like that from journalists or others...but I don't expect that from a comedian. He kept it kinda light-hearted so that people don't get too crazy about it.

I imagine it was a strategic move and I'm cool with that.
Reply

shorty63136 was starred shorty63136 was unstarred

shak_diesel
10/09/09

In reply to Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
You know what? Chris Rock isn't Ken Burns or Henry Louis Gates Jr. We're seeing a comedian, (not a journalist, documentarian or academic) take on a serious issue and present it the way he knows best: through a comedic lens and as a black father.

If you want a more in-depth take, check out "Nappy Roots: A Journey through our Black Hair-itage".

As a napptural Black woman, I don't really care for the opinions of (white/male) mainstream on a film about a singularly black female issue. I'll just watch the movie my damn self and debrief afterwards with my sistas who rock a variety of hair styles/types.
Reply

shorty63136 promoted this comment shak_diesel was starred shak_diesel was unstarred

RainbowBrite
10/09/09

@shak_diesel: I agree. Racial/gender politics seen through the lens of hair is a really interesting topic, but I don't know why everyone expects Chris Rock to address all of that. When I saw the trailer I thought it looked funny with just the right amount of serious - the topline message that it's fucked up that so many black women feel they have to relax their hair in order to conform. As a white woman, I'm expecting to learn a few things and also just enjoy a interesting/funny movie about hair, which is always a fun interesting topic anyway!
Reply

RainbowBrite was starred RainbowBrite was unstarred

lisas
10/09/09

In reply to Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
Did Barbara Walters write that Time Out review?
Reply

lisas was starred lisas was unstarred

nyc-caribbean-ragazza
10/09/09

In reply to Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
I was talking to a friend of mine (black) who wondered if Chris Rock explained to his daughter that the reason her hair did not look like Mommy's is because Mommy wears a weave.

I wish black hair magazines would mix it up a bit. And please stop the "natural" features that only show women with "the right kind " of natural hair, loose curls.
Reply

Rooo sez BISH PLZ promoted this comment

honeydooo
10/09/09

@nyc-caribbean-ragazza: Word on the "natural" hair in black hair magazines. I thought (naively) that when I went natural 5 years ago that all that good/bad hair shit was behind me. I thought going natural was supposed to be all about embracing your texture and having healthy hair, but what I've discovered is that the good/bad hair still exists in the natural hair community. It's just referred to by different names...desiring 3abc (loose, ringlet-like curls) hair as opposed to 4abc (tighter, coily curls) hair, "making your curls pop," etc.
Reply

AnnoyingFemaleLeadVoiceover promoted this comment honeydooo was starred honeydooo was unstarred

Rooo sez BISH PLZ
10/09/09

@nyc-caribbean-ragazza: "I was talking to a friend of mine (black) who wondered if Chris Rock explained to his daughter that the reason her hair did not look like Mommy's is because Mommy wears a weave."

What. You. Said.
Times like, a kabillion.

It just staggers me the way everyone, including Mr. Documentary himself -- and I've met him, and he's cool, and can you tell, I'm really really disappointed -- is manifestly, steadfastly, resolutely ignoring this.

/adverbial excess
Reply

Edited by Rooo sez BISH PLZ at 10/09/09 4:44 PM Rooo sez BISH PLZ was starred

AnnoyingFemaleLeadVoiceover
10/09/09

@honeydooo: Just learned this myself after I started regularly reading several black/natural hair blogs. I wish I'd never seen a damn hair chart.

It also doesn't help matters that my texture changes from one side of my head to the other and I haven't found my "miracle" product yet.
Reply

emhall
10/09/09

In reply to Good Hair Doesn't Get To The Root Of The Issue
Okay, so here's MY beef: why can't I find a single person of color who has reviewed this film?! I mean, there are plenty of women who have reviewed it, but has a Black woman's opinion about this film been expressed? Just sayin'...
Reply

JerseyGrrrl promoted this comment emhall was starred emhall was unstarred

Anna
10/09/09

@emhall: Latoya, Dodai and I are reviewing it on Monday after watching it over the weekend. They don't know this yet, however, so I guess I should tell them!
Reply

Edited by Anna at 10/09/09 3:23 PM Anna was starred Anna was unstarred

emhall
10/09/09

@Anna: Yay! Thanks for the info, Anna. I knew my Jezzies would pull through on this one. Judging from the other reviews, though, I'm excepting a good film, for sure...
Reply

emhall was starred emhall was unstarred

Zombie Ms. Skittles
10/09/09

@Anna: They'd probably appreciate knowing. Although it could be more fun if you don't.

"Okay ladies, have a great weekend and oh by the way, Dodai, Latoya, we're going to the movie theater now."
Reply

randomnessish
07/26/09

In reply to A Few Fictional Heroines Help Us Make Sense Of Victoria Beckham's New 'Do
Oh hortense. What is wrong with you? Because please, don't stop!
Reply

randomnessish was starred randomnessish was unstarred

brendastarlet is on it
07/26/09

In reply to A Few Fictional Heroines Help Us Make Sense Of Victoria Beckham's New 'Do

Maybe this?
Reply

sailorsong
07/26/09

In reply to A Few Fictional Heroines Help Us Make Sense Of Victoria Beckham's New 'Do
Peggy Hill sports a "pegabun" while making her signature dish "spapeggy and meatballs".
Reply

Plum-Pie promoted this comment sailorsong was starred sailorsong was unstarred

SharonTaint
07/26/09

In reply to A Few Fictional Heroines Help Us Make Sense Of Victoria Beckham's New 'Do
It's the Chaos Theory Hairdo perpetuated by Donna Martin on "Beverly Hills, 90210." You can tell because it's shellacked.
Reply

SharonTaint was starred SharonTaint was unstarred

WickedWitchoftheEast
07/26/09

In reply to A Few Fictional Heroines Help Us Make Sense Of Victoria Beckham's New 'Do
Minerva McGonagall has spoken--what more do you need?

What's with that plastic thing? Whatever happened to bobby pins?

Nessarose Thropp: The bun keeps my hair out of the wheelchair wheels.
Reply

hortense promoted this comment

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

SUBSCRIBE TO Jezebel

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment