I just saw the movie "Good Hair" for the first time!!!

OMG!!!!! I have just seen the movie Good Hair staring Chris Rock and I can honestly say I am hurt!! I have a friend that used to always say she did not understand me being natural and would always make comments about me needing to get a perm, but she shut up after she saw that movie. She passed it to me once she was done watching it and said she was NEVER getting a perm again. I did not understand why she was soooo against perms until I stuck it in the DVD player...

I WAS NOT PREPARED!!! There are three main points that bothered me the most in this movie:

1. The infant permies
   
2. The $1500 dollar weave layway
   
3. The Natural Chic that got smashed on!!
   

Starting off with One... When I saw infant permies I mean the little girls at the age of three getting perms in their hair.. WHAT LAZY MOTHER WILL DO THAT!!! I feel that with out a doubt is the laziest thing I have ever seen with a parent. I do not have a little girl but I do have a niece and her hair is a type 4 and down to the middle of her back.. How you ask me.. She has been natural since birth, and have a head full of natural THICK HAIR!! She gets her hair pressed when she wants to do anything to it but other than that it is all her... This lil girl was getting perm slapped in her hair and I almost started to cry like what in the hell is going on, then they wonder why they lil girl hair is dry and course cause they slapped a perm in it when her hair was not fully developed and it changed the texture of her hair... LAWD HAVE MERCY!!

AND THEN... They show the lady with the weaves (may I add they looked like a dead cat) that was selling for 1500 bucks!!! But that is not what hurt me the most. What hurt me is to see these women sitting in a shop as I look at the beauticians hair like.. hmm if her head look like that.. why would I sit in her chair.. But what killed me is THE LAY-WAY PLAN!! Now my people, my people, my people.. Lay-way?? REALLY... What killed me was the girl that was in grad-school and had it in her hair.. I work overseas in Iraq as a contractor and make the money to do that.. and I have (but mines were hair locks that were the perfect blend to my hair).. But these women work in Target, Taco Bell, Wal-Mart, and probably with small children... But if you have it do it, do NOT put it on LAY-WAY!!! I think we are taking this weave thing a little TOOOO FAR...

THEN!!!! There was a scene where Chris was in a college class with a handful of girls.. One girl had natural hair.. But I can say she was BEAUTIFUL.. I was like FINALLY!! A chic rocking a full FRO like YEAH THIS ME.. She was dressed cute and had a head full of healthy hair... BUT THEN!! These other heffas, with weave and I think one was missing her front side edges started doggin her.. I was like WTF?!?! They in a nutshell told her that she will not be able to find a job and make it in the corporate world because of her hair. One girl said if i was a hiring manager and saw you walk in with your hair looking like that (no offense) I would not hire you.... Where I work we have 5 top management men that are all Caucasian and used to be generals in the military.. I did my bc they all made it a a point to let me know that they noticed my hair.. I even went on vaca and came back with my hair braided up into a mohawk.. The meanest and grumpiest one said Kim! I see you have a new hair do and I LIKE IT A LOT!!

I was so upset at the entire mindframe of the women in this movie, I had to call my husband.. In the conversations he was like " baby you are really upset" and then he ordered the movie on demand to watch it. He then told me he understood the reason why I do not perm my hair. He was always a supporter of my naturalism but now he knows why... YES I thank Chris Rock for bringing to light how we as women think about ourselves. That we have to have straight or curly hair in order to make it in society. We feel that we are not accepted as a woman or sexy if we had natural hair. I believe that what hurt me the most is that not only do do women feel this way but they are training their little girls the same thing. How do we stop the self esteem breaker in the little girls growing up today that are not bi-racial to think that their hair is beautiful? How do we spread the word to show women that do not have to look like Beyonce to be sexy?

Be proud of who you are, for what you are, and how you look. There is only one life that we have to live.. Live it with your head held high.. We are beautiful black or bi-racial.. Sooo ROCK OUT, WIT YOUR FRO OUT!!

LOL! I haven't seen it either..but YOU have me curious now!

Kim tell us how you really feel. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] (Just Kidding)

I do plan to rent it on demand soon so I can see what all the "talk" was about.

Man do I know what you're talking about ktoliver!!! I saw it (on bootleg. lol) and I know EXACLTY how you feel! I was rather upset when I finished watching the movie because I thought at the end I would know that good hair is NOT straight, permed, relaxed, fried, lied and laid to the side hair. But unfortunately that's exactly what people continue to believe! I wanted the movie to show people how beautiful natural hair is and how WORK APPROPRIATE and sexy natural hair always has been. But instead my eyes were opened to a world I knew nothing about, what with the little girls getting their heads shaved IN THE HOSPITAL so that Americans can buy their hair! I was shocked and appalled because I know that millions of women will continue to wear bad weaves because they would rather have straight hair looking a hot mess than "nappy" hair.
It really got to me but I'm glad Chris Rock got people to tell the truth, not matter how hurtful that truth was and is. Man there's just so much more to say but I just agree with what you said K. SMH

but thats why we're all here, right? to change the notion of what good hair ACUTALLY is! its real, its natural, and above all else its *healthy*

what really got me during the movie was the men women and children in India who ritually shave off their hair, so as to rid themselves of vanity, only to have that very same hair sold to feed into vanity here in the US.

I think there should be a follow up, called REAL GOOD HAIR and talk about... us!

Cassadie3 - You are totally correct. I believe that there should be a show like that. In all reality I do believe that there is a time frame in going natural there is a humbling phase. That you know what... I am just going to go against "the grain".. And your hair is sooo cute!

Yes everyone go see it because it is a real eye opener to us being an individual and stepping out of societies "norm".

@ktoliver- toliver is my last name too!! Most people spell it with 2 l's

The part that i thought was sad- is the people of indian go to church and experience some type of ritual to cut off their hair. They are told they are doing it for their God!

I think that is sooooo sad! Imagine, you found out your church was scaming you and telling you what you were doing was pleasing your God!



Then, we buy that hair over here in the US! I thought that was sad! The other part that i thought was sad was when the chemist showed what a perm does to a can of soda. He told Chris people shouldnt be inhaling the fumes and definitely not applying it to their scalp!

@NylaCoils - It is mostly spelled with two Ls but I have no clue how it came to have one.. That is my married name.

That was a very horrible part. The only thing I did laugh at about that is the hair pirate that was like ..When they sleep... we cut. No big crime. I was like well got dang it! But not only did the chemist make me twitch but that glimpse of that lady Chemical Burn was oh so gross.. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Ktoliver- the same 3 issues that impacted you, affected me also. I thought much of that was really sad- especially the lazy parents... Ugh.

@Nyla- when the people of India said- God loves hair - so enthusiastically- I felt sorry for them that they are being duped and even more so that we have long been duped. Most black women I know wouldn't sleep in a bed infested with any kind of bug I don't care HOW MANY TIMES it was washed- but they have no problem putting hair with the same issue on their heads.

I went to see the movie with 5-6 women, 2 of us were natural and I was the only one who wasn't straightened in some way. They were asking me about my hair but you could hear the "brainwash" conversation throughout. I don't have a problem with women who wear perms but if they could hear the reasons they give and REALLY think about it- they might witness the self hatred coming from their own mouths about THEIR hair.

I saw this movie to and I was also shocked by the perms of the little girls. I understand with todays parents being so busy you just want what is easiest but with a little research and knowledge you can find it. Did you see the little girl talking about having straight hair if you want to be pretty. And oh yea the 1500 weaves!!! What, they were putting them on Lay Away LOL! I was also sadded by the people in India. But The movie just made me more firm in my decision. I really like the movie it was very informative for us as women to make a decision for ourselves and hair based on knowledge

@ktoliver- mine is spelled with 1 l - just like yours! I used to joke with an old coworker- and tell him his ancestors got uppity when they left the plantation and started spelling it with 2 l's--lol
poetic- OK??? I know i wouldnt sleep on a bed with bugs...Speaking of reasons...My cousins who look like me! Constantly say - My hair isnt as good as yours! I told them any hair on your head is good!

Case and point taken about the movie which I haven't seen yet but I just read a post on another thread where the question was asked how old were you when you got your first perm ? The person asking the question stated that she was two yrs old. I don't think it's a question of being a lazy mother when perming your childs hair at such an early age but more of a matter of years of being conditioned to believing that this is the norm that its the only thing to do with our hair b/c being natural is not in the equation, b/c society has told us its not acceptable for so long and if you never accepted yourself having natural hair your not going to accept it on your child and this non acceptance is born out of lack of knowledge about nappy hair. For example I had natural hair down my back in junior high school my mother has 3 girls and she never gave us perms growing up but when I came home from school being teased so bad b/c of my hair I told her I wanted her to cut it off and you know what she did and she did it because she didn't have the know how of how to care for it or what to do with it. So I say its not laziness on the mother's part you have to look deeper than that and at least in the 70's you use to see more natural hair on tv as far as commericals go, these days you don't see commercials promoting natural hair or products and if it weren't for sites such as this one how much would WE know? I say when you know better you do better perms and weaves have been the way of the world it has become the norm for so many people and just like we naturals have had an awakening they too will have one in there own time. We just keep showing the world that there is another way and sooner or later they will catch on.

I can appreciate that perspective naturalhonney. While I do believe that some of it is conditioning- I also think that some of it is laziness or perhaps being tired from life's obligations. Maybe not laziness as in parent's don't care about their kids, but perhaps in that they don't want to take the time/effort to do hair. That time could be spent doing other things in these busy lives we have. I had my first relaxer at 10 or 11. My mom got tired of doing our hair- she was tired from working and trying to do our hair on a regular basis. The relaxer took away that time consuming effort. Most women I know aren't relaxing their daughters hair until 6 or 7, never 2. It seems deeper when it starts to impact girls less than 3. They don't even have that much hair most of the time... So, I don't know- I think it's a mixture of reasons and that is the challenge of educating people about natural hair.

i cant bring myself to pay $20 so i gotta wait for a sale, til then i'll be renting it from redbox so my lil sister can see it. i went to the theatre's when it came out and people hate on it but i found it informative. i had already made the decision to go natural and i left even more proud to be natural. they couldve repped naturals more but the ignorance of parents perming a 3 yr old's head is ridick! nobody wants to take the time out to do anythin anymore. everything is so rushed.

for someone making less than 30k a year and spending $1500 on a weave is even more ridick n ig'nant. we see it everyday though. most chix aint got a deed in their name, renting n driving a benz on E but keep their nails n hair done faithfully. even when pepa said her "unit" can run up to $5k im wondering who's supplyin that cuz she aint "pushin it" no more. vivica's "special" weaves look greasy n plastic like anywayz but for those who havent seen it, its pretty good. i wish it wouldve dug deeper n had more examples of natural heads but nonetheless gave the jist of the direction.

@naturalhoney and poeticlyspkng- In today's society yes it is rough and busy to keep up with the everyday life and to have a daughter and comb her hair. But I have a sister and a cousin that are both naturals and have their daughters as naturals. I went to visit my lil cousin and guess what at night.. Babygirl had that hair wrapped up in a scarf because she know she need not mess up her hair. She gets it done once a week or every other week depending on the style and how long it will last in her hair. But as a parent there are many different methods of being lazy and different situations that one may say I just don't have the time. But if you want to put your baby in a salon to pay the money.. Go somewhere where the chick know how to braid, and get something done to it. I am not knocking perms but at 2 years old that is harsh and in my mind lazy. What happened to the days with the little girls in the bubble hair ties and hair clips.

@nylacoils - People ask me all of the time why 1 L I tell them I dont know ask my husband them his people. LOL!! I am just the innocent bystander who married into the name. But as for the bugs.... I have no comment because I will flip out.. Not a small flip out, a REAL one wit tears and all.

@ Nubie - pepa got a reality show now so I guess she making money of that, and they trying to come back... and Vivica egh.. no comment, I am a firm believer in if you going to wear weave and perm your hair, make sure as my friend says "africa meets malaysia" and you get something that matches your hair.. BUT her new cub is FIIINNNEEEE!!! LOL! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I love Peps show. I missed it on Monday. Her weaves look ridiculous to me too.

Also- I agree that it is lazy to relax a 2 year olds head. Like I said- they don't even have that much most of the time so it's real crazy. At least my mom waited until I was 11 or 12.

See my mom is a beautician from Trinidad, so she is a firm believe in "what you don't hear you does feel". So we would ask her for a perm. she would say no. But then after too long of asking she will be like ok.. then do it to teach us a lesson. She even put a curl in my sister hair after months of her begging and my mom telling her that her hair will fall out because she already has a perm in it. So she was like OK and did it, and my sister hair fell out in the sink. As she was crying, my mother was like I TOLD YOU SO... WHAT YA DON'T HEAR YA DOES FEEL!!

I STILL laugh at that!! But in all reality my mom after perming our hair spread that perm out for like 6 to 8 weeks. But I was a lot older than 2.

I went to see the film with my boyfriend and it educated us both. At the time I was fairly new to weaves and had upgraded to Indian hair. Now I know where my hair comes from. The clip with the chemist was very enlightening. After viewing the results of the sodium hydroxide demonstration, I was convinced to never use "creamy crack" again. I wished Chris would have balanced his film with more naturals and their perspective of hair. It was good to see Tracie Thoms in the film but he could've added more naturals or transitioners and inquired about their reasons for "rebelling" against white America's standard of beauty.

Indeed Hamptonfnst Indeed!

Ktoliver- I love what ya don't hear, ya does feel! I might have to borrow it!

I will be watching Good Hair again at my first meetup here in Columbus. Can't wait to watch it again and discuss with other naturalistas!

Hamptonfnst- I agree. There should be a part II!

Me and my husband watched it yesterday, I was really upset about the little girls. My daughter is 4 and was in the room and I just couldn't imagine doing that to her. I really think that we as mothers have to be very careful that we don't put our own "issues" on our children. I'm definitely glad I made the decision to be natural, but I love to wear braids (extensions) and it has me considering if I want to use human hair anymore. I just don't like thinking someone was deceived or even robbed of their hair for it to go on my head. Thats just disturbing.

@ poeticlyspkng - As you can tell by that statement it is used for EVERYTHING.. Including gettin that ass beat.. My Granny says it too.. Even though wit the grand kids they have become soft, they still say it from time to time to us (the grown folks).

@ New-Naturalle - I do not have a little girl I only have sons but my oldest goes through his hair phases. He has rocked a mohawk twice and is now about to start locking his hair. But I after my BC I knew that braids was no longer a option for me because of the two different textures. But I was thinking of doing kinky twist, but I do not know yet.

Hello,
I haven't seen the movie yet but after reading your post, I most definitely have to check it out. Toddler perms.... that is ridiculous! Shame on the mother's because they could have quickly made an appointment for braids or something less drastic. We really need to start becoming more proud of who we are and this is speaking from dealing with a guy who couldn't understand my hair nor me. He berated me so bad about my hair and cultural background it was awful so awful i almost conformed to the ways of the society and his silly request. Luckily I found self preservation and peace within to let that drama go and be exactly who I am. I feel better for it. :-) I know that didn't have anything to do with the movie directly but it just shows how people try to push you toward something you aren't.

Have a great Day
CaramelBrown [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i just saw it today! it was funny and informative...i felt bad when the little girl said that everbody is supposed to get perms [especially because she was only like 4 or 5 if that, and you could see her edges were already fried off]...and when the relaxed girls tried to play that pretty natural girl about her afro...and the poor indian women and girls shaving their hair thinking they were sacrificing it to God, and people were taking it and selling it...and the man said they even cut it in their sleep or while they're at the movies without them knowing, talking about "its not a big crime its just hair"...

my sister just got a retouch this week and she got burned pretty bad, but its not the 1st time that happened, but after seeing what the sodium hydroxide did to the aluminum can she was like "i never want another perm again"

i could relate to the girls in the shop on creamy crack though because i used to be the one that would endure the pain even if my head was on fire just to get straight hair (that i would still have to straighten with heat afterwards...smh)

I watched for the second time today and man, some things just hit me really hard. Particularly those little girls, the Koreans obvious lack of disrespect for blacks despite selling us OUR products. We really need to take our money back from those communities. Its sickening.

And finally- I found most interesting the fact that black men find it difficult to get close to us because of our obsession with our hair and not allowing them to touch it. That's deep to me.