Chris Rock is a genius, finding a new and innovative way to tackle an issue that has been affecting the Black Community for decades!!! What is "Good Hair?"
If you do not have access to youtube at work, please watch this when you get home"
In my ignorance I have used this term plenty of times before, and even to this day I may say "oooh you got that good hair" jokingly, because I have learned that there is no such thing as "GOOD HAIR!" I remember every other Sunday, my mom would use a hot comb to straighten my hair along with my sister's hair. I HATED IT!!! The smell, the steam, and the grease burning my scalp, it was painful, but my hair was, and still is, extremely thick and coarse. So my mom had to use the hot comb to make my hair more manageable ( shout out to Madame CJ Walker for this). I think I was in 5th grade when I got my first perm and I wasn't using PCJ for too long either.
People of African decent have a unique hair texture. I absolutely love it because we can do so many things with our hair that people of other races are unable to do. When I travel to the caribbean there are so many caucasians on the beach trying to get cornrows, even Asians! We are fortunate enough to have a hair texture that can be worked into multiple styles. There is no other race that can have an afro one week, the Hawaiian silky the next, kinky twist the next, and locs within a few months!
The term "good hair" just creates a complex within African-American girls, which causes some type of insecurity. My sister's hair texture is slightly different from mine. Her hair gets a little wavy and curly when its time for a touch-up, my hair, along with my mom's, gets very coarse and thick. Yeah some times my kitchen is a little reckless but its nothing that Precise can't handle lol (the relaxer that I use), but that does not mean her hair is better than ours.
We should not focus on "good hair" but focus on promoting young girls to have "HEALTHY HAIR" That is what is important. Whether or not you are natural or you are a fan weaves, keeping your hair healthy is what is important because who really wants to walk around the street without any edges or a stingy ponytail! When I was in 7th grade (going into 8th) I went to Florida and I swore I was a mermaid and I was in the pool everyday! Unlike my sister I didn't feel like washing my hair and my hair fell out. I was devastated, but I didn't take care of it. My mom ended up putting my hair in a "pony tail" and she cut off all of my dead ends. It was horrible. I ended up getting braids for about a year and a half. Every 6-8wks I would get a different style and that made my hair so healthy. During the spring of my 1st year in high school I was able to get my hair relaxed and it was long, luscious, and beautiful! I had to learn about healthy hair the hardway, but I'm glad I learned that lesson.
Everyone is not meant to have hair down their backs. Weaves are very damaging if they are not put in correctly or taken care of. So Ladies, lets not encourage the use of the term "good hair" "healthy hair" is more appropriate. My best friend has locs, just because she no longer relaxes her hair does that mean it is not "good?" We must accept the different textures and styles and just make sure that it is healthy. Oh yeah and fellas listen to the men in the movie....keep ya hands out of our hair...unless you are going to take me to get another Dominican Wash & Set.!
~Nique
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