COMMENTARY

Hair: It’s all good, ladies

Hair. It’s an issue for all women.

But black women have a long history of hair-raising issues to comb through. At the root of things is the tired “good hair” adage.

Good hair is allegedly silky straight. It behaves and blows gently in the wind.

Bad hair is supposedly kinky and untamed.

Chris Rock attempts to explore those ideas in his documentary, “Good Hair.” It hit theaters in some cities this weekend (it opens here Oct. 23). Oprah endorsed it last week, so women and stylists across the country are likely to flock to the film. But I’m not interested.

A funny movie? Yes.

But it perpetuates stereotypes.

(Chris, I like my man to touch my hair, unlike the women you portray, and Nia Long, I love to swim.) Then, there’s the emphasis on weaves and relaxers as big business. I use neither.

Yesha Callahan, 32, saw it weeks ago. As a writer and the blogger behind www.fungkeblakchik .com, she saw a special screening in Washington, D.C.

Sure, she thought it was funny and said Rock makes some valid points, particularly about lye (a chemical in relaxers). But she also felt he didn’t dig as deep as he could have.

“I understood the point that he’s trying to make with the movie. There’s no such thing as good hair. But I think where the documentary lost a lot of ground was the stereotypes that some of the commentators offered. I wish there would have been more focus on the different reasons why some women choose to wear weaves and relaxers as opposed to making fun of them.”

Yesha colors her hair, but she doesn’t relax it or sport a weave. For the most part, she is natural. Chris Rock’s movie focused so much on weaves and relaxers that he overlooked the fact that women can spend a ton of money just going natural.

Carol’s Daughter oils and conditioners, Miss Jessie’s crème, ceramic flat irons, Moroccan Oil — it’s expensive embracing your natural hair too. I spend about $500 a year on products and salon visits.

But what’s bigger than the money is the fact that it’s OK to do your hair however you like. It shouldn’t be a big deal for Tyra to shed her lace front wig or Solange to cut her hair off. Whether it’s natural or you rock a weave, as long as you are happy with your hair, it shouldn’t matter.

LaRon Mott, 34, owner of Salon LaRon in Brookside-Waldo, is excited about the movie, but he thinks it’s important women are comfortable with who they are, regardless of their hair.

A stylist for 17 years, Mott has seen it all. And like Chris Rock, he has a daughter. Only his little girl has never asked him about good hair or bad hair.

“Good hair is healthy hair — let’s start there and move forward,” Mott says. “It’s adults who give kids issues with their hair. I have a client with coarse, kinky hair that is two inches all over and she loves it. And I have a client with long, straight hair. Who has good hair? Both of them. It’s all about what they like and their own self-confidence.”

It’s true. We all have or once had issues with our hair. But at some point, you have to let go. It’s just hair. It doesn’t define who you are. It’s just an extension of you. It shouldn’t keep you from living and loving your life.

Yesha takes a page from Marcus Garvey in her outlook on hair.

“He said remove the kinks from your mind, not your hair,” she says. “If the kinks still remain in your mind, it’s pointless.”

Jeneé Osterheldt’s column runs in FYI on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. To reach her, call 816-234-4380 or e-mail josterheldt@kcstar.com.

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