Beauty

‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Hair

Monday Aug 17, 2009 – By Roxsanne Laplume

2845_70948032037_58151482037_2198287_6735397_n Do you remember the infamous “Good and Bad” hair showdown in Spike Lee’s, School Daze? I was a freshman in college attending my first program on campus, which included watching School Daze and discussing the various stereotypes women of color encounter. I remember how the scene ruffled every nerve in my body as I decided to make a comment: There is no such thing as good hair and bad hair, it’s a matter of opinion.

Shortly after making my comment, another girl was enraged that I would even speak and gave her opinion. “I don’t know why you’re complaining you have ‘good’ hair”. From that point on, whenever someone says that to me, I get a desire to scream my lungs out and say,

“What the HELL is GOOD hair?”

Hair is one of the most delicate topics for minorities. Hair should be our crown of glory but for some of us it has been a crown of shame and the categorizing of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ hair is predominately to blame. Would you believe that in some hispanic countries, class status was based on your hair texture? The finer it was the higher in status you were.

This subject is so widely discussed that even Chris Rock decided it was important to produce a documentary on it, talking to several stars, salons, and people about the phenomenon known as Good and Bad Hair. I guess when your daughter comes home and says daddy why don’t I have good hair it would make any man want to understand this hair culture a little bit more. I must admit that I can’t wait to see this documentary. I hope it helps to unravel and dismiss this debilitating stigma that has been theorized and used to define beauty for us colored girls.

In my family hair is talked about at every family gathering. Every family gathering. My youngest sister has “bad hair”. Her hair was down her back at one point in her life. Cruel girls harassed her everyday about the growth of her nappy hair grow until one day, she did the unthinkable: She came home from school with one pigtail missing. She cut it off because she felt she didn’t deserve to have long hair if her hair was nappy. Needless to say, I wanted to beat those girls’ butts, but I settled for a good talk with my sister instead.

Women of color who fall under the categories of either, have hang-ups and if you haven’t realized it yet, they each have problems accepting their hair. The main reason it is so hard is because we categorize things as Good and Bad when we should just be worrying about Healthy and Unhealthy. We come from a lineage of women with different textures, coil patterns, and the range of beauty within each look is amazing if we can just concentrate on the health of our hair rather than whose hair is so-called nicer.

I have been natural for two years. Yes I cut it all off and decided to embrace what I have. It’s healthy hair because I take care of it and nurture it. Please ladies let’s cut the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ hair terms out and let’s think ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’.

Nik says:

August 17, 2009 at 8:00 am

I was looking for a discussion about how, the more your hair resembles white hair, the “better” it is. I’ve been taught that my hair “needed” to be relaxed because it is bad/difficult to comb. And I still relax. However, the more I think about WHY, in general, we even started to relax our hair as
a people, I just want to wear it natural.

↑ Reply

Harlem Chic says:

August 17, 2009 at 9:27 am

Thanks to the Internets we all are learning that hair is just hair. Period. As long as it looks healthy (that’s quantifiable), and feels healthy what’s a goon to a goblin? LOL. I’m just glad that more women are embracing their natural beauty more than ever before and that those awesome women on You Tube are sharing their highs, lows and in betweens on how to take care of their hair. Because of them I’ve learned a lot. The natural hair process is not something you want to go at alone cause you’ll want to reach for a box of Optimum Creamy Crack in a heartbeat when dealing with your kinks/curl pattern.

Sasha says:

August 17, 2009 at 10:36 am

I think we have come so far along that we can wear our hair the way we want as long as it makes you happy. I have worn natural hair, relaxed hair, weave and everything in between. I like my hair most in a nice relaxed short cut. I just do!

I have worn natural hair most of my life and it is my real hair BUT I like my hair styled. It is just the way I feel. However, natural hair is WAYYYYYY healthier.

If this movie is going to preach about self-hatred and black women, then there are other races who need the same preaching.

Rae says:

August 17, 2009 at 12:19 pm

As a child I was always told I had “good hair” because it was long and wavy w/o the perm. I never really knew what it meant as a kid until I grew up. I now perm it and stick a weave in it..Ha! Its apart of mental slavery if you ask me about this “good hair,bad hair” situation. There is no such thing as “good hair.” Hair is just hair. We as black women and men all have different textures that we just have to learn to manage. Tis All….

Kisha says:

August 17, 2009 at 12:30 pm

I just want to say that the language we use when talking about natural hair has to stepped up a notch. I do not mean any disrespect but I just wanted to point out a comment. “I have worn natural hair most of my life and it is my real hair BUT I like my hair styled”, capitalizing the word but means that the two don’t go together. And the thing is they do. I have my hair natural and it is in a style. I twist my hair every night and it curls. The style is something I created that I love on me. I have a friend who encouraged me so during my transition who wears her hair in various styles (hair natural). So wanted style doesn’t mean you can’t be natural. Wearing your hair in an afro is a style. I didn’t mean to go on about this but I just want us to feel encouraged to know that we can also STYLE our hair even when it is NATURAL!

Laquita Thomas-Banks says:

August 17, 2009 at 12:31 pm

I’m looking forward to seeing this documentary as well.

Isha James says:

August 17, 2009 at 3:08 pm

Thank you for this article, this was so timely and needed. As an advocate for young African American females, I think this article needs to be passed on to combat some of the low self esteem so many young Black girls face in relation to hair. Thank you Roxanne for being transparent in your writing and being a voice for young women.

Tajuana says:

August 17, 2009 at 3:23 pm

Hi, Thank you for this article.
I have recently join the Natural Hair movement.
At first it was a bit scary since I have always had straighted relaxed hair. However, I REALLY happy to say my hair healthy..

Kamille says:

August 17, 2009 at 5:42 pm

Hi , Great article.
I think you captured all the important points.I personally think good hair equals healthy hair.

keke says:

August 17, 2009 at 5:50 pm

This is such a hot topic among women period. But being a black woman I know how wild the topic of hair can be. I wonder if this documentary will delve into the role that black men play in the discussion of black women and their hair. I’m sure it deals with the relationships that black women have with our hair but I wonder how black men will be portrayed in this discussion.

PinkPantha says:

August 17, 2009 at 8:14 pm

I hope that documentary does discuss Black Men and there assistance to perpetuate the self-destructive categories of good and bad hair. I am glad that I am older now and have a different concept of beauty than what was spoon-fed to me through the anorexic white blond barbies and even the bright blue eyed black barbies; I will make it my duty to teach my daughters that white features do not = beauty but elements much bigger than physical attributes and what others suggest. I love everything Black Culture has to offer and I am proud of that.

tash says:

August 17, 2009 at 9:12 pm

Aahhhh the madness of “good” and “bad hair” This plague has been tormenting us since the test of time. The root of this problem defintely comes from slavery and how many of us currently in the black community try to separate our self from whatever is defined as African. Which is why we go out of our way to get perms, straighten our hair,use hot combs, weaves and wear makeup that’s not our complexion.I hope the film really touches upon the topics of how we as a people got to this point(slavery, lack of self-love and the “white is right” syndrome)

Passion says:

August 17, 2009 at 11:50 pm

I recently wanted a documentary “400 year Without a Comb” and I think it fits right into this topic of hair. Everyone should see it.

Clutch says:

August 18, 2009 at 12:03 am

Thanks Passion! Added:)

MizVia says:

August 18, 2009 at 1:38 am

I cant wait to watch this film. I love that Chris Rock did this. He put a comedic spin on this topic so that it is funny but touches on a huge point that I hope will get people thinking. I love how he was trying to sell black hair..then the asian guy selling us OUR hair products (irony at its greatest!) saying no one wants african hair…straight hair looks more natural WHAAT!? I also think its time that those black celebrities we look up to devulge their secrets. We see that they are just as messed up as we are. I am loving my african hair more than ever after all…I do descend from there?!

Andrea says:

August 18, 2009 at 2:03 am

Could you PLEASE get rid of the big, floating box that blocks my view of the first paragraph of each of your pages. I’m interested in the content not the floating ad box.
I know even online magazines need to make money, I recently started one of my own, but there’s no point in my coming to your site if I can’t read ALL of an article.

Looking forward to reading many unobstructed articles in the future.

August 18, 2009 at 11:40 am

@Andrea – thanks for your comment. There is no “floating box” on any of the articles that block any of the articles or content. It sounds like you may have some browser issues. We recommend that you try viewing Clutch in Firefox, Safari or Opera to see if that helps.

As far as ads, we only have three ad spaces (placed away from the content – which is the standard amount), which is WAY less than most sites. Most have 4-6 ad spaces. Thanks for your comment and hope this tip works ;) If you have any other comments on the site, please feel free to email me @ dsutton@clutchmagonline.com.

Thankful says:

August 18, 2009 at 2:29 pm

I was just having this conversation with a friend this morning. I have been natural since 2005 and I AM SO IN LOVE WITH MY HAIR!!!!!! When people compliment me I try to encourage them to make the transition because my hair has been healthier since its been natural. I do have a softer curly texture and whenever I comment on someone else they immediately shoot back “Well my hair isn’t like yours.” How would you know what your hair is like? You’ve never worn it natural. And who’s to say that if you did wear it natural you wouldn’t love it? So thank you for speaking on this topic and I look forward to seeing the Chris Rock documentary and taking everyone I can with me to see it.

rox says:

August 18, 2009 at 7:15 pm

i truly love the articles and thought provoking discussion on this website…i’m glad i stumbled on it…i visit it daily

littlegirlsmommy says:

August 18, 2009 at 8:13 pm

I cannot wait to see this documentary.

maria says:

August 18, 2009 at 10:10 pm

Absolutely amazing video (first documentary). It made me sad, but at the same time made me think about how and why people of color do the things we do. I am so happy to have natural hair.

Edwine says:

August 24, 2009 at 12:20 pm

ARTICLE WAS FAB! THE ESSENCE OF BLACK HISTORY CAN BE MUFFLED WITH THE IGNORANCE OF POPULAR CULTURE, WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL NO MATTER WHAT COLOR, SHADE, TEXTURE AND/OR COIL PATTERN OUR HAIR ROOTS MAY BE. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS OUR ROOTS HAVE PAVED THE WAY ALL THE WAY TO THE WHITE HOUSE. MY HAIR DOES NOT DEFINE ME I PLAY WITH IT, COLOR IT, AND HAVE A BLAST WITH IT, I LOVE MY HAIR AND ACCEPT IT JUST THE WAY IT IS. BUT I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TEASED FOR HAVING NAPPY HAIR, SO I KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO FALL UNDER THE “BAD HAIR CATEGORY. YOU DID A GREAT JOB WITH THIS ARTICLE AND HONEY I THANK YOU FOR WRITING SUCH A PROLIFIC ARTICLE AND KEEPING IT “REAL”, LITERALLY.

nekka says:

August 26, 2009 at 11:06 pm

love the discussion about good hair bad hair. i’m not giving grief to any black woman who wants to use chemicals on their hair. wooh child, i have used it for sooo long myself. i live in south korea, where they prefare white people, it is easy on a the eye. i know, when a group of white, blonde, blue eyes people stand on the bus stop, most koreans practice their english with them, and please don’t tell koreans (most) that they are white people in Africa. Africa = black. well back to the hair, i recently buzzed cut my over fried perm hair, that costed close to 3000USD to maintain for a year. and i got nasty looks, and comments like, u look gay, you look aggressive and scary!!. it is everywomans choice, but i love it when i don’t have to fight the summer heat, i get to wash my hair anytime i want and my bank account is healthy…at this bad economy, buzz is the way to go! go natural yeahhhh

Nadege says:

August 27, 2009 at 5:52 am

Women of color seem to be infatuated with hair in general. I also happen to be one of them. I am actually pleased with the shift in mindset I am currently seeing with regards to curly and kinky textures. I am currently relaxed and have dedicated a blog to discussing the optimal ways of keeping chemically processed hair healthy. But that the same time, I do double takes when I see a beautiful head of natural hair just and I would with bone straight hair. It’s all about beautiful hair, not good hair, if you ask me.

carol says:

September 18, 2009 at 7:43 pm

The greatest amount of racism that black people suffer is self racism. Self hate, and until we come to terms with that We Shall Never Overcome. The amount of money that black women spend annually DENUDING their Unique hair is disgraceful. Who can accept us if we can’t accept our own Image? When are we going to release ourselves from Mental Slavery? When we start loving, accepting and honoring our own Image, then the world will Know that we’re ready to Overcome and they’ll simply get out of our way. Until then, we look real foolish and stupid, if we just pause and give the picture a good look.

Loquacious_ says:

October 12, 2009 at 1:30 pm

Wow! @ 400 Years Without a Comb. After watching that, I am not getting another press & curl!