I checked out the Chris Rock movie Good Hair this weekend. I found it to be funny and thought-provoking. However, the highlight of my experience did not take place on screen. Sitting a few rows in front of me was a white gentlemen and two ladies. There is a scene in the documentary where Rock is talking with a chemist about the danger of using relaxers (sodium hydroxide). He showed how the chemical melts aluminum and said even inhaling this substance (let alone putting it on your skin) can damage a person for life. The white guy turned to the black lady sitting next to him and said, "So why would you put that on your head?" I thought to myself, "I was just thinking the same thing." Anyway, here are a few things I learned:
1. Black Hair Care is a multi-billion dollar industry; but black people don't make the money or control it. Black people only get into styling. We are shut out where the real money is made, in manufacturing and retailing. For the most part, Koreans manufacture the products and only sell to Korean retailers.
2. Dudley is one of only 4 black-owned hair care manufacturing companies.
3. Weave comes from Hindu temples in India where Indian women sacrifice their hair. I had no idea!
4. People pay as much as $1000 or even more for weaves. What!?! Not just people like Tyra Banks and Vivica Fox. People like the the teller at the bank. Seriously, girls will miss a rent payment to pay for some Indian girl's hair.
Rock did an excellent job of answering the what. Now we've got to figure out the why.
By the way, make sure you catch the Ice-T line at the end. Too funny.
No comments:
Post a Comment