“Good hair is whatever hair works for you, because the same hair doesn’t work for everybody”
-Chris Rock
Chris Rock is better-known for his stand-up comedy and mediocre films about nothing important (excluding New Jack City and I Think I Love My Wife), so to touch on a subject as sensitive as “black hair” is unexpected. On October 9, his documentary Good Hair will be released and black women everywhere will cringe at the thought of being “outed” about their weaves, hair dyes and other techniques of illusion. The movie picks at the issues of black culture and society, which makes it hard to turn away from. In a recent interview Chris had this to say about the film, and his own hair:
What did you learn from doing this film?
Um, don’t touch a black woman’s hair! No, I learned a lot. I learned about the finances of hair. I learned that I couldn’t afford to be single right now, it costs too much. I learned about Indians. The whole movie has been a journey. Even doing the press has been like, you know, you get a lot of people being emotional about it.
From working on the film and seeing it did anything change about your perspectives on hair?
The whole movie is just a celebration of the different types of black people there are in America. Forget the world, just in America there are so many. You’ve got your East Coast, you’ve got your West Coast, you’ve got your Southern, you’ve got an interesting array. You’ve got your gays and straights. Just an interesting array of black people in this. In most projects or in most movies just like this it’s the East Coast black people, this is the Southern black people. It’s nice to see all of us just mixed up.
What’s the most money you ever spent on your hair?
It’s not even the money I spent on the hair, it’s probably money I spent flying a barber in and putting them in a hotel. It’s like I’m playing London or I’m playing Australia, are you really going to try to find a black hairdresser to cut your black hair in Australia? No.
It is estimated that hair weaves make up to 65% of the $9 billion hair business. That means a whole h*ll of a lot of people wear weaves. Not only black women, but Caucasian women also. Instead of paying so much attention to your hair here are some suggestions from Nia Long and Chris Rock:
What things can women do to make themselves more attractive besides wearing a hair weave?
Chris: Pay your bills.
Nia Long: I would say, its not about your hair. It’s not about being beautiful for anyone else either. Go work out, take your vitamins, go to church work on whats on the inside. Because really, if you’re doing your work internally, that’s going to come through.
All your favorite artists appear in the film, including such celebs as Salt N’ Pepa, Raven-Symone, EVE, Megan Good,Lauren London and even the Reverend Al Sharpton.
Good Hair is definitely worth your money. GO SEE IT!
