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BLACK HAIR CARE EXPERTS UNTANGLE TOUCHY DEBATE AS CHRIS ROCK’S “GOOD HAIR” DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES ON SILVER SCREEN
Authors Ayana Byrd and Lori Tharps Tackle Tough Questions Raised By Documentary
(New York – September 29, 2009) When Ayana D. Byrd and Lori L. Tharps released their book Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America (St. Martin’s Press, 2001), they created a popular and definitive history of black hair politics that attempted to demystify the intrigue around the subject by examining the social, cultural and economic significance of African-American hair from 1400 to the present. Neither author could have predicted that in 2009, Hair Story would enjoy a second popularity wave prompted by the release of a major motion picture on the same subject.
In October 2009, actor-comedian Chris Rock will unveil his latest film, a comical documentary called “Good Hair” (Roadside Attractions). Prompted by questions from his own daughter about “good hair,” a controversial term used by some in the black community to describe hair that is neither kinky nor coarse, Rock tapped author and cultural critic Nelson George to produce a film that would examine the centuries-old saga of hair care rituals among black women. Promoted for the better part of 2009 via grassroots and social media channels such as email, YouTube and Facebook, “Good Hair” is the subject of enormous pre-release chatter.
Not surprisingly, with the black community still engaged in internal debate over hair style acceptance, Hair Story is benefitting from renewed interest in its subject matter and enjoying fresh sales. The book was released when Americans could still remember the shameful practices of the 1980s, when black women were routinely fired for sporting braids, afros, and other ethnic hairstyles as an alternative to the generations-old practice of chemically straightening their hair to accommodate a society that declared it inferior.
Fast-forward to the present, where the need to continue the conversation started by the book is apparent – YouTube currently hosts a profanity-laden tirade by a young black woman struggling to comb her daughter’s kinky hair; ethnic hair styles on First Daughters Sasha and Malia Obama recently made national headlines; and not too long ago, shock jock Don Imus learned that even he could lose his job for calling black female scholar-athletes “nappy-headed hos.”
With the upcoming release of “Good Hair,” Byrd and Tharps (both of whom have published additional titles since the release of Hair Story) are again doling out context, history and sensitivity training on the topic of black hair in interviews, on the radio and on television. “People are perplexed by the dynamic nature of black hair,” remarked Byrd, a Brooklyn, NY-based editor at Glamour magazine. “The questions are endless. ‘Can you wash it?’ ‘How did it grow six inches since yesterday?’ ‘Can I touch it?’ ‘Good Hair’ will take its place alongside the many projects that have tried to explore what all the fuss is about.”
Tharps, a journalism professor at Temple University, views the film as the chance to broaden a conversation that has swirled for centuries. "It’s wonderful that Chris Rock's documentary is being released to a wide audience because the conversation can finally come out of the beauty salons and barber shops of black America and into the public arena,” she said. “It's why we wrote Hair Story and why we continue to speak about the topic everywhere from college classrooms to corporate boardrooms.”
At its release, Hair Story (now in its fourth printing) enjoyed widespread acclaim for its study of the ramifications of the slave trade on black hair care, hair styling on the African continent, the widespread use of chemical straightening agents among black women and the rise of natural hair care. Byrd and Tharps were frequently tapped to provide historic perspective and commentary on the subject of black hair and its links to racial politics, logging interviews in countless print publications, on radio programs from coast to coast, and on television programs such as “The Tyra Banks Show,” “The Tavis Smiley Show,” C-Span’s “Book TV” and MTV News.
Regarding public expectations of “Good Hair,” Tharps called for context and suggested that the documentary may raise touchy questions of its own. “The theme of the documentary is black women pursuing long, straight, European-looking hair at any literal or figurative cost. Hair styles are personal expressions and we celebrate them all because every woman deserves to feel beautiful, but let’s talk about the sociology behind certain choices.”
Byrd echoed her sentiments. “Careful viewers will pick up on the subtle messages in the film about the exploitative nature of the black hair care trade and its non-domestic profit centers, but that part of the story needs much more light,” she said. “This is also an opportunity to explain the genesis of detrimental trends in black hair care, discuss the reasons these trends continue, and spotlight natural black hair care salons.”
Along with launching a blog tour for Hair Story in October, Byrd and Tharps will participate in several upcoming panel discussions timed with the release of “Good Hair.” Both will be on hand at a September 29th panel discussion hosted by The New York Times that will feature top beauty editors and lifestyle columnists from major women’s publications. The panel was scheduled after strong response to a recent article by Catherine Saint Louis in the New York Times Fashion and Style section, “Black Hair, Still Tangled in Politics” (August 26, 2009).
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