Who does your Hair?

"From a photo of an insane woman, to show the condition of her hair."
The expression of the emotions in man and animals -- Charles Darwin

Chris Rock, wearing a wig and starring in his documentary Good Hair.

 

Baptist Minister, Civil Rights Activist, and Democrat Al Sharpton

"The state of her hair is a sure and convenient criterion of her mental condition" explains Dr. Browne on page 296 of evolutionary scientist Charles Darwin's work The expressions of the emotions in man and animals.

If you've seen Chris Rock's documentary Good Hair, you'll quickly come to the realization that 'hair' is still a critical tool used to evaluate class and social status; at least according to the African-American community who together form the subject of Rock's documentary.  Why else then would so many Black women in America (and in Canada too, I've seen it!) spend thousands upon thousands of dollars trying to either straighten their natural hair with chemicals, or have professionals stitch weaves and extensions onto their heads?  There is absolutely no doubt that Darwin's research (shown above) racializes natural Black hair by associating its physiognomy and texture with this woman's mental status; just another example of how Social Darwinism privileges European ideas of status and aesthetics.  And there is no way Darwin would ever have associated straight blond hair with mental illness.

Rock's doc fairly plays both sides of the fence though, before ultimately coming to the conclusion that while racism in mainstream American media exacerbates the pressure on African-Americans to straighten their 'Black' hair, the real blame rests on the shoulders of the Black communities in the U.S. and abroad. Democrat Al Sharpton, whose chemically 'relaxed' hair is all natural and a significantly cheaper alternative to the hair weaves Rock's investigation really targets, doesn't mince words.  According to Sharpton, while the pressures on African-Americans to straighten their natural hair may be a burden, putting food on the table and paying for your child's education comes first. Sharpton believes  African-Americans need to take ownership of the situation by either choosing more affordable solutions to style their hair (aka: The Al Sharpton 'relaxer') or by using their buying power to solely purchase hair products from African-American owned companies. Because when Black women in the U.S. are spending upwards of $3000 every few months in order to modify their natural hair, this money goes to companies with no significant investment in the African-American community, which essentially undermines their potential to control the marketplace as the primary purchasers of hair extensions and weaves in the U.S.