Braids, Natural Hair Issues - The root of the problem

[Tropicana]

Unfortunately, this problem starts at the top and we are also to blame. Here is why. No one lays this trip on Black men (ah again the double standard) but for Black women attempting to break into acting or modelling, get cast as dancers, or compete on the pageant circuit, going natural means going home. You simply won't be cast or selected and everyone has to eat, everyone has to earn a living. There are exceptions of course, but this is not what prevails.

I don't blame actresses and models who are trying to break into he biz if they opt to straighten their hair and eat instead of going natural and starving. Abbey Lincoln faced this and despite her incredible talent got passed over for many parts including Lady Sings the Blues. Cicely Tyson has had limited roles but man whatever she gets she ROCKS and portrays with dignity....remember her recently when she played a maid in The Help.

Memories are short. I bet no one even remember why the Jamaican government stopped backing Miss Jamaica and it was up to private bodies like Spartan to host the pageant. If you know it post it or I will post it once again.

Does Hollywood Have Black Actresses Afraid To Go Natural?

When Viola Davis decided to wear her natural hair to the Oscars last year it caused many tongues and fingers to start wagging. I remember watching Fashion Police and Joan Rivers actually ripped Viola’s look apart because of her choice to rock a TWA. I was shocked because I thought she looked undeniably gorgeous. I was even more surprised when Wendy Williams jumped on the bandwagon and said things that were even more offensive! Now that awards season has rolled around again those of us that love fashion and beauty have been waiting to see our favorite stars pull out all of the stops. The accessories, the dresses and last, but certainly not least, the hair takes center stage. Yet it seems that the beautiful Black actresses of Hollywood are scared strait, literally! With the exception of Solange Knowles, Teyonah Parris, Viola Davis and a few others, one can’t help but notice that in the midst of the Natural Hair (R)evolution, Black women on the red carpet are still clinging to relaxers, wigs and weaves when it’s time to “dress-up.” Not that there is anything wrong with rocking the hair extension or chemical treatment of your choice, but it becomes a bit problematic when you have to do so just to conform to the beauty standards of an industry that has historically and consistently portrayed natural hair in a bad light.

It’s almost as if we put on our “good hair” for special company. It’s long been the norm in many circles that straight hair is “good hair,” and one of those circles just happens to be Hollywood, a space that more and more Black woman are inhabiting – as long as they play by its strict beauty rules. Perhaps we only have to look at 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis, star of Beasts Of The Southern Wild, to realize how deep the rabbit hole goes. For a film that takes place in an impoverished Bayou community an Afro is enough, but under the big lights of fame, it seems that only a press-n-curl will do.

Straight hair should be an option too, but it shouldn’t be forced onto us so that we end up feeling vulnerable and awkward for embracing our natural hair. It’s already hard for Black actresses to get roles as it is. So I understand why they might be reluctant to do something that will make it even harder to get work. But when will Hollywood get a clue and accept our natural beauty? For the sake of all the women and young girls taking their beauty and fashion clues from their favorite actresses, I hope soon. - See more at: http://hollistics.com/2013/02/20/doe....nYzydag3.dpuf

- See more at: http://hollistics.com/2013/02/20/doe....nYzydag3.dpuf

Who is to blame? Definitely the celebrities like the Jacksons and Beyonce who still cling to their weaves and bun up heads even after they have made it and can call the shots. There was a time when people used to say "we need more Black producers, casting directors, etc.". Now that we have Black males producing music videos and movies, notice who they cast....white women, and light skin women with long weaves. Who does Sean Combs cast for his Cîroc vodka commercials?

[Tropicana]

[Tropicana]

Ah who was the Executive Producer of this movie again....Ice Cube... a Black man....he cast Eve and made her a star with her blonde hair.

[Tropicana]

I could go on. Here is the impact.

Why? Lots of blame to go around.


Who is to blame? How about the millions of Black people who have been too bloody lazy to pick up their phones and call movie producers and sponsors or write letters and complain about the fact that Black women are not being depicted with natural hair. Do we boycott movies and stop buying magazines that feature women with Black, weaves write to the producers and editors and tell them why? No


Advertisers have a vested interest in all of this as they make billions of dollars selling hair straighter, products to maintain straight or wash and wear hair, fake hair etc. They need to be convinced that they will be hurt in the pocket book if the continue to bat fi de bun up head team but we can't be bothered to do it.

I used to call REGULARLY and write NUFF letters. Over and over again I was told that no one else had called. There was a commercial in Ontario for the lottery quite a while back and with a man in Black face playing the piano. It took a phone call from one 10 year old Black boy to get the sponsor to kill the ad.

So, if you personally have never bothered to pick up the phone, send a letter or take the 2 seconds to send a tweet to a producer, TV sponsor or advertiser to complain, then you have no right to criticize up and coming actresses and models who don't opt for natural hair.


The problem snowballs from there, when women see the same image portrayed over and over and rammed down people's throats by the media, that is what they tend to emulate. When young men see the same images portrayed over and over, this is what they perceive as beauty and the problem never stops.


Curious to know if anyone else on here has ever contacted magazine editors, fashion editors and fashion show producers, sponsors, movie or TV producers, or advertisers to complain about any of this.

[Tropicana]

BTW, the situation is no bettah a yawd.

[Tropicana]

The subliminal message is it's okay for men to have natural hair, it's okay for little girls to have braids or wear dem hair natural but not women.

KFC commercials have been problematic for years but we ready fi gi dem our money.

[Tropicana]

[Emperah]

yuh eenya a chat tuh yuhself again

well lowe mi fi seh dis.
A fi unno fault dere is no double standard and if unno blk ooman neh waan shove unno nose up yt ooman batty suh much and lowe de self hatred and respect unnoself unno wouldn't have any a dem problems.
But do whay you have to do to eat yes, and bow and seh yes massa some more, bow again, kiss two batty an chree boot, bunn up yuh head some more and den gwan blame it pan double standard.

Is unno lowe de standard, wapm unno cyaan seh No? All dem nassy dutty videos of blk ooman pan BET is also unno fault and no one else is to blame but unno.

[Tropicana]

Chatting to miself....nutten new and not a problem. It's always been that way Emeprah.. It gives me a chance to vent. Maybe people noh say nutten but dem a read still. You raise many valid points. I agree with many points but disagree on the double standard thing. If there is no double standard why are Black male actors allowed to have natural hair on TV and in movies while Black female actresses are, by and large, bypassed if their hair is natural? Why are Black male dancers permitted to have natural hair while there is pressure on Black female dancers to flash weaves? Ditto for Black male vs Black female models?

I want to stress though that, as long as the Black general public accepts this, nothing will change. How hard is it to tweet a company and tell them you are not happy with how they depict Black people in their ads? How hard is it to flood a movie production company's e-mail inbox with e-mails of protest? Do you really think any advertiser would be enough to ignore even hundreds of tweets from a demographic they are trying to target? Just about any movie that is produced today has a website and there is an e-mail address of some kind even if it is just for the PR and Media Relastions.

Black men have to bear a lot of the blame for this. Women will conform to whatever men run dung. If dem a run dung dis, den dis is what we will see.





Most Black men are not showing a preference for women with natural hair.

The nasty videos, I agree. If Black women didn't do them, the videos could not be produced but we are not seeing Black dancers coming together and refusing to do these videos. Also, please note that by and large these videos are for music created by Black male artists so it comes back to what men want. You know the music business. Who controls who appears in the videos or on the CD covers? Don't the artists, especially de major ones have a say in it. Who owns BET where all these nasty videos are aired....a Black man.

Related to this, if Black performers banded together, definitely some shows would no longer be on the air.

Example: Top Cops. One of the worst shows stereotyping Black people that was produced in Toronto. It was bread and butter for many Black performers including dialect coaches who taught Canadian Black actors to talk like they were from American ghettos. The scripts got worse and worse until finally, a meeting was called and all Toronto actors were invited to attend. A decision was made to accept no more auditions for the show with the aim of shutting it down and this collective action was successful. Sure they could have shipped in actors from the USA or moved production to a US city but, at the time, it would have meant skyrocketing production costs and significantly lower profits.

But I don't think you can blame Black performers for the natural hair thing. Unless there was collective action similar to the Top Cops thing and Black female models, actors, and dancers made a collective decision to wear their hair natural, the action of one or two performers is not going to make one bit of difference.

I personally know actresses who took a major stand on the natural hair thing and it cost dem NUFF money in lost opportunities. Once opportunity is lost, you can't get it back As Muta would say....believe you me.....

There has been some improvement and we are finally seeing some Black women with natural hair turning up on TV and movie screens but this is not the majority.

My hairdresser takes a different stance and I will throw it into the mix. Hair style for Black women should be a fashion choice just as it is for White women not a political choice. I don't fully agree with her as this is not possible in the current reality. Right now, the choice comes to straighten your hair or don't get cast and if you think this doesn't also apply to some extent in the corporate sector....think again. The same executives who make decisions about who appears in their commercials ultimately decide who works in their companies.

[Tropicana]

[Emperah]

caz unno put up wid it.
If yuh want a man dat run down wah yuh claim dem run dung den a dat yuh wi get.
How long yuh goin keep letting men write unno standard

[Tropicana]

Good question.

Okay what about the job opportunities pawt. Short of Black actors, models and dancers banding together and refusing to compromise or to produce their own work, what do you propose individuals do. Like it or not, natural hair will cost them opportunities. Does the same apply for Black female singers? I know record labels place a lot of emphasis on image.

Her is what 8 Hollywood actresses are doing? A tough stand. Especially, since roles for Black actresses are already few and far between, gotta to give them props for taking a stand.

8 Black Hollywood Actresses Who Proudly Rock Their Natural Hair

These actresses proudly embrace their God-given locks

Let's face it, being a black actress in Hollywood is no easy task. In addition to the lack of roles written for women of color, there's the impossible Eurocentric standard of beauty that they must adhere to if they want to get ahead in the business.
Since the average black woman isn't born with long flowing locks, wigs, weaves, and hair extensions are used to achieve the look. However, not everyone is quick to jump on the bandwagon.
We've rounded up 8 actresses who proudly wear their hair in all its kinky glory. These women are winning outside of America's restrictive beauty box and are "happy to be nappy."

Whoopi Goldberg

With a career spanning over 3 decades, Goldberg has amassed a dizzying amount of success, awards and wealth - all without ever putting a relaxer or a hot comb to her hair. Whoopi's hair, which has morphed from braids to dreds, is part of her trademark look. While she may don a wig for a particular role, Whoopi has kept true to her public persona.

She broke in on the comedy circuit where there is a higher tolerance for natural hair but she has been able to play some dramatic role. She has Oprah to thank for helping her break into that category. Still we should be seeing more from her.

Tracee Ellis Ross

The daughter of music diva Diana Ross, Tracee sports one of the funkiest 'fros in Hollywood. Throughout her 8-year run as the lovably neurotic Joan Clayton on Girlfriends, Ross wore her hair in an array of styles from her "milkmaid" braids to an elegant ponytail. On her new sitcom Reed Between The Lines, Reed has maintained her fabulous curly girl flair.

Good fer her. If her mother had taken a similar stand I don't think we would be in the mess we're in now. Her mother had influence.

Aisha Hinds

This powerhouse actress has taken a bold approach to how she wears her hair by rocking a nearly bald dome! In an interview with Blacktress.com, Hinds shared that when she moved to L.A., she couldn't afford the weekly hair appointments on a struggling actress' salary so one day, on a whim, she did the "big chop" and soon booked her first gig on NYPD Blue with her teeny weeny fro.

Tracie Thoms

The classically-trained thespian started wearing her own natural hair totally by accident. One day, while still a student at Julliard, Thoms couldn't make her appointment with her braider, and went to class with her hair in afro puffs. The reaction to her appearance was overwhelmingly positive and she's worn her hair in it's natural state ever since. In a 2011 interview with Essence, Thoms muses, "If I were to straighten my hair, would I get roles? I don't know. I've never been asked to change my hair and if I was asked, I quickly talked them out of it."

Just got to love her.

Annie Ilonzeh

Ilonzeh made television history last year, when she was cast as the first black angel on ABC's Charlie's Angels reboot. The biracial beauty credits the producers of the show for letting her character Kate Prince be a curly girl. "They really wanted me to be true to myself, instead of washing me into a different person, of what society thinks is more appealing," she said.

Adepero Oduye

This statuesque Nigerian-American actress has Hollywood all abuzz over her stunning performance in this year's indie hit Pariah. Oduye has subtly given Hollywood the middle finger by making no apologies for her dark, ebony skin and her unprocessed hair. In addition to gracing this month's Vanity Fair's "Hollywood Issue," Oduye's regal features have been featured in W Magazine and The New York Times.

Kim Wayans

Part of the legendary Wayans family, our favorite comedic actress flexed her dramatic chops as the overly uptight, religious Audrey in Pariah. As a child, Wayans' mother refused to relax her daughter's hair and years later Wayans proudly embraces her untamed mane. "I've used a hot comb from time to time or put on a wig for a role, but I'm just happy to be nappy," she said.

Yvette Nicole Brown

The star of NBC's "Community" has been relaxer-free for 12 years. Brown wore wigs during the first season of the show, but now wears her own natural crown of curls. Brown believes that her hair has actually been an asset to her career. She told CurlyNikki.com, "When I started doing commercials 10 years ago, no one had hair like mine. All the girls booking commercials back then were relaxed." Years later, Brown is happy to see black women sporting their own wild and curly 'fros.

[Tropicana]

Let's not forget.

Mariane Jean-Baptiste



She often wears her hair natural. She had her hair natural on many episode of Without a Trace produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and I have seen her with natural hair in some movies including one in which she had a British accent and in which she had natural hair in some scenes. Never saw the end of it as my flight ended too soon though.

Glad to finally see this part.

Major props need to go out to Executive Producer Jerry Bruckheimer. He casts Black and Latin American actors and has had actresses with natural hair on a lot of his series both as series regulars and guests.

[Tropicana]

I wonder if British movies have more Black actresses with natural hair. Must look into this.

[Emperah]

How bout supm more real world.
Mi nuh care bout actress and actors a dem put dem foot inne nex man game.
If yuh waan fi rule supm yuh haffi mek yuh own game.
Actors male an female live a life of being someone else till dem nuh kno demself.
Yuh cyaan tek too much serious though from too many a dem caz again dem nuh kno demself and spend too much time bowing fi get weh dem deh.

Oprah have are own netwerk nuff blk ppl have money, a time unno duh unno own tings an stop follow up and inhale de fumes leff by de yt ppl ahead a yuh.