“That’s Too White”

Several months ago, I interviewed for a job. Even though the interview was for a mere entry-level position, I completed the necessary preparatory tasks in effort to make a good first impression. I got a new suit, heels, and hair.

Yes hair; the long straight hair that my sisters of Prince George’s County seem to love so much.

I have worn my natural hair for over 12 years now, sporting various styles from two-strand twists and cornrows, to locks and a kinky ‘fro. But I am no stranger to hiding my naturally kinky hair when looking for a job. It seems to be a prerequisite when seeking employment, or at least it is for me.

I did the same thing after finishing undergrad many years ago. At that time I got extensions or what is better known as a weave. This time around I opted for something different—a wig.  My mother practically insisted that I wear one.  And that I did. She even helped me pick the “right” style and paid for the trickery. She told me when she interviewed for a job fresh out of high school more than 40 years ago, she wore straight hair and then switched it up to the afro after she was hired. Of course that was the 1960s and one would think that society would have evolved and what not by now, but such is not the case. The term “good hair” is alive and well.

The night before my interview, I tried the wig on and showed it to my father. He responded, “That’s too white!” Um, well isn’t that the point?

I’ve been on the job now for more than five months, and I still rock the hairpiece. I’ve been told by friends and coworkers that I should lose the wig and wear my true hair (now in a kinky ‘fro style) for all my coworkers to see. They say it shouldn’t matter and that black folks are the ones with the hair issues.  The whites won’t care; they’ll think it’s cool.  Hmm … I’m not too sure about all that.

The bottom-line is, all the people in charge at my job are white. And the women in power are white with long stringy blond hair (both dyed and natural). Hell, I interviewed with four of them.

And all of the black women there, wear their hair straight/relaxed or with extensions. I’ve seen a couple with braids and twists, but they’re temporary employees unlike myself. The black women in permanent positions all sport straight hair, whether it’s permed or pressed. I refuse to be the sacrificial lamb.

My mom (a former human resources professional) has observed first-hand a black woman with natural hair unable to advance. Granted one can’t conclusively say her hair was the reason she did not receive a promotion, but all factors must be considered. According to my mother, her black female colleagues with a comparable knowledge base were able to move on up the food chain.

At this stage in my life, it’s about progression; and I’m not going to let my desire not to relax my hair potentially stand in the way of that. Perhaps in several months I’ll decide to risk it. But for right now, I’ll wig it to work.

I had been looking forward to seeing the film since I first discovered the trailer a few months ago. Overall I thought the film was funny and I commend his attempt. It is Chris Rock. His antics have long tickled me and the conversation of black hair has intrigued me for nearly a decade. In fact, my undergraduate thesis project attempted to tackle the topic.

An author for theybf, today’s top source for all black celebrity gossip, insinuated that the film showcases only “ghetto” hair salons and stylists—a term which has become the proverbial descriptor for all things unsavory and by extension black. Can we please retire that misused “adjective,” right along with n-word and bitch? Teresa Wiltz of The Root offered an insightful critique of the documentary, noting the film’s misogynistic undertones—its depiction of black women as overly-superficial, illustrating the lengths some go to in order to have “good hair”; $1,000 hair extensions, and thousands of dollars a year dedicated to hair maintenance. This comes as no surprise, I do remember feeling unsettled as a woman viewing Rock’s comedy specials, such as Bigger and Blacker and Never Scared.

Furthermore, I was perplexed by the lack of consideration given to particular components of the issue, considering its complex origin, consistent presence, and varied modalities. When interviewing black men, Rock never questions their hair preference. Did these men prefer natural hair or relaxed hair on black women? Did they like both? What did these men find attractive? Was this omittance due in part to Rock’s assumption that black men “naturally” prefer women with relaxed, straightened hair? As the film’s creator and writer, it is quite telling that he does not address the matter. I firmly believe that the majority of black men prefer straightened, relaxed hair (although that is changing).

Rock also did not address the negative depiction of women who choose not to relax their hair. As Wiltz noted, of the female celebrities Rock interviewed, Tracie Thoms was the only one who wore her hair visibly non-relaxed or straightened. Perhaps he believes there is truth to the idea that black women with natural hair are unattractive, militant, masculine, and unsophisticated. When he made his rounds promoting the film, he described Oprah Winfrey as a slave when seeing her childhood picture before her first relaxer. He also stated that she was delivering the “mean” news when seeing  footage of Oprah with an afro. (Clip 2)

These comments although made in jest are surely not those expected of one who desires to earnestly examine the complexities of black hair with sincerity and “compassion” to borrow Wiltz’s term.  Even though these comments were made in an offhanded  manner, the political implications of   black women’s coiffure are very much contemporary and relevant;  let us not forget the New Yorker’s depiction of Michelle Obama as a gun-toting extremist wearing an afro.

Unfortunately, in 2009 black women who wear their hair naturally are viewed as aggressive and unattractive by society as a whole and by a large amount of African-Americans, men and women alike. Chris Rock appears to follow suit.

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View a previous post on the film here.

Janet Jackson | Harper’s Bazaar

The October issue of Harper’s Bazaar features Janet Jackson. You’ll find more pics from the cover shoot here.

Light-Skinned Black Women Fare Better at Marriage

Shocking!

Just kidding, of course.

I have expected this to be true for awhile, but now I’ve got the data to back  me up.

Research shows that light-skinned black women (below the age of 30) marry more frequently than their darker counterparts. In Shedding “Light” on Marriage: The Influence of Skin Shade on Marriage for Black Females, authors Darrick Hamilton, Arthur H. Goldsmith, and William Darity, Jr. “contend that the associated shortage of desirable men in the marriage market provides those black men who are sought after with the opportunity to attain a high status spouse, which has placed a premium on having lighter skin (i.e. intensified colorism in marriage markets for black females)” (30).

Naomi Campbell Graces the Cover of Giant

The May 2009 issue of Giant magazine features supermodel Naomi Campbell—digging the ‘fro.

Chris Rock’s New Film—Good Hair

Chris Rock addresses the color complex in his upcoming film Good Hair. Although I am absolutely thrilled he’s tackling this issue (partly because I am a fan of Chris Rock and also because I feel that colorism is major problem in the black community and beyond), I wish the film was done by a black woman. Call me a genderist first, racialist second in this instance. But perhaps the argument could be made that the film would not have the same audience appeal, had it been made by a black female comedian. I can’t think of a black female comedian with the same clout as Chris (sad, but true). The closest would be Mo’Nique, right?

And let’s be honest, many women (black, white, or whatever) still cling to the trope of the all-knowing, patriarchal man. Although black women comprise the majority of black churches across this country, black men occupy the majority (if not all) of the leadership roles. And we—women—elected this country’s first black male president this past election despite the fact that a well-qualified female candidate (who advocated universal health care) opposed him while we—women—occupy the majority of the voting power. Translation: we—women—should run this. But I digress.

Nonetheless, I am ecstatic the film was produced. I only hope that it critically examines the color complex (which it appears to do judging from the trailer) and urges us all to reexamine what we all consider to be good, acceptable, and beautiful. Kudos Chris!

My Documentary: An Exploration of Black Love

I finally managed to get my trailer on youtube. It’s a project that I began many years ago which examines the state of love and relationships in the black community. I have not done much work on it as of late, but this is definitely encouragement to do so. Moving forward, I am thinking of shifting the focus to the black female perspective entirely. If you would like to contribute in any way, let me know.

Paper Cover Features Janelle Monae

I thought it important to mention that the cover of the June issue of Paper magazine features artist Janelle Monae. Important because it’s rare to see a black woman on the cover of a magazine that isn’t Essence, Hype Hair, or King. Important, furthermore, because Janelle Monae chooses to style her hair conspicuously natural. I strongly desire alternatives to the standard depiction of black female beauty—the prepackaged light-skinned female with straightened hair—think Halle Berry, Beyonce, or Rihanna (just to name a few). In the words of bell hooks, “we live in a society where we are daily confronting negative images of blackness.” It’s critical that black women are depicted in ways that affirm our existence, worth, and beauty.

Although I’m not in love with the chosen picture—she looks like a deer caught in headlights—I can only imagine it was chosen to keep in line with what the interviewer refers to as Janelle’s “Afro-futuristic-alternative sound.” Nonetheless, I am happy and encouraged to see the image. And if you haven’t done so already, you may want to check out her song Lettin’ Go. It’s a favorite of mine.

The Stereotypical Notions of Nomenclature

This past Friday the Tyra Banks Show addressed the stereotypical impressions generated by one’s name. Tyra conducted a focus groups consisting of roughly ten adults varing in age and race in New York City. The focus group was given a list of five names and were asked to generate impressions of the individual based on his or her name. “Deedrica” was the first name examined by the group. The only black male boisterously stated that she must be “Black, black, ghetto black!” The rest of the participants followed in suit claiming that Deedrica was an overweight, angry black female that you would not want to cross working, possibly a disgruntled DMV employee one group member maintained. Deedrica sports designer clothing and hair extensions as she lives a luxurious life in the projects with her three children fathered by three diffent men nonetheless.

Although I wasn’t surprised by the first impressions invoked by the name Deedrica within the focus group, I was however shocked at the depths of their stereotypical stupor. It proved to be limitless, with group members possessing a crystal clear visual representation of Deedrica and the characteristics of her personality and behavior.

Needless to say I was disappointed, angered, and stunned all at the same time. The plethora of negative views which plague black women, from the angry black female to the oversexualized nymphomaniac are absolutely maddening. When will black women be viewed as individuals, not the sum of our parts? And furthermore, when will there be an honest and earnest attempt to understand the plight of the black female which at times may explain why you catch an angry sister on the wrong day? In Salvation: Black People and Love, prolific cultural critic bell hooks mentions that many of her college students “of all colors” would describe black women they encountered as “unsmiling and rigid” (106). hooks further explains what happened when her class critically assessed the lives of black women. She writes

“When we would later examine the details of black women’s lives, facts that document the reality that many of us live in poverty, or do low-paying jobs without access to health care; that we are likely to be single for much of our adult life; that of the three leading causes of death for women, heart disease, breast cancer, and lung cancer, we are disproportionately at risk and more likely to die if we have these illnesses; and that we are daily the victims of unacknowledged verbal and physical assault both in the streets and in our homes, they understood the reasons black females do not appear open and playful. After examining these facts students would often say, ‘what do black women have to smile about?'” (106)

Black women are constantly viewed and treated as the world’s mule, living in a society that “systematically devalued our bodies and our beings” (hooks 93).

Another point worth mentioning is the audience reaction when viewing the Deedrica compared with its reaction when watching the focus group discuss the name “Jose.” Although the audience members offered statements of disgust and outrage after they viewed video snippet, this protest was not expressed during viewing. However, when the audience viewed the Jose exchange, the audience outcry was undeniable. In fact, Trya said herself that that’s the loudest verbal reaction she’s encountered as the audience viewed a tape. Why such anger for Jose and not Deedrica? Is this a continuation of the mistreatment and debasement of black women? One can make a sound argument.

Notice the clip below of Mad TV’s spoof of a “ghetto” cashier Bon Qui Qui working at King Burger. Latino/Hispanic actress Anjelah Johnson plays the part of Bon Qui Qui.

The clip’s “humor” struck a cord within the black community. A former neighbor (African American female) forwarded it to me via email and raved of its comedic genius. And judging from the comments listed on the You Tube just below the video, she wasn’t the only one who found the skit funny.

I however failed to see the humor. What are your thoughts?