I think it's safe to say that not all that many of us think of their hairstyles as cultural statements but as mere fashion choices of signs of conformity or (very mild) rebellion. That said, in tribal Africa, hair had pretty much its own language, something that came to North America via the slave trade - and for that had to be subdued by the white slaveowners and supremacists by describing the trademark frazzled black hair as "ugly", coming up with beauty ideals like straightened hair that would give Afro-Americans an immediate disadvantage - but wearing their often elaborate and inventive hairstyles proudly ultimately gave black women an advantage over boring white conformity.

Now I have to admit I don't think about hair all that much, I wear my hair long mostly because it feels comfortable and I like it like that, not because I'm a metalhead - which I'm not, but I do get mistaken for one regularly. But enough about myself and on to the movie, which really manages to make its point by talking to coloured women of all walks of life, be it business woman, TV presenter or actuall hair stylist, who wear their (often pretty extravagant) hair proudly and tell their hair history, mixed with the actual history of black hairstyles, and the result is quite simply fascinating, especially since the film is about something many (including myself) have so far never spared a thought about. So this is in all a very worthwhile watch.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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