Review of Good Hair (2009) by Eric F — 03 Nov 2009

If, like me, you're a caucasian male, I take it that you've never taken a second to consider the hair of African American women. It has nothing to do with racism or sexism - but, well, how much can there be to say? "Good Hair", then, will come off as a major surprise.

By taking a magnifying glass to the $9 billion industry, documentarian/comedian Jeff Stinson and Chris Rock unveil the economic politics behind the hair industry, as well as our societal preoccupation with whiteness. Attaining good hair is, in fact, self-destructive - an unreasonable expense involving dangerous chemicals, an obsession known to even detriment love lives. Yet the black women in the film continue to insist that they won't be able to find a job with natural hair. We come to realize that the enemy isn't these hair-obsessed women, but rather the media's presentation of what constitutes a beautiful black women - namely, whiteness.

To straighten their naturally nappy hair, black women tend to use an abundance of "hair relaxer" - a product known to contain sodium hydroxide. Should the chemical be left in the hair too long, the film explains, it can burn the scalp or even damage lungs. Doing a bit of research will show that all modern hair relaxers don't use sodium hydroxide, but nevertheless Rock's point is clear and poetic.

Rock makes his way to India to discover the roots (yeah, I said it) of the black hair business. In India, where women cut off their hair during religious ceremonies, several hair profiteers explain that hair is of greater value than gold. People have been known to cut the hair of women in their sleep, or even in the theater during an especially involving movie. The women's ritual head-shaving, known as "tonsure", collects such an abundance of hair that one of the subjects points out that the profits are second only to the vatican.

As an interviewee, Rock is incredibly personable and genuinely curious. He gets his subjects to reveal what they otherwise may not admit - one black man, for instance, says that he prefers sleeping with white women so that he can pull their hair without reservation. Rock's form is anecdotal, and he supports his thesis thoroughly without bashing it over our heads.

"Good Hair" works best as a probing study of why black women go to such lengths to attain straight hair. Alongside this look at globalization, however, Stinson and Rock make their way to the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show. This spectacle, essentially American Idol with haircuts, might make for an entertaining documentary by itself, but it takes away from Rock's social critique.