Editor’s Note: The Fresh Xpress has the Tyra article featured. Yay! Visit at thefreshxpress.com.
Before heading to work on Tuesday, I caught Tyra talking on her show about black women and their hair. Here’s my quick commentary after I watched the episode:
The old good hair versus bad hair debate. As tired as I am of reading and talking about this topic, it’s one of those issues that never goesaway in the black community. Just as much as I’d like swagga and “no homo” to go away, I wish “good hair” would go away too.
As “serious” as Tyra likes to make some of her shows, I just knew some foolery was about to take place.
Especially because Tyra’s hair looked like this:
I had to give the TV the side-eye.
Those blonde lace-front weaves are as attached to Tyra’s head as Beyonce’s.
Today she wants to bring out the natural look for this episode. Foolery.
What’s interesting about the whole issue is that it’s two-fold. America’s standard of beauty that often shows skinty white woman as what’s beautiful plays a part. But the black community keeps the good hair versus bad hair issue alive as well.
And it starts from childhood. Tyra showed a black mother giving her young daughter a perm, and the child crying and screaming during the process. But of course the child smiled with glee afterward because her hair looked better. One of the saddest moments during the show was one young girl who likes to wear a blond Hannah Montana wig because she doesn’t like her own hair. “I think white people have better hair than black people,” she said.
Then Tyra said she has her own version of the Hanna Montana wig that she puts on. My soul died at that moment. LOL! She brought it back to the foolishness. Tyra was having withdrawals from the lace-front wig.
The adult guests were an interesting bunch.
One woman said she has good hair because it has white girl flow and can move. Aw lawd. What year is this? And one mother said at 11, she knew she would have a baby outside of her race so that her child would have good hair. Her baby’s father is Latino.
One white girl in the audience asked, “I just don’t get the whole not washing your hair every day thing?”
And in her answer, Tyra compared the black hair process to marinating chicken. Oh Tyra. SMH.
The main guest was a black woman who’s considering going natural, and was concerned about how people would view her. Girl, you ain’t getting plastic surgery! You can go back to the perm if you don’t like it. Calm down. (more…)
Whatlookslikecrazy 