Good Hair (2009)

I don’t know the true impetus for wanting to see Chris Rock’s documentary about hair. But I was intrigued enough to queue it up.

Rock visits beauty salons, conventions, science labs, and even other countries to examine the industry that is a black woman’s hair. So much of a woman’s identity can be found in her relationship with her hair—no matter her skin color. The focus here is the extraordinary measure that black woman take to obtain the luxurious locks found on European women.

In an interview with Salt-n-Pepa, we discover the reason behind Pepa’s unlikely hair-do of the 80s—the result of a relaxer accident. Yikes! You can’t help but come away from Rock’s and others honest observations on the ridiculousness behind it all.

As I see it, Good Hair is an interesting social commentary and speaks to a true obsession with humor and candor. Ultimately, good hair is in the eye of the beholder—or rather the scalp of the wearer.