Black Women and Their Hair, Reaction Paper Example

Too many women focus on their looks, including their hair as distinguishing factors to their beauty and their worth. Black women are not an exception. Many black women believe that good hair is that naturally straight hair. However, many of these women, as stated in the documentary, do not have that type of hair naturally. Relaxer is one of the main products that black women use in order to get their hair straight. The documentary explains how black women feel about hair and how certain products that they purchase help them establish a certain beauty by using these products to make their hair beautiful. The majority of them state that using relaxer on their hair and making it straight is what makes their hair good in their eyes. In addition, thanks to India, black women use weaves in order to beautify themselves and establish good hair. These women develop a sense of pride in the way in which their hair is done and how it looks. These women spend thousands of dollars and much of their time on their hair and believe that it is there merely for decoration. A black woman’s natural “nappy” hair is not ideal for them and many believe that it is not even worthy in the society in which we all live. Where black women feel having beautiful hair is of great importance, other cultures believe that giving away their hair is a religious act. India is one of those places and the main reason these colored women have the opportunities to have weaves. For natives of India, removing their hair is considered self-sacrifice and having no hair is considered beautiful to them because it is a religious act. All in all, a black woman only has good hair if it is not her natural hair; it has to be a weave or relaxed with products in order for them to believe they have good hair and that they are beautiful. However, as stated at the end of the documentary, good hair is only for appearance; it has nothing to do with who a black woman fully is or who they can become. Their self-worth and value comes from who they are on the inside and not what they look like on the outside.