Good hair
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
"Good hair" is a phrase used within some Black communities to describe the perceived prestige of loosely curled hair which has been genetically influenced by non African ancestry - in contrast to Afro-textured hair.
Tightly coiled hair, by this standard, is considered to be "bad hair" (or "pelo malo" in Afro-Spanish influenced areas such as the Dominican Republic) while the term "good hair" often used in a patronizing manner to suggest that one's hair is "better" than Afro-textured hair.
Its usage has such a potent history within the African-American community that Chris Rock created a documentary entitled Good Hair, which made a wider audience more aware of the importance of the term within the Black community. Its circulation within the Black community in North America has an unspecified origin, predating Rock's documentary. Depending on the context, "good hair" can connote and evoke both communal laughter and pain. Therefore, the phrase requires a more nuanced explanation for its complicated usages.
See also
- Black is Beautiful
- Colorism
- High yellow
- Passing (racial identity)
- Pencil test
- Plaçage
- Brown Paper Bag Test
