HairTroversy: It's Time to Bury "Good" Hair

By Tenisha Mercer

T-shirt spoofs on the term "good" hair

Although more women of color are embracing their natural hair, I think it's time to hold a funeral procession for the term "good hair" as it relates to hair texture.  It's a term that just won't go away, and I wish it would. We just need to bury "good hair" and pray that it won't resurrect itself.

Not to get all political, but "good" hair has had a long shelf life in the Black community and usually is related to how straight a person's hair texture is. The wording and meaning is clear: "Good" hair is straight hair; "bad" hair is kinky, "coarse" or highly textured hair.  The straighter (i.e. closer to Caucasian hair, the better. The thicker (i.e. closer to African hair, the worse).

And for generations, folks have used the term like a weapon. Having so-called "bad" hair wasn't ideal; "good" or straight hair was the ultimate standard for many.  If we couldn't press our hair to get it, we got perms to try our best to achieve it.

We carried that "good" hair mess like it was a badge of honor: Playground and schoolyard fights happene because of it; family members wielded it to crush self esteems of those who didn't have good hair, and put family members who had "good" hair on a hair pedestal.

We All Have "Good" Hair

Maybe I thought that with the growing amount of women going natural, that we'd stop using the term. But I've heard the words used a few times in conversation over the past few months, usually  usually when someone is referring to their own hair as in, "I got that good hair." Or something like that. I'm not the one to chastise folks on how they choose to categorize their hair. It's their hair, who cares?

But I swear, the next time I hear "good" and "hair" mentioned in a sentence, I'm going to go off! Every time it catches me by surprise, as in "I know she didn't just say "good hair." I liken it to hearing a racial slur or something that's racially offensive: You hear it and you may or may not know how to react.

For naturals, I'd say that "good" hair is a slur: It totally wipes out all of our efforts to appreciate our natural kinks and curls, no matter their texture. I'm done ignoring the word.  Let's define our  hair by our own terms -- we ALL have "good" hair.

Obviously, if it's 2012 and we're still having this discussion, the old "good" hair is something that continues, and we haven't gotten over it.

My Response

Next time, these two words come up, my response will be this:

"What did you say? Good hair. My great grandmother used to say that. Good hair is healthy hair. It doesn't mean texture. ALL healthy hair is good hair."

What do you think when you hear the term "good hair"?

"Good" Hair on National TV

A few weeks ago, I wrote about "good" hair and how we need to redefine it.

No sooner than that blog came out, now we have to deal with this sort of foolishness about "good hair" by talk show host Wendy Williams and singer/actress Brandy.

Wendy: "If you have a baby with him, the baby will have good hair."

Brandy: "Yes."

Full disclosure: I didn't see the show last week, but the comments were widely reported on blogs, including KisforKinky.com. I haven't heard anything from Wendy or Brandy's camps that the comments were inaccurate.

Sigh.

Really, Wendy and Brandy?

Really?


Why Black Folks Know Exactly What "Good" Hair Means

If there's one thing that's tied to being Black in America, it's the term "good" hair. Sure, black people in other areas of the world deal with it too, but I'd say that we are particularly obsessed with it stateside.

Folks gauge their infants' baby hair to see if it will be "good."

I've heard of others giving their 2 and 3 year old daughters perms, presumably, to achieve "good" hair.
Women even make decided to have children based on if the man has "good" hair -- doesn't matter if he's good Daddy material, but he got that good hair!

If you are Black and in the U.S., you likely know what the word means -- either you were teased for not having it or were told you were prettier because you had it. I'm sure white folks in Wendy's audience and around the country were like, "Huh?" Unless they live around people of color, they had no freaking idea what they were talking about.

A Damn Shame

Wendy is too old for that mess. I like her, but  I have yet to see her real hair -- though she has said she's got long, "good" hair underneath her stable of wigs. And Brandy? Maybe I'm wrong, but perhaps I can't expect more from woman who, like Wendy, her hair is weaved/braided up on the regular. Brandy and Wendy's real hair could be down to their ankles, but you'd never know it. I don't EVA remember Brandy wearing "her" hair out -- even when she was a young teenager.

Why, oh, why, are our damn insecurities about our hair served on a platter on national TV for the whole damn world to see and pick apart. I'm no psychologist, but this is why everyone and their Momma goes hard on Black women -- because we do it publicly for all to see! White women have insecurities about their hair, too.

But I don't see them on TV talking about that ish!

Get Rid of or Redefine "Good" Hair?

Folks have buried the N-word. Can we please bury the term "good" hair as it relates to hair texture, density and curl pattern? Or at least do it like the N-word and redefine it to mean healthy hair? Yeah, I know that the natural hair community likes to say that good hair is healthy hair.

But it's clear that most of the world outside of hair blogs, YouTube vids and hair forums don't feel that way.

What do you think?

Was it wrong for Wendy and Brandy to discuss "good" hair on national TV? Do you even care?

"Good" Hair

No, this is not THAT type of blog.

This has nothing to do with our hair's texture, straightness, thickness or curl pattern; it has everything to do with how we feel about our hair style.

I'm talking about "good" hair -- you know, those days when you KNOW you're hair is on point. Can't nobody tell you nothin' about your hair. That fro is laying just right. Your twist out is bangin'! Your curls are hella defined. The hair Gods have looked down and blessed you!

This is my definition of "good" hair -- not how straight, fine or curly your hair texture is.

Good hair day (twist and curl on damp hair with glycerine, Dax and cupacau butter, and put in an updo)
Can't tell me NOTHIN!

You Better WORK! Work badge picture, but this is the best twist out I've had EVER!
(Twist and curl on previously flat ironed, damp hair with glycerine and Dax.)  HOLLA! Weird smile, but love the hair!

"Bad" Hair
Now, "bad" hair, in my book, are those bad hair days. You look the mirror and go, "REALLY!" Your wash and go is ... meh! You got hella shrinkage -- and you don't like it! Your twist out is looking a frizzed out HOT mess!

Your fro is shaped like sideshow Bob. Your usual hair tools, go-to products and your hair are just not cooperating. Can't do nothing right with your hair to save your life and you don't have that hair swag. Good and bad hair days are highly subjective, we can be super picky, and those are the days when it feels good to get a compliment.

But let's keep it real: There are days that you look in the mirror and wanna throw a wig or hat on top of it. Rain, fog or humidity = higher probability of bad hair day. My hair has to be put up, or it's going to be a frizzy mess. 

I'm OK with some frizz. But all over? Girl, BYE!

Here are some of my bad hair days:

WTH was I thinking? So NOT the business. I have no idea how I got this style, but I never want to see it again!

A FAILED twist and curl + rain. Shrinkage like a mug!

Let's redefine the terms "good" and "bad" hair, to mean less about our individual hair's texture, density and curl pattern and more about our hair style or good and bad hair days. A style can be changed -- our texture can't, without heat and chemicals, of course.

And let's keep chasing those "good" hair days.