Bad Hair: Getting to the Root
Bad Hair (2020), image provided by IMDb
“People look at you and they see somebody else, and somehow you become more of yourself.”
- Anna Bludso, Bad Hair
HULU finally offered me another free subscription, and I’m glad they did because this movie was on my list. What? Don’t look at me like that; I’m cheap. There is a lot to unpack for this Sundance original film, so let’s dive right into it.
Anna Bludso is an ambitious executive assistant; she works for a television network. Fearing the future of her job, due to new management, Anna is advised to conceal her natural hair texture and replace it with a looser textured weave. Many women can relate to Anna’s plight, unfortunately. Social norms stress that a woman’s hair is her crown and glory, meaning it is something that she should cherish for the rest of her life. I know right, add it to the list of things that society expects women to maintain. Although society’s preference for types of hairstyles has changed (i.e. cornrows or boxer braids) throughout the years, its bias for textures hasn’t. The 20’s showcased finger waves and blunt bangs, the 30’s highlighted pin curls and up-dos, and the 70’s coined the Farrah Fawcett flip. What do all of those hairstyles have in common? They were created with looser hair textures in mind. People with kinkier hair textures were forced to resort to lengthy and painful (i.e. the relaxer) alternatives and modifications to imitate those styles with their natural hair. Not much has changed today. Anna’s weave represents a placebo. She viewed herself in a more positive light once it was installed. In 2014, a study was conducted with 66 individuals who experienced migraines. They were asked to track the effectiveness of new migraine medication, Maxalt, and a placebo on six different occasions. The pills were labeled: Maxalt, placebo, or neutral (could either be Maxalt or a placebo). Participants were required to rate the pain of their migraine after 30 minutes, take the assigned pill, and then rate their pain two and a half hours later. The kicker is, the labels did not reflect the correct medications. Researchers found that participants rated the medication in this order of effectiveness: Maxalt (most effective), neutral (less effective than Maxalt and more effective than the placebo), and placebo (least effective). In conclusion, labels matter. When we label hair in terms of good and bad, it affects the human psyche. Anna’s life only changed because she changed the way she sees herself. It was never about her hair.
Life is hardly fair, and there are several norms designed to divide us: social-economic status, race, weight, gender, etc. However, it does not behoove you to accept every standard as the blueprint for your life. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” In other words, take peoples’ opinions with a grain of salt, “because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind” — Dr. Seuss.
