Lessons Learned from Hulu's New Movie: Bad Hair
Warning: Spoiler alert! We will be talking about the critical parts of the movie.
On October 23, 2020, Hulu released its new original: Bad Hair. Bad Hair is a horror-satire movie that illuminates the discrimination black women deal with because of their natural hair. The film is about Anna, a production assistant at a big-time entertainment company aiming to level up in her career. She is encouraged to ditch her natural hair for a new pricey weave to take that next step. Shortly after, the weave proves itself to be possessed and has a mind of its own--completely changing Anna from who she once was.
Even though Bad Hair set was in 1989, women today still deal with hair discrimination. California passed The CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) last year. Natural hair discrimination is an ongoing issue, and we thank Bad Hair for bringing that point to light again in their new film. Behind all of the horror scenes and good laughs, you can draw many lessons from this movie.
The first lesson we can take from this movie is that you don’t have to fit in. The only reason Anna became possessed by her weave was that her boss Zora told her that she should get her hair done if she wanted to be one of “her girls.” She wanted acceptance at work, despite her wearing her hair natural her whole adult life. We learn that the grass is not always greener on the other side, and if Anna had kept her hair natural, she wouldn’t have had to battle with her hair and possession.
The second lesson ties into the first that there is no need to assimilate to society’s expectations. We can see that even though Anna changed her hair and received the attention, she thought she wanted, she still did not get the promotion. Zora implemented her ideas, yet her position stayed the same. Her assimilation won her nothing but admiration from men and people at her job, not the promotion. There is no need to try to change yourself to be what society wants you to be.
The third point we learn from this movie is that there is nothing wrong with your natural hair. Before the network Anna and her friends worked for was taken over by new management, the TV station was named “Culture.” The culture channel was “for the people by the people,” and every employee wore their natural hair. When new management decided to change “Culture” to “Cult” and wanted to shift it to a more pop culture show, they decided to change their appearance to fit in. Unfortunately, the work they did for Culture and Cult was very similar, and if they kept their hair natural for Culture, they could've done the same at Cult. Instead, they gained self-doubt by being shunned away from their natural hair. Nothing is wrong with your natural hair. It is beautiful, and your crown makes you unique.
The fourth lesson we learned is two-fold: be yourself and stay authentic. You have to stay true to yourself and not let anything, especially hairstyles, make you something you are not. Getting your hair done is a form of self-care, and we love versatile styles. However, a hairstyle should not change who you are as a person. We see Anna completely jump out of her shell in the movie, completely forgetting who she is. We believe in self-love, and a part of that is self-awareness. Being a person who is aware of their power and beauty is something a hairstyle can’t do for you.
The last lesson we learned is how essential it is to know how to do your hair. Remember, Anna originally styled her natural hair for years because of the terrible chemical burn she received by getting a perm from her cousin at the beginning of the movie. This is why we made Zoe. Zoe is here to teach little girls how to love and do their natural hair at a young age. We appreciate Bad Hair emphasizing these lessons that are so important in the natural hair community.
These lessons are essential for all-natural hair women and children in the world to understand that our hair is special. Your curls defy gravity and are individually different yet wonderfully made. Fall in love with your natural hair and even the process of tending and taking care of your natural hair.
Zoe is now available for pre-order! The second batch begins to ship on November 30th. Sign up for our newsletter below for updates and to get in the know with Healthy Roots Dolls.