Tall Glass of Shame: Un-beweavable!

Oct 29, 2009 8 Comments by Zack Bunker

a blogumn by Zack Bunker

I need a haircut. It’s as simple as that. My hair goes from needing no help at all after I wake up, to unmanageable mess after a few weeks away from the barber’s chair. I often refer to this stage in my hair development as “Doll Hair,” due to the creepy plastic texture it takes on after it begins to get too puffy. I used to believe I had it rough, but I stand corrected after being put in my place by both the media and friends as you will see in this week’s installment where I learn more about the ins and outs of real hair difficulty!

Photo Credit: B.L. Ochman

I remember the day I first stumbled onto the world of “Weaves,” it was a crisp Fall day in Pittsburgh and I was walking down Liberty Avenue on my way to the bus when a small chunk of hair went blowing by. This tumble weave caught me off guard and I wasn’t quite sure if I was really seeing it or not. As the chunk rolled by, I saw it had a few strands of braids and a small bead on the end, this easily could have been pulled off some woman during a fight, or yanked off unnoticed while removing her coat. I don’t know why, but I grabbed it, tossed it in my art bag and showed it to people when I got to class… it was my first “Pittsburgh Weave,” and it stayed pinned to my board all through grad school in a little baggie. My weave fascination just grew from here with such shows as Ricki Lake and Jenny Jones having Hair Battles and Un-beweavable talents, sculpting bird cages and full sized bars on heads with real human hair. I couldn’t believe my eyes most times and in some small way kind of wished I could fashion some psycho creation on my head just like that. (The short-lived time a friend used me as a guinea pig for her beauty school lesson on weaves and braids, that crap didn’t last more than 2 days till I begged her to shave it off… ouch!)

When I first moved out here to LA, I used to have a roommate who was half Black and half Asian. She referred to herself as ‘Bl-asian,’ and explained to me the intricacies and expense of upkeep for her hair. She would spend easily sixty dollars a week on product alone and countless amounts on hairstyling and maintenance all so it could look “Normal” or “Good.” I was shocked when I compared it to my paltry 21 dollar hair cuts and 8 dollar thing of pomade. She felt cursed to have none of the “Good Hair” genes I so hastily took for granted. So, when I saw the trailer for Chris Rock’s new documentary called “Good Hair,” I had to see it. I had to know more about this subject…

Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” Feature Film Trailer

I really enjoyed this film and recommend everyone go check it out! Chris Rock takes an open and very honest look at the stereotypes, and truths behind a Black woman’s hair. While thoroughly entertaining, this film also poses some very good questions regarding why we as a society look at natural African American hair as possibly lower class, or not as “Good” as straight or wavy hair… Issues of class and race are rampant in this film and I must say could be fodder for some great thought provoking debates in some circles. Go see this movie, go get your hair done, or hell just sit back and watch these videos I selected for you this week… Even those among us who are bald, can still get a kick out of some of these videos after the jump…

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: Tumbleweave…