Tracee Ellis Ross: “The Standard of Beauty is Steeped in Patriarchy, Racism, and Sexism”

Tracee Ellis Ross: “The Standard of Beauty is Steeped in Patriarchy, Racism, Sexism, ....”

Tracee Ellis Ross shares what it means to be biracial and her new show “Mixed-ish” on the show The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.  Ross stated that her journey of self-acceptance coincides with her journey with her natural hair.

In the documentary film Natural Hair the Movie we have an entire section about the struggles that biracial women go through with their identity and the battle that comes with having their natural hair.

What is also awesome is that Ross has created a hair product line specifically for curly, coily, and tight textured hair called Pattern Beauty. I myself cannot wait to try out this product to see how it works on my high porosity dense hair!

Great job and congrats Tracee! Thank you for your hard work and representation of natural hair! Check out the full interview with Tracee

https://youtu.be/dFa44x0JZCs (interview)

#naturalhair #patternhairproducts #standardofbeauty #girlfriends #traceeellisross #blackish #mixedish #dianasdaughter

-Ashanti Titus

 Executive Producer

Lawsuit Filed Against the Louisiana Board of Cosmetology

Lawsuit Filed Against the Louisiana Board of Cosmetology

Across the country people are standing up for their right to wear their natural hair and to provide natural hair care services as a business. In the most recent news the Louisiana Board of Cosmetology is being sued by the Institute for Justice.

The state of Louisiana requires that a person who wants to braid hair must finish 500 hours of course curriculum as a prerequisite to braid for a living. The problem with this is that this course curriculum has absolutely nothing to do with braiding. The classes required for cosmetology requires students to be well versed in chemicals and techniques that fall outside of what it means to braid or do natural hair.

Braiding Hair

The Institute for Justice an organization that protects the citizen’s rights to go into business free from unnecessary and unreasonable government restrictions. The Louisiana Board of Cosmetology put in a motion to dismiss this suit, however, this motion was denied. As of now Louisiana requires that braiders take a braider course. The issue is that it is only offered in Monroe, LA. This is a problem for women who live hours away. Braiders have to pay thousands of dollars for this license and payments have to be paid to the state for the upkeep of this license. This unnecessary governmental involvement is a huge problem for women who just need to earn a living with the skills in which they already have.

In 1997 Texas native and ancestral braider Isis Brantley was arrested for braiding hair without a cosmetology license even though she did not use chemicals or harsh processes. She had a long battle with the state of Texas and the Institute for Justice was in her corner and helped her to win the fight. Isis Brantley speaks in detail about being arrested in her own shop and the grueling battle that she had with the state in our documentary film Natural Hair the Movie, which you can check out here (www.naturalhairthemovie.com/trailer)

https://www.ksla.com/2019/06/23/lawsuit-challenges-louisianas-training-mandate-hair-braiding/

Natural Hair Super-Heroines! Part II

It is time for part 2 of Natural Hair Super-Heroines!  This group has some non-traditional heroines.  Some might be considered anti-heroines, but all are natural and powerful in their own right.  Let's get to it!

Lightning

Jennifer Pierce is second generation superhero.  Her father is Black Lightning and her sister is code named, "Thunder" ...yeah, I know.  She has complete control over electricity, but can’t interact with electrical items.  While in her human form she wears her hair in braids that become lightning bolts in her electrical form.  Look for her and hopefully her natural hair to make an appearance on the CW’s new Black Lightning show in 2018.

Destiny Ajaye

This next entry veers off the path of your traditional “hero”.  What if the next one-in-a-generation military mind that could rival the likes of Alexander the Great, Hannibal of Carthage, or Genghis Khan was a teenage girl living in South Central, LA?  You can read this very mature story of the girl who lead and organized her community (including the gangs) to wage war against the LAPD and National Guard in the 5-part series Genius. Through it all Destiny’s natural hair and sense of style are as flawless as her master plan.

Michonne

The blade wielding, zombie survival specialist rounds out our list.  No powers needed here; just sheer instinct and skill.  Michonne has overcome some of the worst tragedies a character can face.  If you’ve read the actual Walking Dead comic you’ll find new reasons to hate the Governor.  Michonne she is fighter and is never seen without a katana or her natural locks.

And there you have it.  We've only scratched the surface of the amount of wonderful super heroines that have worn natural hair.  From Storm and Shuri, to Nubia and Crimson Avenger there are plenty of women characters who have worn natural hair and they should be supported and celebrated.  If you find yourself interested I would encourage you to checkout the Comixology App and explore not only some of these characters, but the wonderful creators of the content.  Have these two posts sparked interest in these characters?  Please leave your thoughts and comments below!  

Click here to watch our trailer for Natural Hair the Movie: 

Peace,

Casey G. Smith - Producer

Taking Back Our Market

When it comes to the people that I associate with it is important that I learn from them and they in turn learn from me. I get super excited when I meet women my age that are confident in their work and walk. Meeting Obiah Ewah, the CEO of Obia Naturals, was exhilarating! Her energy was contagious. Also, the knowledge that she possesses makes me want to listen to her. Obiah is a chemist that uses proven and safe molecular formulas to help create her natural hair care product line.

Interviewing Obiah was enlightening. She made me realize how much we as consumers are unaware. I learned that the cosmetic industry is not regulated as strenuously as it should be. I also learned that many corporations are exploiting this fact by using chemicals that are inexpensive yet damaging to our health over time. Many companies place profits over the well being of their customers. That is why it is crucial that we educate ourselves.

I believe that it is important to know who is making the products and to know what exactly is in them. The women CEOs of many of the natural hair companies make products that they use on their own hair. That is why I am an advocate of product lines such as Curls, Obia, and Kinky Curly. They are organic and cruelty free. Obia I know for sure is vegan as well.

Another fun fact about Obia is that she is based in Dallas and she knows her stuff. She was also at the Bella Kinks Expo. I was able to score some free products while I was there. They hooked me up with the entire line. I would say that if you have never been to a natural hair expo it is worth it for sure! Go head and do so, you never know who you will run into.

Check out our Trailer here

-Ashanti Titus

Natural Hair Superheroines! Part 1

I’m really excited about the release of Natural Hair the Movie this February.  I’m also excited for Marvel’s Black Panther, also in February.  As a lifelong comic book fan and producer this is perfect place for worlds to collide again! We’ll do this one in two parts. Let’s check out some of the super heroine through the years that have rocked natural hair.  You might be surprised.  In no particular order:

Misty Knight

You may have recently been introduced to Mercedes “Misty” Knight as the butt-kicking detective in Marvel’s Luke Cage and Defenders series on Netflix.  She first debuted in 1972 and is known for her bionic right arm (she lost her original in an act of heroism) and her afro. Whether as a Hero for Hire, Daughter of the Dragon or Defender you can count on Misty to bring a bionic beat-down while rocking her natural afro!

Pulsar

Monica Rambeau is one of the most powerful characters ever created in comics.  A former police Lieutenant with the New Orleans Harbor patrol an act of bravery granted her power to change her body into any form of the electromagnetic spectrum.  Who needs bluetooth or an Echo Dot when you can become radio waves, electricity, x-rays or travel at the speed of light?  Her name has changed several times throughout the years and so has her hair style, but rather it was her original crown afro or her current dreadlocks, Pulsar is as natural as she is powerful!

Ironheart

Testing at the level of super genius at the age of 5,  Riri Williams grew up in Chicago with her mother and step-father.  After a tragic drive-by shooting took the lives of some of her closets loved ones at the age of 15 she decided to build her own suit of armor to fight and defend her community and the world.  With a digital Tony Stark as her A.i. and mentor she is soaring to new heights as one of Marvel’s newest super heroes: the Invincible Ironheart!  When not wearing an armored helmet she lets her beautiful natural locks down.

Well, that's part one.  These are some heavy-hitters.  Didn't see some of your favorites?  You might in part two.  Let us know who are some of your natural hair heores in real life.  Hopefully, after you see NHTM you'll have a few more.  Sound off below!

Casey G. Smith, Producer

Photoshoot for Keyart

on 6-1-17 Dennis Webb Photography was commissioned to provide visuals for Natural Hair The Movie's poster and marketing materials. His shots aren't ready yet but here are some behind the scenes from the shoot. 

Our Wonder Women #Naturalhairthemovie

Makeup is essential even for a natural look

Producer Casey G. Smith talks with talent. Who is that guy shooting? 

Business as Usual

Hanging with the producers at AFM 2016 in Santa Monica. Picture by Pablo De Leon

We are currently preparing for the 3rd quarter with great news. Stay plugged in with us as we make history. Together everyone acheives more! #Teamgrind #naturalhairthemovie