Can we stop shaming Black women for the choices they make?

I don't really think this discussion is your place. I don't really care about what you think is strange, what Black women should or shouldn't be proud of, what we should and shouldn't be doing in the world according to you. Like zap rowsdower said, have a seat, in fact, have several seats.

As an actual black woman who has worn her hair many ways, I will tell you that straightening my hair (flat iron) is the least involved hair style that I have. I am ambivalent to what hairstyle I have as long as it is easiest for me to maintain through the week, but I am glad to know it causes you so much angst to see…

This dude does this all the fucking time. I told him straight up, if you're not a Black woman, I really don't care for your second hand accounts taken from the one Black woman in your life, when I have a first hand account as a Black woman which is so much more valid.

Many black women wear extensions that is similar to their own hair texture. You seem to be generalizing quite a bit on the type of extensions black women when we literally actually have a store full of options. I am a natural haired black women, and I like many other natural sisters wear weaves and braids as a…

Please stop spouting your opinion as if it is fact. As Julia pointed out before, you pay with time and money for straightening your hair just the same for natural hair. It's not "so much easier" to maintain your natural hair. Perhaps it is for some but it's not for others. You realize that different Black women have…

So why are you so offended by their choices? Is it the fact that they are trying to "imitate Indians & whites" as you put it, being Indian yourself? There are many reasons why black women do the things they do to their hair, a lot of history involved. I don't think you're in any position to pass judgement.

I think my biggest problem with Good Hair is that it gave White people a false sense of understanding a complex and nuanced issue that they could never fully comprehend.

Yeah, it just makes me so sad to see someone who apparently feels that validating natural hair must come at the expense of criticizing women who don't keep their natural texture. It's not a zero-sum game! I totally agree that it's a pretty flawed documentary (and that Chris Rock is generally great).

A lot of people in this thread seem to understand clearly what I'm saying but for the sake of clarity my point is that you should stop looking down on women who make choices that are not necessarily choices you would make. It doesn't help women and it certainly doesn't help black women.

But Good Hair is an insult to women who straighten their hair because it helped to cement the generalization that you're currently seeking to combat. I've yet to speak to a single black woman who wasn't disappointed by the film. And it lead every white person I know to falsely believe they'd actually gotten a…

NOPE. The beauty of black hair is that it's so versatile. Black women can pull off anything- straight hair, Afros, locks, braids, crops- it all looks good on us. That's what's wonderful. But how you style your hair is just an expression of personal style for most of us, not a grand statement on our blackness. I'm…

This is an interesting discussion. Apropos of absolutely nothing, my hair is colored; so far no one has indicated that I am less (or more) white because of that. Personally, I get unnerved when anyone starts telling someone else what to do with their body, whether it's hair color/style, makeup, clothing, plastic…

I guess what I am trying to get at in my first post is that like I am less and less interested in conversations about whether my pubic hairdo/high heels/other performative surface shit is feminist, and Way more interested in maternity leave and pay equity.

Okay, and there are some women who straighten their hair or wear weave/wigs cause they want too. it has nothing to do with society telling them this is the only way for them to be beautiful. Don't get me wrong, there are some women who wear their hair this way because of society, but not all do. So don't generalize.

I absolutely agree with you. There's always some new divisive argument for black women to pick apart, some new box to be placed in as a celebration or validation of true "blackness" or appreciation of heritage. First it was light v. dark then chemically straigthened v. "natural" during the black power movement now…

So what do you have against women who wear weave or straighten their hair? BTW I have straightened my hair and I wear weave daily and I'm pretty happy about it. I have also worn my natural hair and I was pretty happy about that too.

You know my hair is chemically treated, and my sister's is natural, so we have discussions about hair a lot. I don't know if you're black, I can only assume, but you sound like the natural hair girls she tells me about on youtube or blogs who look down their noses at people like me. Doesn't matter what side you're…

A woman's standard of beauty is her own. We wear makeup, high heels, we shave our legs, we pluck our eyebrows, we pierce our ears, and yes, some of us straighten our hair and get weaves. These are our own choices. You are certainly free to your opinion about what a shame it is that we make these choices but looking…

Jezebel:Omg _insert pop star here_ was doing a dirty dance in front a live audience don't they know they aren't empowering themselves and are just feeding into the disgusting male gaze?