‘reed between the lines’: Show weighs in on natural hair

**Michele4905** · 10-22-2011, 03:39 PM

(Sorry for caps but copy and paste lol)

On last night’s episode of the new BET sitcom “Reed Between the Lines,” Dr. Reed (Tracee Ellis Ross) and her daughter Kaci (Zoe Soul) had an interesting exchange about natural versus relaxed hair. Ross’s character bursts in on Kaci preparing to give herself a “box perm” after her daughter’s love interest tells her that he loves her hair straightened (when she’s wearing a wig for the school play and after her mom pressed out her long curly hair with a hot comb).

Ross’s message to her daughter in the episode is two-fold: one, it’s ridiculous to change your hair for a boy; two, it’s ridiculous to change your hair texture permanently when the hair you have is beautiful the way it is. She tells her:

"Once you relax your hair it is never the same. Never. Never. The curl pattern isn’t the same, the texture changes. It will take years for your hair to grow out to the same length. A drastic change like this is something you really need to think about.
Despite how tired I am of the natural versus relaxed hair debate, I think this was an important message for young girls and mothers. While the mother is clearly on team natural and wanted to warn her daughter about the harsh effects a relaxer could have on her hair, she still told her daughter that if she wanted a perm after she thought about it she would take her to a professional to have it done. I like the fact that she didn’t make up her daughter’s mind for her, as many women say their mothers did for them when they permed their hair at very young ages."

http://madamenoire.com/79311/reed-be...-natural-hair/

**lusciousnapsnkinks** · 10-22-2011, 04:21 PM

Thx for posting. That was interesting. When did that show start by the way?

**newlife2169** · 10-22-2011, 05:34 PM

I understand your point about a person having autonomy over their hair choices, even a youngster/teenager, esp. a girl, esp. a girl of color, esp. a beautiful Black girl. I understand this because I didn't have a choice when I was "assaulted" (LOL!) with my first relaxer under the age of 10, and which I subsequently kept (socialized) for 30 years. However, I am not sure that I embrace the notion of this: "she still told her daughter that if she wanted a perm after she thought about it she would take her to a professional to have it done."

The point of "after she thought about it" is what concerns me because the first thought was to sneak and do it. Teenagers' frontal lobes are still being developed at that age and more often than not, they appreciate gentle but firm guidance. I would position relaxing as an undesirable option (Wink!) while demonstrating that straight styles are feasible without the use of chemicals.

My humble thoughts....

**siennamoonshine** · 10-22-2011, 07:52 PM

I'm glad some show actually bothered to say anything about the damage the chemicals cause. The daughter made the usually comment that her hair would be easier to care for straight. The mother pointed out that her hair structure would change and it would take a long time to grow her hair back to the current length. The self-acceptance lesson was great. I wish more parents would take it to heart.

**MommieDearest** · 10-23-2011, 06:51 PM

I finally watched this episode on DVR today. Great message. They got the point across without being "preachy." Kudos to them for this.

**Allnaturalsista** · 10-24-2011, 03:32 PM

I am definitely supporting this show. I watched the first show and loved seeing all of the natural hair up there.

Then I saw this show about the perm and the message that they were trying to put out there and decided to continue to watch this show.

People always complain about reality TV and different shows often portraying black women (and black people in general) in a negative light. We now have another black family oriented show and I hope people support it. I know it has its weak moments but it will get better over time. We just have to make sure it's still around so it can get better.

**kell** · 10-24-2011, 03:56 PM

Great show but it would be even more believable if the child actually had nappy hair. People with curly hair are not criticised and called names in school like nappy headed kids. The struggle is harder the harder your naps are. People like Ross and the girl playing her daughter can go forever with curly hair and the only thing they get is, oh your hair is so pretty and you must have that good hair.

**Scribetastic** · 10-24-2011, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by Michele4905

Ross’s message to her daughter in the episode is two-fold: one, it’s ridiculous to change your hair for a boy; two, it’s ridiculous to change your hair texture permanently when the hair you have is beautiful the way it is.

That's a great message, so kudos for the show to do it. It gives me a little bit of hope for BET too.

**blackpanthershay13** · 10-24-2011, 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by kell

Great show but it would be even more believable if the child actually had nappy hair. People with curly hair are not criticised and called names in school like nappy headed kids. The struggle is harder the harder your naps are. People like Ross and the girl playing her daughter can go forever with curly hair and the only thing they get is, oh your hair is so pretty and you must have that good hair.

People with curly hair are often teased, maybe not to the same degree.