Actress Gabrielle Union recently posted a video on Instagram promoting the new additions to her haircare line, Flawless by Gabrielle Union. In the video, Union says she recently took out her braids and is proudly showing off her gray hair as she takes us through her post-braids routine using the new products. The video is simple and cute, and at the end, Union shows off her TWA in the mirror with a big smile. But, unsurprisingly, a lot of people had unkind things to say about Union’s hair in the comments.
Now, I have a lot of feelings about celebrity haircare and makeup lines. I’ve never tired Flawless by Gabrielle Union products and can’t comment on how they work. But what I appreciate about the video is how she shows off her natural hair in its authentic state. The video isn’t filtered; her hair is not perfectly styled. She looks just like how I would look after taking down my braids.
But to people in the comments, most of whom appear to be other Black women, Gabrielle Union’s natural hair isn’t good enough. It’s wild to me that people feel so comfortable saying disparaging things about a woman’s hair so freely. Some people may argue, “She’s selling hair products. I’m allowed to comment on her hair.” But, I wonder: Would these same people be so critical if Union had a different “hair type” or if she had looser curls? Probably not.
Women with tighter coils or what many would call “4c hair” are held to impossible standards. It seems that tighter hair is only appreciated if it’s long or always perfectly styled. This sort of texturism is constantly perpetuated by our community, which cannot seem to let go of the idea of “good hair.” Black women who wear weaves and wigs often are accused of being fake and not loving themselves. But when they do wear their natural hair, and is not the the type of natural hair people find “acceptable,” they are given unsolicited advice of how to make their hair “healthier.”
In a 2022 interview with Byrdie, Union said that she had to “unlearn a lot of traditions and let go ideals about what acceptable hair is supposed to look like.” Clearly, a lot of women have yet to understand that message.
No one’s hair looks perfect all the time. I can imagine that for an actress like Gabrielle Union, who is constantly getting her hair styled, maintaining the health of her hair can be difficult. We should never make assumptions about why someone’s hair looks the way it does. As someone who once had severely damaged hair and has suffered from hair loss, unsolicited advice and comments were never productive. To me, Union’s hair looked perfectly fine in the video!
One thing I’ve realized through the years is that a lot of people hate their natural hair and will project that self hatred onto others. I applaud Gabrielle Union for showing her natural hair as it is. It’s realistic, honest, and relatable. I hope the negativity doesn’t stop her from sharing more of her hair journey in the future, though I could totally understand why it would.
All natural hair is worth showing off. Whether it is short or long, damaged or healthy, there is no such thing as bad hair.
Leave a Reply