Open Thread: Sesame Street Spreads Black (Women’s) Hair Love
“I LOOOOOOOOVE this! This means that people are starting to accept african/african american hair, and that it’s becoming main stream….I am really LOVE this…I almost cried 
With a dig or two at BET
“it is so sad that BET can’t do anything like this.”
“BET is too busy ruining the way we see ourselves, to do stuff like this.”
And this:
“I love this video! But to the people saying “I wish something like this had been on TV when I was growing up” do you really think that would have made you NOT get a relaxer (if you got one) or stopped anyone else? It’s up to parents to teach their children to love themselves how they are and what they have, not television programs.”
I’m not going to lie: I think this is pretty darn cute, too. Even with the adorable, my quibble is that the video assumes 1) there’s only one natural state of Black hair (curly), when there are many (though the video caught a few), 2) it assumes, as one of the commenters stated above, that only Black people can naturally grow ‘fros, which isn’t true, 3) that the only ones who need such affirmation are cis girls, not cis boys or any child who’s trans or gender non-conforming who has similar hair. Also, what about us baldies, regardless of our gender?
Then again, I have to check my own assumption: though the muppet is brown, I’m assuming the muppet’s phenotype–based on seeing the ‘fro, the twists/locs, the braids, the pigtails in succession–is Black because the only group I see rocking those varieties of looks are women of African descent. So, my bad on that faulty line of thinking.
That’s where I’m at so far with this video. What do you think about this Sesame Street segment?
ETA: Here are the lyrics:
Don’t need a trip to the beauty shop,
’cause I love what I got on top.
It’s curly and it’s brown and it’s right up there!
You know what I love? That’s right, my hair!
I really love my hair.
I love my hair. I love my hair.
There’s nothing else that can compare with my hair.
I love my hair, so I must declare:
I really, really, really love my hair.
Wear a clippy or in a bow
Or let it sit in an afro
My hair looks good in a cornrow
It does so many things you know, that’s why I let it grow
I love my hair, I love my hair
I love it and I have to share
I love my hair, I love my hair!
I want to make the world aware I love my hair.
I wear it up. I wear down. I wear it twisted all around.
I wear braids and pigtails too.
I love all the things my hair can do.
In barrettes or flying free, ever perfect tresses you’ll see
My hair is part of me, an awesome part of me
I really love my hair!
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