HAIR TALES_TASHA SMITH from MADFREEtv on Vimeo.
The relationship Black women have with their hair is a complex one involving a combination of politics, social taboos and self-examination. In a new docu-series, writer and image activist Michaela Angela Davis explores this relationship by featuring the hair journeys of prominent women, including Tasha Smith, Kim Coles, Regina Davis, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, and more.
69 Colored Curly Hairstyles That’ll Make You Swoon
Davis tells Refinery 29 the motivation for the project is the “otherness” of her hair. “I’ve been obsessed with my hair my whole life, partly because people were obsessed with my hair my whole life,” she says. Describing the series as the as the “Vagina Monologues for Black Hair,” Davis shares that “doing Hair Tales was mostly about love. I love Black hair, and I love our stories.”
Fros and Beaus: 27 Fierce Fros and The Men Who Love Them
She hopes the videos help raise awareness. “Recently, there’s been so much drama about Black hair and appropriation in pop culture, and there’s no better way to bring understanding and information than by telling stories,” she says. “There are so many non-Black women and people that don’t know the full culture of our hair, so it’s exciting to share these stories that are rarely told.”
Zendaya’s Hairstyle Confessions: ‘There’s Nothing I Wouldn’t Try’
In honor of Women’s History Month, the docu-series will run through March. You can watch the premiere video of Tasha Smith’s hair journey here.