Nappily Ever After - A Celebration of Black Hair!

By now, a good majority of us have seen the Netflix original ‘Nappily Ever After’ starring Sanaa Lathan. I actually counted down to see this movie, ever since I heard Sanaa shaved her bald for the role – I found it intriguing. I wasn’t aware of the book, so I didn’t really know what to expect but it was a really good movie with an even better message – Love yourself & be comfortable in your own skin!

At the start of the movie, Violet, (Sanaa’s character) was obsessed with being unrealistically perfect, especially with her hair; stemming from childhood traumas & her mother’s constant reinforcement. However, as the movie progressed, the trajectory of her character was one that was very much relatable; going against the grain in life. Whether you’re a natural or not, we’ve all experienced “the big chop” in a sense – a need for a fresh start at life for one reason or another. Violet, went from an impromptu shaving of her head due to a meltdown to actually being reintroduced to her natural hair & loving it. She of course struggled with her decision at first but eventually got a hang of it (boy can I relate). With her confidence reinstated in herself, her big chop being the catalyst, she eventually stopped seeking validation in others & began valuing her own feelings about herself.

It’s an empowering movie that tells us that our own hair, black hair is indeed beautiful just the way it is & we don’t need to alter it to be deemed acceptable. As mentioned in the movie, it’s not that black women should feel guilty about wearing anything other than natural hair, whether it’s weaves, wigs or other protective styles. Rather, it’s that they should know that their natural hair is just as beautiful as any other type, and that they are worthy of respect regardless of how they choose to wear their hair. It’s a powerful message, especially for this new generation of natural hair enthusiast coming up – to show that it is never too late to (re)discover yourself, love yourself, stand up for yourself & be comfortable in your own skin!

Here’s Sanaa talking about her big chop & her feelings after

I put up a poll on IG to ask if people still thought the word “Nappy” was a bad word;

I was genuinely surprised that the overwhelming majority voted that they didn’t consider “nappy” a bad word; I personally don’t either. Though I understand the history behind the word, it was all the more reason it was great to see us embracing a word that was once (& probably still) has negative connotation about Black/African hair.

Have you seen Nappily Ever After? What are your thoughts? Comment below xx