In the opening scene of the newest "Scandal," Olivia Pope referring to herself as Julia Baker, has her hair styled naturally. It was a thrilling moment to see her in such a positively natural state, particularly since I expressed concern about this not happening in a previous blog post (http://naturaliscoolenough.blogspot.com/2014/09/kerry-washington-viola-davis-and-other.html). But, she was on an island, outside of the mainstream, in a place near Zanzibar which apparently is not even on a map as the story line went.
As soon as she returned to Washington, D.C., Olivia Pope's hair was so bone straight, that it makes you wonder, what steps did it take to get out the kink, to that extreme, and the question is why? What an unfortunate statement! It was as if a message was being sent that her natural tresses aren't good enough in the "real" world but only in some remote location where she is unseen and a toy for....well, I'm not going to go there because this blog is about hair. So for a few fleeting moments, on "Scandal" a big step towards embracing the notion that Natural Is Cool Enough on network television took place, but it was definitely a "quickie" and a tease.
Be bold Shonda Rhimes, as you are already by casting so many Black actresses/actors in your shows, and let the world know that for a Black woman character, namely Olivia Pope, aka Julia Baker, that is tough, powerful, smart and beautiful, albeit not flawless, and any others sisters that appear on "Scandal," Natural IS Cool Enough." Let the natural hair flow for real and not just as a "quickie" and a tease. That would be N.I.C.E!
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| Olivia Pope in D.C. after she returned from an island near Zanzibar |
Now Shonda Rhimes and Kerry Washington, is it possible to bring out those Natural Tresses in Washington D.C. on "Scandal?" How about having Kerry Washington, as Olivia Pope, stand at a press conference with her hair naturally curly/kinky, while she's saving one of the characters from a scandal, or walking through the halls of the White House or any other power house in the nations capital where she thrives. There was almost a continued victorious moment for Naturalistas, two nights in a row, with Tracee Ellis Ross, boldly and beautifully displaying her natural curls on "Blackish" (http://naturaliscoolenough.blogspot.com/2014/09/tracee-ellis-rosss-natural-curls.html) and then the mere opening of "Scandal" with natural hair exhibited for fleeting moments bursted the bubble. If the young Olivia Pope (Yara Shahidi), who also plays the oldest daughter on the new show "Blackish" appears on "Scandal" again, would it be possible to let her natural tresses flow without pressing her natural curls into oblivion?
Be bold Shonda Rhimes, as you are already by casting so many Black actresses/actors in your shows, and let the world know that for a Black woman character, namely Olivia Pope, aka Julia Baker, that is tough, powerful, smart and beautiful, albeit not flawless, and any others sisters that appear on "Scandal," Natural IS Cool Enough." Let the natural hair flow for real and not just as a "quickie" and a tease. That would be N.I.C.E!
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