Jada Pinkett Smith on the Oscars red carpet 2022. Photo from Harper's Bazaar.
Whether or not you watched the 2022 Oscars last Sunday, you almost definitely saw the video of actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage after Rock made a comment about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. More precisely, the joke was about her lack of hair, which many know is due to her struggle with alopecia. Rock tried to defend himself in the moment by saying “It was just a GI Jane joke,” but Pinkett Smith’s face clearly showed that she did not appreciate the reference or find it funny. Will Smith took to the stage and struck Rock before yelling at him to “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.” Some have said this action was to defend his wife’s honor in that moment. Others have pointed out that Rock has made multiple negative comments about the Smith family in the past and this was the boiling point of the Smiths’ frustration. Smith himself said, as part of his acceptance speech for Best Actor (King Richard, 2021): “It’s like I want to be a vessel for love [...] But love will make you do crazy things.”
Everyone on social media from viewers to fellow actors to The Academy itself has had something to say about this incident, whether Smith was right or wrong, and what the consequences (both tangible and intangible) are for Will Smith and the image of Black people. The opinions we should be paying the most attention to, however, are those of Black women, who all have almost certainly received unwanted comments about their hair. There is much fascination around Black women’s hair. A white woman out in public may ask (or not) to touch your hair because of its texture. Someone you know, even, may ask if your hair is all yours (that is to say not weave) or ask how you got your hair into the particular style you’re wearing. These examples are not explicitly hurtful but they are uncomfortable. Why can’t Black women just move through life without unsolicited comments? What is it that makes people so often verbalize their thoughts on Black women’s hair? It feels as if Black women are always the butt of some joke or have to serve as entertainment for non-Blacks and non-women.
Some may agree that Rock’s comment was just a joke that Pinkett Smith and her husband took too seriously, blowing the situation out of proportion. Comedians often rely on having a certain right to make fun of people in the name of comedy and entertainment. That can be permissible when the joke is not targeting someone too harshly and playing on their serious insecurities. Pinkett Smith, however, has spoken openly about her alopecia and the struggles she’s faced emotionally. Why add to her trauma by making a joke at her expense? And in a white, elitist space such as the Oscars, no less. We can have jokes but do they have to attack people who are vulnerable and people we should care about?
Chris Rock has a certain connection to Black hair, as he starred in and narrated the 2009 documentary film, Good Hair (which is both insightful and, at times, problematic). Throughout the film, Rock discusses with Black celebrities, stylists, and regular people many nuances of hair in the Black community (especially for women) and makes jokes about how much Black women spend on hair products and styling, Black women’s methods of taking care of their hair, etc. Even here there are contrasting opinions. In a scene where he talks with Maya Angelou, the poet says: “Hair is a woman’s glory. And you share that glory with your family.” This idea places a high value on women’s hair. In a different segment, Rock visits India (where the sale of human hair generates hundreds of millions of dollars) and even attends a religious ceremony, called “tonsure,” where men and women have their heads shaved as a sacrifice to a Hindu god. Outside of the temple, an Indian woman tells him that she does not think of her hair after it’s been shaved off to repay god for good fortune. She says that god loves hair. This belief asserts that hair is not so important to humans on Earth.
Photo from IMDb (copyright 2015)
Jada Pinkett Smith first addressed her alopecia on her Instagram in December 2021. In the video, she seemed positive but a little hesitant to bring the issue out into the open. US Representative Ayanna Pressley (a former student at BU) has been vocal about her journey with alopecia and says she wants to create space for people to share personal stories and raise awareness. Almost half of Black women experience some sort of hair loss in their lifetime. Even with no hair, Black women still face ridicule and critique.
Maybe Chris Rock knew about Jada Pinkett Smith’s condition. Maybe he didn’t. Either way, shouldn’t there be an understanding to not publicly comment on someone’s physical appearance? Especially when you don’t know what they’re going through. The Internet had this conversation after the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who died from a private battle with cancer in 2020. Before his death, many noted how he looked thinner and mocked him for being out of shape while holding a role as a Marvel superhero. As with commenting off-handedly on Black women’s hair, commenting on someone’s change in appearance signals to that person that they don’t look acceptable. They may not be in a place to talk much about their condition but bringing up their appearance forces them to address it. Of course you should check in on your friends and loved ones if you think they’re going through something, but we should be careful of pointing out changes in appearance of people we don’t know well in order to let them deal with it on their own terms. Celebrities deserve this courtesy as well.
Nevertheless, in American society influenced heavily by white, Western standards, hair is pretty important. People mindlessly comment on Black women’s hair. Be it explicitly negative or not, being called out and having attention drawn to your hair is not a great feeling. Why do people comment on Black women’s hair? Do they expect us to change our hair based on their comments and preferences? Are we supposed to be strong enough to endure any hurtful comment and maintain the “strong independent black woman” stereotype? In Good Hair, Rock interviewed interior designer Sheila Bridges who has alopecia and appeared in the film bald. After the Oscars, she posted her segment of the film on her Instagram (harlemtoilegirl) with the partial caption: “Shame on you @chrisrock. Didn’t we sit down and talk at length about how painfully humiliating and difficult it is to navigate life as a bald woman in a society that is hair obsessed? As if life isn’t challenging enough out here as an unprotected black woman?” Will Smith did not leave Jada Pinkett Smith to be strong, independent, and alone in that moment at the Oscars. Though his methods were controversial and he acted on his anger, he attempted to practice what so many only preach: Protect Black Women.
At the end of Good Hair, Chris Rock reflects on how all of the different nuances of Black hair will affect his young daughters. He concludes by saying he will communicate to them as they grow older that “The stuff on top of their heads is not near as important as the stuff inside their heads.” Hopefully, Rock will remember this sentiment in the future and, with this message in mind, society can celebrate Black women’s worth outside of their hair and physical appearance. My opinion: Don’t comment on a Black woman’s hair unless it’s something positive.