Sanaa Lathan excels in her subtle, emotional and layered performance in Netflix’s Nappily Ever After – released this month – October 2018. The movie dramatizes the experience of freedom and personal empowerment that often accompany the natural hair journey of so many women and men today.

The movie’s message that all hair can be beautiful, no matter what the type, is a powerful epithet for what the natural hair movement means especially to women of colour with Afro hair.

The AfroShe Family

You may think I have a bias because I just happen to be married to the creator of AfroShe! I probably am. But I celebrate this movement for other reasons too!

In the past men and especially women with Afro hair have been subtly pressured into obliterating their natural hair with industrial strength chemicals or hiding it with industrial-priced weave-ons. I fully understand why many make that expensive choice. It can be a great look. But when social pressure makes westernizing your hair not-a-choice and more an act of cultural compliance that’s when we get into something less worthy.

Obliterating your natural curls is sometimes an act of surrender to an ethic that says that straight European hair is superior and natural Afro hair is inferior. It happens in the workplace and it even happens in our schools. Time to say, “No way!”

I am very happy that today a new generation is discovering something empowering and life-giving: God made their hair – whatever the hair type. And God made it beautiful. That’s why I want to celebrate this movie which was long overdue.

The previous foray into this territory for a broad film audiences was “Good Hair” by comedian Chris Rock. Watch the two movies and you’ll see why I am sold on the natural hair movement in the 21st century.

If you have not yet  gone for the big chop, sit down with your favourite glass, kick back and let “Nappily Ever After” encourage you to be yourself and if your hair is that way inclined, get inspired to  click here and let AfroShe free your ‘Fro! 

Here’s the trailer to whet your appetite…