Monday, April 13, 2009
Video: Are Koreans Taking Over The Black Hair Biz?
I was half surprised, half not when I saw this video. Sadly, it didn't surprise me that the black hair industry is dominated by non-blacks. It's the extent of the domination that really got me. As one YouTube-r so eloquently put it:
"No one is saying it is the Koreans fault. It is our fault for letting them set up in our neighborhoods and patronizing their businesses. Try setting up a Korean food restaurant owned by African-Americans in a Korean part of town and see how long it stays in business. It will be out of business by lunchtime."
Check the clip out - it's about 10 minutes...
And, of course, let me know what you guys think?
Stay Beautiful
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1 comments:
You know, I've always tried to live by the idea of seeing people as individuals instead of grouping them by race. I also believe in helping everyone, not just the people of my race. But after watching this video, I really don't know quite what to think...
I felt that this documentary showed all black people as a group who only care about superficial things (like the Asian investors studying the hair care video and discussing the money they could potentially make; and the black dude making the comment about how important it is for blacks to have their hair looking a certain way and the repercussions for not doing so). It made me upset to see that Korean businesses are copying and attempting to sell their products and boycott items from black businesses which would give them complete control of the industry.
There were some comments on youtube where a few people mentioned going natural is the solution. The only way I could see natural hair as being the solution is if black consumers were willing to do research and only purchase items from black business or if consumers lost interest in purchasing hair-care products altogether and use alternative means (like using baking soda with water and apple-cider vinegar as shampoo and conditioner). Also, it seems that the black community places beauty on women with long, straight, silky hair. From experience, people seemed to enjoy my shoulder-length relaxed hair a whole lot more than my current 4A afro. If it wasn't for the fact that I have high self esteem for myself, I'd probably succumb to the pressure of damaging my hair/scalp with relaxers or spending tons of money on weaves and hair appointments (money that could be going towards my retirement or my children's education).
I did speak to my mother and sisters about this. My mom took it to heart and is considering becoming a natural, but I'm not so sure if my sisters really understand the issue (or care to do anything about it).
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