John Oliver Tackles the Importance of Black Hair on ‘Last Week Tonight’
On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver takes on the complexity of Black hair and the history of misconceptions that come with it. Black woman can transform their hair, whether it’s style or length, making their hair a constant hot topic within our society. Despite this, there is still a lack of understanding of Black hair and its impact on history, fashion, and culture. John Oliver opened up about this complex by explaining the history of Black Hair and the struggles that Black Woman face today due to their hair not being the social norm.
John Oliver begins by telling the story of a woman who got fired from a job because she refused to cut her hair. He then dives into the history of discrimination towards the Black woman and their hair and the lack of knowledge possessed regarding Black hair.
#LastWeekTonight Did a segment on black hair and I fell more in love with @iamjohnoliver. Thank you for covering this issue and pushing for the passage of The CROWN Act!
— Browerti Koffah (@BrowertiKoffah) May 10, 2021
Oliver explains, “By the late nineteenth century, beauty companies advertised products like skin lighteners, and hair straighteners, reinforcing the idea that Black hair was dirty and unkempt and the closer your appearance was to whiteness the better.” Black people from an early age are taught that their hair is unattractive and that they need to alter the appearance of it. Oliver even mentioned combs that were advertised to turn curly “unkept” hair into straight hair which was presented as a cleaner.
John Oliver: “Black hair shouldn’t be viewed, corralled, or judged by white people’s comfort, because it doesn’t belong to white people. It doesn’t affect white people, and white people really don’t need to have an opinion on it. Our laws show reflect that.” #LastWeekTonight pic.twitter.com/hN2YfBOX4x
— Garin Pirnia (@gpirnia) May 10, 2021
He then goes into the struggle of finding appropriate Black hair products, and those who are qualified enough to style Black hair. White hair products are freely accessible on shelves, while Black hair products require employee assistance to unlock the case. Not to mention these products are more expensive than the white products on the shelves. This particular episode gave John Oliver who is a white male in a position of privilege and someone who normally fails to recognize this discrimination, to show that the discrimination is prominent within society.
