Director Spike Lee's 1989 film, School Daze, shows the dramatic and innovative dance sequence depicting the stereotypes of "good and bad hair" among light skinned (The Wannabes) and dark skinned women (The Jiggaboos).
I wanted viewers to grasp the meaning of this scene and be able to recognize the perceptions of the type or texture of hair that light skinned and dark skinned women "should have". Also, I wanted to show the negative interaction between the women because of the stereotypical features and characteristics. In actuality, this scene illustrates the usual activity of light skinned and dark skinned Black women across the country.
In School Daze, I believe that this particular scene spoke volumes about the wicked actions of Black women towards each other. Though the movie was filmed in a college setting, I recollected on the days of elementary and middle school where I experienced a demonstration of hatred and misjudgment--without the dancing, of course.
I reminisced about my closest friends, whom were dark skinned, bickering about being typecasted as having the wrong qualities, the wrong characteristics, the wrong features just because they were a darker shade of brown. I can recall myself wanting to hide out from the world because of what I was perceived to be.
Caught in the middle of constant backlash, I would get criticized by dark skinned girls for "being better than them" and criticized by light skinned girls for not "owning up to being better". I was just Galynne and that is just who I will continue to be. No one is better than anyone else, only different from everyone else. Whether vanilla creme or midnight black, every African American women should be able to appreciate the beautiful and varied attributes and characteristics that they possess.
Whether nappy or straight, love your hair. Whether nice or mean, love your attitude. Whether dark or light, love your color.
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