The First Trailer for Hulu’s Bad Hair Is Here, and It’s Killer
After watching the first trailer for Bad Hair, I’m convinced this movie needs to start with a “viewer discretion is advised” warning. Because any Black person who’s sat down in a salon chair to get a weave, a relaxer, or braids will shudder at the opening line: “You’re not tender-headed, are you?” But I guess that’s the whole point of Justin Simeon’s new horror-comedy, airing on Hulu this fall. It’s supposed to send a chill up your spine as you watch what it takes to fit society’s idea of beauty.
The new teaser includes familiar faces like Lena Waithe, Kelly Rowland, James Van Der Beek, and Usher. It starts by showing Anna (Insecure’s Elle Lorraine), an ambitious woman who wants to get ahead in music TV, crying as her hairdresser (Laverne Cox) tightly braids her hair before putting in a weave. It then cuts to lines about a woman’s hair being “her most prized possession” and criticism that Anna can’t bear to see her natural self.
Nothing good comes after that. There’s a wounded scalp, hair so sharp that it draws blood, and several scenes indicating the film will include plenty of horror elements. In other words, she’s literally wearing a killer weave.
The reality is that even though the movie is set in 1989 Los Angeles, the plot line remains relevant. Anna feels pressure to get a weave after a retired supermodel (aptly played by Vanessa Williams) becomes her boss. Only recently, laws began being passed to ban discrimination because of a person’s natural hair. That’s why it’s no surprise that the response to the trailer has been mostly positive. It’s clear Black women can relate to the long-in-play notion that straighter hair is “good hair” and coarser hair is “bad hair.”
One fan tweeted, “Kind of upset that I have to wait until October to watch this. It looks amazing.” Another wrote, “THIS LOOKS SO DAMN GOOD.” It’s already (rightfully) being compared to Jordan Peele’s, Get Out, which also looks at racism through a satirical lens.
By the end of the trailer, I was sufficiently shaken by the screams and shocks. But what haunted me the most is the idea that altering my hair to fit others’ ideals doesn’t make me a better version of myself—it keeps me from being who I really am.
It’s safe to say Bad Hair will officially be a must-watch when it premieres on Hulu on October 23.
Paulina Jayne Isaac is a writer and editor based in New Jersey. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @paulinajayne15.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
