The mirror lied

Description

How does a young African-American woman cope with the ideals of feminine beauty imposed by white society? This film shows the struggle of the filmmaker's fifteen-year-old sister, Jantre, to accept her appearance. Though she spends an hour each day trying to tame her unruly hair, she never feels attractive. She envies the white girls hair. When she asks for a wig for her birthday, her mother accuses her of not accepting her blackness. Jantre's mother grew up in the segregated South and says it took many years to accept herself. In a bold move to challenge her classmates standards, Jantre goes to school with her hair in its natural fullness. She finds it a liberating experience.

Runtime

28 min

Creator

Haskin-O'Reggio, Jennifer

Series

Subjects

Genre

Date of Publication

1999

Database

Alexander Street

Direct Link

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