AFRO ARCHIVES – A PERFORMERS WORLD: Episode 4

What Do You Hate About Your Hair and Being An Actor?

A common view that came out on Afro Archives episode four is that as an actor, our hair is not our own. Changing our hair means getting new acting headshots.
When we walk into the audition room we are expected to look like our headshot and this can be particularly intimidating when you walk into a room and you are the only person of colour. Many people in this country do not understand afro-textured hair. They don’t know what can be done with it or what to do with it.

Actress Annabelle Brown talks about her European hair and the decisions she has to make and the length of time it takes her to prepare her hair for roles because of its texture. This episode shows how we all have so much to say and have our own anxieties and issues, when it comes to our hair.

Afro Archives episode 4 begins to gets into the experience of women with afro textured hair as we work with other people who don’t have the knowledge to deal with our hair, and episode 5 and 6 explore it further looking at theatre and screen work experiences. From the comparisons made, it’s clear that we feel that as women with afro-textured hair, we are not catered for. Our race determines our hair’s appearance and its behaviour. Via DNA, race determines hair texture. If certain hair-textures are not catered for, the affect is that certain races are not catered for, and those people are made to feel that their natural state is not normal.

If you missed the introduction to Afro Archives catch up here. Next episode of #AfroArchives, released on 27th May, “What do you do with your hair for theatre rehearsals?” – let’s keep chatting hair.

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