Here are some new photos of Halle Berry and Tom Hanks at the premiere of Cloud Atlas in Berlin, Germany. Tom is lovely, and Halle is… Halle. She’s beautiful and she can do no wrong (at least when it comes to her physical beauty). Halle is wearing a navy Helmut Lang dress which is pretty good. I like a good blue dress, and this one is fine. I think I would like it better if the navy didn’t seem so “dusty”. Go bold or go home, especially when you’ve got Halle’s magnificent coloring.
Yesterday, People Mag published an interview with Halle in which she discussed the issues people have with her short hair, and short hair in general. I found it interesting…
It’s been more than three years since Halle Berry famously chopped off her hair, but it’s still an ever-present topic of conversation for the star.
“When I have my short, short hair, that’s when I’m my best self,” she tells PEOPLE. “But hair doesn’t define me. It’s just an accessory that I get to wear, like a handbag or shoes.”
However, at the start of Berry’s career, her lengthy locks did define her, since long hair is so often seen as beautiful in Hollywood. “I personally fought against that stereotype when I first started acting,” she explains. “I would go on acting auditions, and every black girl would have this long, curly hair, whether it was real or not. And I would go to these auditions and come back with nothing. So I had to somehow be different.”
Berry actually made her first big cut around 1989. “I remember I went up to my manager’s office and his heart probably stopped beating. And he said, ‘You’re never going to work, you’re not what they want!’ And I said, ‘Good. Let me be something different then.”
Two weeks later, she got her first TV job, as a model on the short-lived ABC series Living Dolls. “I had short hair and that’s why they chose me — because I was different and not like everyone else. It was the way I kind of rebelled against … the notion that you have to have long hair to be beautiful.”
Shall we really talk about this? I want to talk about this! I have long hair. I’ve had long hair almost all my life, save for a few years in college when I wore my hair slightly above my shoulders. I feel like I look better with long hair (and NO bangs) and that’s my call. I really don’t feel I have the face for short hair, nor do I have the face for bangs. In my opinion, very few women look better with bangs, and as for short hair… I think you do need to have a certain “face” for it. Like, Halle looks awesome with short hair. I think she looks better with short hair than with long hair. Anne Hathaway was not so lucky, and (just my opinion) neither was Emma Watson, who tended to look like Justin Bieber with short hair. For me, in my little world, it’s less about “long hair = the standard of beauty” and more about “see what works with your face.”
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Halle also rebelled against sanity. 😉
Yeah, there’s that… 🙂
Damn it Mimi…you beat me too it! 🙂
Lol you don’t even know how fast I was trying to type that out, Chatcat. 😀
I need to practice more to beat you! Oh, and you were #1 poster to boot! LOL
that is a brilliant summary!
Loves it!!
Mimi wins the comment thread!
You tryna kill me! I choked on my tea when I read this.
I going to have you arrested for Attempted Involuntary Manslaughter. 😉
I don’t know. I mean, yes she’s gorgeous and yes the hair suits her face. But could she maybe just change it up a little?
She very beautiful outside and very ugly inside.
She has the features to pull it off. Most don’t.
Also, aren’t we waiting on a custody ruling or did I miss it?
Jesus that chick is gorgeous. Too bad she’s compleely insane.
I think short hair looks great on a lot of women and I have a shorter bob myself, but hers is a little too short, IMO. If she let her bangs grow just a little bit and made them piecier, they would look terrific.
And remember how she had the spiral curls not so long ago? Those had to be extensions, but they looked so natural. Do you think it was a wig?
As for her personally, she was on the cover of my InStyle and normally I look forward to getting it in the mail, but when I saw the cover, I said “ugh” out loud. I read the mag and entirely skipped the feature on her.
Halle first came on the scene she had short hair. She played in many black films before making it in mainstream. She looks way better with short hair. I hated her long extensions phase. Yes that was curly wig she was sporting several months ago. I do agree with kaiser that there are some that can’t carry very short hair. Anne Hathaway is one of them. But I think its because we were use to seeing them with long hair. Halle was the opposite, she was known as the stunning black actress w/ short hair.
Halle Berry is half white, why is she described as Black?
Because Halle identifies herself as an black actress, just like Alicia Keys as a singer. She knows like most bi-racials.. the film industry identifies you as Black unless you are the complexion of a Jennifer Beals, Vin Diesel or even a Mariah Carey. As Lenny Kravitz once said ” I’m black man when I try to hail a cab in NYC at Midnight”. He also happens to be bi-racial.
Let’s be real Halle started her film career acting in Low-budget Black films. Her break-out role was in a Spike Lee film. She did stand out because she was a gorgeous woman of color who kept her hair short/crop. Black women loved her and white women caught on to her beauty once she made mainstream.
Oh Halle you are so brave! Breaking the mold and doing things others just can’t and won’t. WOW, what a trailblazer you are!*
*sarcasm
I rolled my eyes, too, but then I remembered how many people called Cynthia Nixon and Anne Hathaway “brave” in threads about their haircuts. So there are enough eye-rollingly superficial people to agree, I guess
Haha! Totally agree! I loathe the way she’s trying to frame this as some sort of politcal statement. Self-important much?
Nope, just accurate much.
Jo Mama, I can buy that natural hair on a black woman can be something of a political statement. Short hair isn’t and that’s what she’s talking about after all.
I guess I should explain my stance a bit better. At this point, I think there are a lot of people who aren’t black who have an understanding of ‘The Struggle’-or whatever when addressing the politicized natural hair. As far as length goes, there is a lot of privilege given to long hair, but the difference is that the friction over that point is far more insular and more about an internal generation gap than a public statement of self-affirmation.
To more than a few ladies of certain age, to see a woman cut her ‘good’ hair if she achieves that look without the intervention of the sewing circle, she’s ripping away her femininity and being disrespectful of the ‘gift’ of long hair, a gift that many women would shiv their mothers to get.
I should’ve said it earlier.
I sort of agree but it’s different for black folks like myself. Short hair is not something we…let’s say “embrace” all the time. The ideal is Beyonce, not Halle and my grandma practically caved my skull in when I got my hair cut as short as her’s and I’m almost 30!
What the demands of black women in terms of beauty standards is paramount to the world telling all white women that they’ll continue being worthless until they grow that third arm. That you can be so dismissive of something that you don’t seem to really understand speaks to a pretty charmed position in which one to never has to even know that there are fundamental physical differences between white women and black women. Being part of a minority group doesn’t mean that that has to be part of an invisible group or purposely hides those differences. Every woman gets pushed through the beauty meat grinder every day, but know that some people are expected to change themselves far more than what you’ve understood at this point and recognize that you’re lucky to not even have to know the different and its attendant exhaustion.
Jo Mama,
If Halle is such a rebel against expected beauty standards why she get the breast implants and the nose job? I don’t care what color she is, she did the short hair because she looks better with short hair AND it made her stand out. Her hair is still stick straight fitting in with expectations that Black actresses get a perm or straighten their hair. She would be rolling with the long hair if she wasn’t that pretty or the short hair made her look like Anne Hathaway. Let’s be real here.
I give props to Viola Davis for taking off the wig and going with her natural hair (and fabulous looking) to the Oscars. That takes guts because it’s not the expected standard. Halle even with the short hair still looks like the expected standard. She has that exotic mixed girl looks that is seen as acceptable.
Why keep bowing to that? Why not just embrace your hair and what looks beautiful with your face? Why are people still trying to conform to someone’s stupid beauty standard in 2012?
I’m really asking. What happens if you embrace your real hair? If you rock a crop or shave it close or grow an afro or dreds? Is your family going to leave or a man not going to want you? Screw people’s beauty expectations. I love uniqueness, not stupid standards like weaves and boob jobs.
Short hair is great if it suits you. It does me, but I have it super long right now. I’m debating the big chop soon. Just to be on topic and all.
I don’t think I named her Amnesty’s Woman Of The Year, or anything, but the hair is a unique monster. Women get universal crap about all sorts of things–how thin, how tall, how old, how buxom etc., but the hair issue is one thing that doesn’t cross that divide. That’s really the gist of what I’ve been saying, that for all that is shared experience for all women, hair isn’t one of those things and people get grief for the hair.
Okay….isn’t it pretty standard for women to cut their hair short after 40? As for the Living Dolls era, I remember the 80s – short hair was a thing. Lisa Bonet sported short hair on The Cosby Show. I don’t think Halle Berry is quite the trail blazer she imagines herself to be.
I think it’s an outdated idea that once someone turns 40 it’s time for shorter hair. It’s certainly not the norm where I live – not from the women I see on the street, in the office, or in the gym. And I’m so glad about that. After all, it should be about what makes the individual feel best, rather than a call based on age.
Totally agree! Age has nothing to do with much. The one thing I would say is I think hair styles are soooooo boring today. Kaiser’s description of her own hair describes 95% of all women’s hair styles today. if you were born in the 90’s you have long hair with side bangs. Now, you have long hair with side bangs and curls. Period. Watch any TV show or movie and almost very female actress has this cut or some version of it. That’s why I love that Emma cut her hair. She’s taking a chance and being different. Same for the few other actresses who have short hair not or roles but because they like it.
The trouble is that with some women, at a certain age really long hair can age you and makes you look older not younger/fresher. Ever seen a good make over show for examples?
Personally, I think it’s about going with a hair style that suits your face shape and your life style and it’s not about trying to hang onto a hair style that looked great on you at 25 but makes you look dated at crap at 45.
JM2C.
Ugh. I agree. Have the kind of hair that works for you, no matter what your age. Short hairstyles can be just as aging as longhair giving many people a matronly look. Guaranteed, if Julianne Moore, Demi Moore or Gwyneth Paltrow cut their hair, they would not look younger, people would just have one less thing to bitch on them about—and they would look like politician’s wives.
No, it isnt the norm to hack off your hair once you pass 40 anymore. That’s actually aging. As long as you have face-framing layers, long hair is flattering on older faces.
She’s physically beautiful. I’ll stop there.
I totally agree with you..
My opinion stands as : people got to start thinking that hair does not define your beauty..
(sorry for my english im French Canadian
the bravery that required from this poor, discriminated against homecoming queen…. er, young black woman.
Yes. How brave of her to stop using wigs and weaves!
Viola Davis did it better, Halle. Shove off, aye?
Exactly! Lol
There is a documented connection between long hair and perceived femininity. In the last twenty years or so, if you look at younger girls, we’ve moved from a society where many different lengths of hair were fashionable (i.e. in the 80s) to a society where girls are encouraged to keep their hair long, which is connected to the princessification of girlhood, something that feminist critics are rightly concerned about. If there is a standard of femininity that requires women, especially young women, to fit into a long-hair mould, then those who do not choose that route can be ostracised.
Wow! That’s fascinating. And depressing too.
thank you for the thoughtful post.
^THIS!
Excellent points, Nell.
I have my hair long because it’s one of my nicest features and I’m used to it this way. It has nothing to do with being a “princess” or, God forbid, aspiring to be princess. My hair reflects my unwillingness to girl up and get a stylish hair cut. I keep it long for me not because society approves or not.
Thank you for your extremely insightful and most importantantly, intelligent comment.
Brilliant! Yes, this is what I have noticed for a while now.
Very well stated..
It depends. I used to have very short hair….not as short as Halle’s, but close. I was a lot thinner, my features were more “defined”, and also I was younger (early 20’s). My hair is quite long now (middle of my back). I am not so thin, and in my late 30’s. I’m not sure I could pull it off anymore.
I guess my point is, short hair looks awesome on Halle. I think it’s her best look. But it’s not for everyone.
I really dislike her eye make up. It ages her a lot . . . which I guess means makes her look her age.
To say nothing of the black hair situation.
That would require people to acknowledge it as real.
*High-Five!*
***
I think it’s pedantry time. Alright chickadees, you can’t slam what Halle’s saying about hair if you don’t understand the historical and societal weight is invested in the comments. You’re letting your dislike of her completely take you over and in your blind rage you’re taking lack of knowledge and turning into ignorance. Whether one likes or dislikes her is immaterial because it has nothing to do with the many-weaved beast of ‘good hair’ and why so many women will go to such lengths to achieve it.
Be yourself, be yourself. It’s screeched all hours of the day. What a shock it is for black women to effectively hear ‘No, not YOU yourself–just the good-selves. Okay, all of the other ones, you girls embrace your beauty and Shenehneh and Laquita? Just–just–ugh.’
When the thing(s) that suit one person are the things that emphatically don’t suit everyone else, you’re left in a tight bind that stretches far beyond what people who don’t live in that experience could know.
I’m not impugning weaves with these comments, I’m talking about broad trends and general malaise that has touched the world by number and scope. We’ve got natural and ‘permed’ hair in my family. Once upon a time, some members tried the weave to shake things up and then went after other styles. I could never be bothered to put in the time or money, so I haven’t ever worn one.
I always roll my eyes when people say that looks don’t matter because it’s trite beyond comprehension and 9 000 per cent WRONG. There is no meritocracy, just denial Traditional beauty plucks those lucky few out of coach and bumps them up into first class leaving them awash in opportunity, financial gain, public adoration and every other little bubble in that flute of champagne that is the charmed life based on luck and luck alone. A trick of biology is the basis for the one thing valued and rewarded above all in this life, so if you didn’t get it, you’re not getting anywhere.
So you think, ‘Hm, Vanity Fair’s not ever going to come for me with a tiara and built-in fan base, but that’s just one segment of the human experience, so surely my useful and admirable gifts will be rewarded in some other capacity. Surely all of that loathing of me that has been taught to the majority over hundreds of years will become nothing but a fugue state for those students once I walk in the door.’
Okay. Cute.
Viola Davis exists in the rarefied land of celebrity (scarcely rarefied when considered in relation to many of her A-list white colleagues, but I digress) and we all know that it’s different for them. Viola Davis doesn’t have to go to a job interview and face the very, very, VERY real reality of knowing that if she shows up with natural hair, she’ll be perceived as ‘militant’, ‘difficult’, ‘ghetto’, ‘threatening’, right? The answer is yes, yes that’s right. The person hiring may engage in that stereotyping consciously or not, but regardless, there is a coded little pas de deux playing out over her ‘fro and it could likely lose her the desired position. The die has been cast before she even got to the door and if she does make it through, she’ll have the ‘honour’ of people deciding that every trouble under the sky resulted from her brandishing her ‘race card’. Race card, my shiny metal ass–how’s that for a recent invention? Dumber than the pet rock and the cherry on top of the depressing sundae.
Applicant B ‘prepared’ for her interview by visiting the Korean Hair Depository, sending a signal that she’s eager to play ball, that she’s going to be stewing in politicized bitterness, she’s one of the gals (well, not *really*, but she tries because she’s a champ), and doesn’t want to make trouble, she just wants to go work and isn’t bothered about making a point of her race by stomping around like a walking manifesto. Why so outraged, why does a hairstyle confirm a ‘slave mentality’, why won’t she even give Thirtysomething a chance?’ Depending on your situation, all of the hair frenzy is an investment because it makes you employable to more people than any of us care to admit. A creamy crack pension is what it is.
Every heterosexual man has been taught to run his fingers through her hair, even the ones whose own hair texture is identical to that of the lady in question. Social training has so assaulted the sense of well being, value, and ‘worthiness’ in relation to black women and their physical features that common sense has completely lost its footing and many men demand something of black women that they know isn’t biologically possible: that’s pretty danged Dr. Who.
You know where the notion of the strong (and I’m talking mouthy, loud and uncouth) woman means? It means that you have to go through your entire life, all day, every day with absolutely no cessation in strength or urgency being told that you’re beneath contempt (and must change, though it would do precious little good) and the most foul thing in creation and always knowing that those messages are entirely wrong and also knowing that you’re not going to change people’s minds about it. It takes a lot of strength to know that you’re better than what every person on the planet is taught to think that you are. There’s no sanctuary, either. A black woman doesn’t get to say, ‘Well, screw this, I’m taking my afro and going to Japan, or India, or Brazil, or the Mormons, South Africa, or Slovakia, or Russia, or my ancestral home in the Caribbean where I’ll be safe from hair and complexion browbeating, or…’.
Or anywhere, really. Not going for the long hair look as a black person is a big deal because it says, ‘I don’t give a puffin’s c— what you say, I’m not going and I’m not changing. If you can ‘manage’ this completely non-threatening non-issue, that’s ideal. These are my terms, go stew in a corner and carry on alone if you don’t accept.’
Exactly! It doesn’t matter what Halle says, she is going to be ripped apart for it because people do not like her personal behavior with her daughter’s father. I for one, can completely acknowledge that Halle appears to have issues, but I’m capable of separating her personal issues from a simple story about what she experienced starting out as young black actress and not wanting to be appear like the other young black actresses who were more than likely conforming to Hollywood’s ideal standard of beauty for black women. She said she did something to make herself look different from the other young black actresses and evidently it worked for her. Sad people can’t separate their hate. Look at all of the press Viola Davis got for not wearing a wig on the red carpet? In 2012…people were SHOCKED to see a black woman with her hair not straightened or wigged up. Speaks volumes about what people’s standards of beauty are.
“Look at all of the press Viola Davis got for not wearing a wig on the red carpet? In 2012…people were SHOCKED to see a black woman with her hair not straightened or wigged up. Speaks volumes about what people’s standards of beauty are.”
Viola Davis got lots of POSITIVE press for taking off the wig and wearing her hair natural because 1) some people didn’t know she was wearing wigs so they were surprised so it WAS news and 2) Every LOVED her natural hair, it looked good on her so lots of positive press and encouragement for her to keep her hair like that. This came from both the White and Black press.
Every famous woman who does something drastically different to their hair gets a lot of press. Like Kaiser was saying Anne Hathaway and Emma Watson when they chopped off their hair got the same level of press as Viola Davis. Difference is it was mostly NEGATIVE press with people not liking their short hair. People were calling Emma ugly all over the place. Jennifer Aniston got way too much press for years cause people were all up in her hair. Women like talking about hair and clothes so there will always be press about this.
No argument here. Black women are under pressure to have long straight hair. Just like White women are under pressure to be skinny, blonde, and tall. Indian women to use skin bleaching so they can get close to White. Asians to get eyelid surgery and look more European. You get no argument on the unrealistic pressure women are under to meet one ideal standard of beauty that’s not the issue with Halle. She got her nose and boobs fixed to fit in with that standard. Why does she straighten her hair if not to fit in with that ideal standard, what’s wrong with her natural hair? Her hair is kept short because it makes her look good and stand out. Not to go against the ideal standard of beauty like she’s saying. If she looked ugly with short hair girfriend would have grown her hair out or worn a weave. We are calling bull on her acting like she’s a rebel.
@ TC, Halle wasn’t talking about her nose or her boobs though..she was talking about her hair and how on her auditions in the beginning she looked like every other young black woman she was competing with for roles. If she said it took her to cut her hair short to make herself stand out more and be different appearance wise from her competition, what’s the “bull” in her statement. Her manager even said she would never work because she cut her hair. Am I missing something where she said she was a trailblazer? Are we saying that long hair isn’t an ideal standard of beauty around the world? She said she rebelled against the norm for hair, she didn’t say she started it.
As far as Viola Davis goes, yes she got good press, but trust me, she got the bad (http://bossip.com/548580/for-discussion-viola-davis-wears-her-natural-hair-to-the-oscars-revolutionary-or-not/)to go with it. If more black women wore there hair in it’s natural state, there would be no need to discuss it. I can’t think of any recent A list black actress who has worn their hair in it’s natural state on a red carpet.
wow! i totally agree with everything (and i do mean every single last thing you’ve said.) it is utterly ridiculous how some people seem to let their dislike of halle irrationally twist itself into things that make absolutely no sense: she did, in actuality, differentiate herself from other many other black actresses in the late 80’s by cutting her hair. she did, in actuality, go against the grain of what black women (particularly bi-racial women) like herself are supposed to do with their hair if it retains length naturally. the rule with few exceptions is: if you are a black woman who can grow long hair easily, you should always, always, always subscribe to the ideal beauty standard for all women: growing and keeping your hair as long as you possibly can. if you are constantly given messages that you are naturally, physically, and culturally diametrically opposed to the beauty ideal, you are manipulated into thinking that you need all the help you can get to be “beautiful” according to mainstream standards. hair is one of the easiest and least costly ways for black women to feel “beautiful” in western culture.
I’ve got short hair, and the men who want me to grow it long are mostly ignorant rednecks for the most part, or men in their 50s or higher. It just makes me want to get a buzz cut.
For myself, I never felt so sexy or powerful as when I cut my hair. I hid behind long hair for many years, and now I display myself. I like people having to look me in the eyes and “see” me.. instead of blind sexual signals they are interested in like nice boobs and long hair.
This.
I aso loathe this notion that you hould only have long hair if you have the ~features~ for it.if you feel great about it, you look great. when I had long hair, people told me to never cut it because I’m a fat girl with a square jaw. One of my best friends told me I was too fat to have short hair, that I’d look like buddha, etc etc. I did it anyway and a few years later, everyone says they can’t picture me with long hair and that it would bbe a terrible look.
I think you may be missing the point. Hair is a HUGE issue for black women. The notion that you must have long curly or straight hair in order to be perceived as feminine ties directly into concepts of race and beauty, i.e., that you have to have a certain hair texture, type in order to be attractive and the further it is from thick, kinky hair, the better. See Chris Rock’s documentary, “Good Hair” The point is not simply that long hair suggests femininity, but also that it is inextricably linked to notions about race. It is a big deal for Halle to wear her hair short or, for example, Viola Davis to wear her hair short and natural. It is a statement and going against the grain in our society. Obviously, this is issue is not limited to black women and affects other races and cultures as well, but it is particularly prevalent in the African American community.
I remember that Viola Davis photo shoot with her natural hair and she looked so beautiful, then she went and dyed it bright ORANGE for the biggest event of her life at the Oscars, WTF?
I think that for any race making the most of your natural hair instead of trying to obtain some “ideal” is generally what suits you best. There are more productive uses for a woman’s time and energy!
Yes!
I get it.
To EJ
Sorry this is my first time posting and I didn’t finish my comment before I hit submit. I get what you are saying about Black women having to have certain hair textures and length to appeal to Hollywood expectations. I am Dominican and Puerto Rican and one of my closest friends is Dominican and Cuban but her hair is naturally short and the texture is a bit course. She actually perms her hair to make it straight. I know that she does this because she feels this is the standard of beauty in society’s eyes. I wish she didn’t feel that way. Thanks for saying this issue is not limited to Black Women.
Now this is not on the topic of Halle but race. On the weekend I like to stroll through celebitchy to read the articles and comments but I never responded until now. The post that got to me and made me want to comment was the Zoe Saldana post. It was very combative between LENA80 & V4REAL about Zoe being or not being Black. I wanted to tell them both to shut the f_ck up already but that would have been rude. My friend like Zoe identifies as Black/Hispanic, while I identify as Hispanic only. People that’s the great thing about being Hispanic/Latino, we can choose whatever race we want to identify as or we can choose just to be an ethnicity. We even have that choice on the census bureau.
I do not know the backgrounds of these two women but I will say they both had valid points. I was disappointed at the way two college educated women were name calling each other; that was not necessary. Everyone on this site has the right to disagree with each other but must it really resort to the name calling? Also I live in NY but my mother was born in Dominica and my father was born in Puerto Rico. I am educated about the African Diaspora by which I didn’t learn in HS because they don’t teach you that part of History. Please don’t rip me apart if I don’t identify as White or Black. Michelle Rodriguez, like Zoe and me is also Dominican and Puerto Rican with Black ancestry but she doesn’t say she is Black or White. I don’t understand why these ladies just couldn’t accept the fact that some of us identify as a particular race and some of us don’t. They just should have left it at that. I also have heard the rumors about Zoe only calling herself Black to get the Black roles. Sorry to take up your post but I was not able to comment under the Zoe article.
Go back and read the discussion, at NO TIME did I say what people should or should not identify as. I repeatedly said the opposite, that NO ONE has the authority tell someone what they should or should not identify as. I was attempting to educate V4REAL on the matter (the African Diaspora and it’s effect on self identification in the Caribbean)but at the end she stated Zoe was not a “real black woman” (WTF!?) AFTER relenting that she can call herself black if she wants to, but in her opinion she wasn’t black.
LENA I get that you say you wanted to educate V4REAL on the African Diaspora/self identification but you also said that Zoe was Black because she said she was and V4REAL at some point said Zoe wasn’t Black, then said she was Black/Hispanic. But I also understood what she was saying. I think V4REAL was trying to say a real Black woman is someone of Non-Hispanic ethnicity. Let’s just say someone like Kerry Washington and Naomi Campbell even though their ethnicity is Jamican, their race is still considered Black by society’s rules. Rihanna is Barbadian with some Irish blood but she still has a higher percentage of Black. People are talking about Viola Davis on this post, most Black women will consider her a true/real Black woman. Even though she may have another ethnicity in her blood, I’m guessing the largest percentage of her is African American. Whereas people such as Zoe and me maybe considered Hispanic/Black/White,etc, with a larger percentage of various backgrounds . That’s how I took the comment. I agree with you that no one has the right to tell someone what their race is but maybe she just don’t like Zoe and maybe that’s because Zoe calls herself Black because it’s beneficial to her. I wish V4REAL would respond to this post to explain further what she meant. I read your stats about the percentages of Dominicans that identify as Black and your stats say it’s only about 12%; so you were basically agreeing with her that most Dominicans do not consider themselves Black.
Still all the name calling was not necessary to get your points across. You are disagreeing with people about Halle because people on this post have different interpetations about her comments; are you guys going to resort to name calling becuase you disagree? College educated women shouldn’t have to call each other ignorant because you disagree on a subject. Good luck with your future endeavors of becoming an educator but you can’t call your students ignorant because they might disagree with you. Let’s not forget that learnig consist of more than just traditional learning, it’s also progressive learning and people will disagree, even with the so called facts.
Hispanic is not a race, it’s an ethnicity/culture, therefore if Zoe or anyone else for the matter with roots in the Caribbean identifies Black as their Race, they are a “real” black person they just have a Hispanic culture/background. Why is it impossible for someone to be Hispanic and Black? That’s what my discussion with her was about along with why would she apply what she heard from her friends or her small populated area study to an entire population of people? V4Real said she wasn’t Black, and based it on her personal experience of what she has seen/heard, and said she’s PR and Dominican and last time I checked you can be both. When she was repeatedly corrected that not all Dominicans consider themselves just Hispanic and that some say they are racially Black/White and was provided direct quotes from Zoe as to what she identifies as, she took it a step further and said she wasn’t a “real black woman”. That’s freaking disgusting and insulting for ANYONE to say what someone is racially or even implying that one’s level “blackness” can be measured because they culturally may not fall in line with what SHE thinks Black is. The Black race isn’t monolithic. As far as any name calling goes, I recall only calling her and her comments ignorant and uneducated on the matter and when you use terms like “real black woman” more than once, you are ignorant for even attempting to measure a person’s level of “blackness” with some f’ed up twilight version of the one drop rule..except applying it on a cultural level. Trust me, calling her and her opinions ignorant and uneducated is more than civilized on my end. Again, you need to re read the entire conversation before you try to interject yourself into it, the facts are there for you to read it.
I saw that documentary recently and was flabbergasted at the lengths Black women go to. And the torture they inflict upon themselves. Plus the passing on of torture to the next generation, as though their natural hair is an ugly thing that needs to be hidden. Quite eye opening and terribly sad at the same time.
I keep my hair short most of the time because it makes me look ten years younger. That’s just me; My hair sucks and is baby fine, so that’s the way it goes for me. I like Halle’s hair, too, but agree she should maybe consider changing it from time to time.
This chicks favorite subject seems to be how tough it is to be as beautiful as herself.
Seems to me like she wants us to applaude her for being the first Black actress who paved the way for making it acceptable for other Black actresses who choose to keep their hair short. So hats off to you Halle.
She also said she was at her best with her short hair, so when she wore her hair long for a few years was that the point where she lost her freakin mind?
@skins: Totally agree – it is so tiresome.
Right, she thinks she’s “beautiful”, like Jessica Biel used to say about herself. Halle also goes with the so “black”. Her mother is white.
To me, people who publicly self-identify as “beautiful” aren’t.
SMH at all of the people who do not understand what she’s talking about. Black women in hollywood are STILL expected to conform to idea of European beauty standards, so despite that fact that she may be nutterballs, it was a big deal for her to go against the grain back in the day.
I am so confused by this statement vis a vis Halle as hair trailblazer. Her first career boosting job was in 1989.her hair wasn’t as short as it is today. If I recall, coz am too lazy to google, she had a bob.
The 80s (coz I lived through them) was about experimentation. Lots of black women had long AND short hair. As for actresses who had short hair, Jada Pinkett Smith practically had a buzz cut, and all those cosby kids….Janet Jackson in DIFFERENT STROKES..all in the 80s. The black singers eg Anita Baker with shorter hair than Halle….all in the 80s.
Halle was simply beautiful. End of. Perhaps she personally felt victimised by the long hair or lack there of, but I don’t recall her being a crusader in the black hair debate….why spend her entire relationship with the father of her child under shoulder length extensions/hair???? She’s the perpetual victim in everything and when in suits her arguments.
This woman will probably pass on her neuroses to her daughter rather than break the cycle. She gave some quotes recently where she’s already talking negative to or about her daughter’slong hair….it’s infuriating.
Rant over.
While weaves were not ANYWHERE near as popular in the ’80s, I think there are some other factors at play.
Hip hop artists weren’t yet mainstream enough to have to be obligatory sex symbols/objects and I’m including men in that. And if MTV isn’t even going to frigging play your videos, the noose isn’t as tight. Once the money, airplay and celebrity level began to rise for rap music, that’s when the women had to start being ‘attractive’, therefore they needed a weave (and some tincture of opium and chloroform if the vacant faces mean anything).
Rob Base wouldn’t have been able to take it to even ‘one’ these days, and it’s acknowledged that to the people who are in charge of making the videos, it’s preferable to showcase bi-racial women in the role of head chicken (I don’t even know what to call it) who effectively come with a built-in weave. Weaves on girls with darker skin appear, but they’re frequently on the sidelines, not getting as much attention from the rapper and feature an animalistic sexuality that’s borderline pathological.
Funny story, the Peppa look featured in the ‘Push It’ video came about from a last minute hair accident that fried her out so much on the one side of her head that she spontaneously shaved it off a few seconds before going out on stage. She went out there with trepidation by the response was (to her surprise) overwhelmingly positive.
Bill Cosby had enough creative control and ratings to not have appease the network over hairstyles. That said, two of his daughters were played by women who are half black and half white, making long, curly tresses noting of an exercise in futility the way that it can be many women who has two biological parents who are black, plus, a lot of the people on that show were children, so it was different for them.
@ Lak, you just lost me. Halle has never hid her Mom and has repeatedly said in interviews that she identifies as black and has a white mother and black father. She has even stated it was her mother who told her that she will be treated like a black person and should identify as such…keep in mind this was the sixties and at the height of the civil rights movement etc., so I don’t fault her mother for telling her that she should identify as black since that was norm for several centuries in this country and sadly still is with some people because of how they are treated.
I know people make statements about things and in this case I know Halle has said some stupid a** sh** about co-signing with the one drop rule before, but if this latest quote is any indication that her views about race, her daughter, and self identification is evolving..why not giver her the benefit of the doubt on THIS particular issue? I know Halle is nutterballs, but I think we have to be able to separate things like her opinion on race, beauty, self-identification, etc.. from her issues with Gabe because they are not one in the same.
@Jo “Mama Besser and Lena80- Thank you for all your insightful, intelligent, and well informed comments. You ladies are so on point!
I can’t believe I’m replying to this nonsense again. Ask Vegabond why she bought it up in a non related post. When you say that Zoe or anyone else for that matter is not “a real black woman” you ARE stating that the Black race in monolithic. If your opinion is that Zoe has some ulterior motive behind the scenes and that she has an identity crisis going on , Than why didn’t you say that!? You don’t use terms like “real black woman” than can’t back it up! You really don’t understand the sweeping, generalized, loaded context of that phrase? Really? For all of the studying you have done about the Diaspora you make blanket statements like she’s not Black, if she chooses to that’s fine, but I don’t think she is, then she’s “not a real black woman” You don’t see the “dog whistle” in your comments??? But you want people to think you have firm understanding on the Diaspora?
As far as who she dates, umm so what? if she has a preference than more power to her..it doesn’t make her less “black” if she has an preference for white men and last time I checked, Zoe isn’t a casting director in a position to pick who she co stars with. And I will say this one last time, if she has quotes out there floating around what she identifies as, who are you to question her level of “blackness”?
As far as what she said on twitter etc.. That was in response to your claim that I must be “fooled” by Zoe as if I’m some kind of fan of hers. You really can not keep up with what you say and conversations you have people. And on a side note, I KNOW wiki is used as a reference and that it changes…umm that’s the basis of wikipedia…so things can be added and adjusted to over the years, like statistics, and if you look on any wiki page for statistics info you will scroll down and see that there’s a little ole section called references that list the journals, census, articles, etc.. you know, stuff you can get at the library.
But Lak, Halle didn’t say she was a trailblazer for cutting her hair, she simply said that on her early auditions trying to break into acting all of the other black women auditioning had long curly or straight hair (real or fake) because that was the standard beauty norm and she wanted to go against the trend. So like you said, she experimented and it worked for her. You have to understand, while you mentioned some black women in the 80’s who had short hair styles, a lot of them were told, especially for movies, to wear wigs/extensions/etc at some point or another. Jada has talked about this as well and why she lets Willow do whatever she wants with her hair. As far as her extensions/wigs/weave phase she was in while with Gabe, how do we know that Gabe didn’t tell her that’s what he prefers her to look like?
As far as her daughter goes, Halle’s seems to be breaking the cycle of what her mother taught her, “I want her to embrace all of who she is. Her father is French-Canadian. I have a white mother. I’ve always identified myself as black. That’s a choice that felt right for me. It wasn’t like I decided. I was always black. Nobody knew I had a white mother unless I said it. So, I hope she will grow and decide for herself how she wants to define herself in the world. I think the world will also tell her how she is going to define herself, by how they will define her. She will have to be ready to accept that, too. But whatever it is, I want her to feel good about who she is, where she comes from, embrace her little curly hair and everything about her.”
Lena80, primarily I am railing against Halle’s perpetual victimhood and complete self absorption and ability to come accross like she did everything first.
When she had long hair with Gabe, I didn’t give it more thought than she looks better with short.
As for that Halle Quote, again delusion. She didn’t tell anyone she had a white mother…..PLEASE. I didn’t know she had a white MOTHER but I knew straight away she was mixed race. Most people can usually tell. Plus most of that quote directly contradicts stuff she’s said as recently as her previous interview especially her views on what she wants to tell her daughter
I’d rather here from Jada than Halle because Jada is breaking the cycle rather than victimising herself.
Oh LENA 80 I made a comment about you and V4REAL at EJ on number 16. I hope you don’t get upset but I had to get my point across.
There was definitely a lot of crossing.
@vegabond–
that’s not what this is about. All those dark skinned Dominican girls out there are Hispanic with black ancestry. Different than being African American. Completely.
This is 100% about what EJ said– the European standard of beauty and women of color who don’t feel “pretty” without it. Nails, hair, etc.
@vegabondgirl…I read what you said and I have to completely disagree with you. I repeatedly tried to tell V4Real that you should NOT go around telling Hispanics what they should and should not identify as. If you read her initial statement, she said Zoe is not black she’s PR and Dominican and I, along with some others, repeatedly told her that SOME Hispanics identify as Black Hispanic. Then at some point she relented to that Zoe can identify as black but then states that Zoe was “not a real black woman” and failed to explain exactly what a “real black woman” was. I think you need to reread from the beginning to the end before you make statements because at no time did I say or imply that Hispanics should identify as a particular race because I’m well aware that some say they are White Hispanic, Black Hispanic, or just Hispanic depending on their racial or ethnic admixture. I’m educated on the subject matter as well and I allowed myself to get sucked into an debate with someone who was ignorant on the subject matter and jumped all over the place during the discussion.
LENA I replied to the other comment further up this thread but there you go with the name calling. I actually read the entire comment post and V4Real did say she contradicted herself by then saying Zoe was Black/Hispanic. She admitted to that. But as a college educated person you should know better then to call someone ignorant because they don’t agree with you. I said you both had valid points. But by you explaining the African Diaspora you were kind of saying indirectly that we all are either Black or White. You are telling us what we are just like V was telling Zoe what she is.
Didn’t Deehoney just say the same thing V4Real initially said by saying all darkskinned Domincan girls are Hispanic with Black Ancestry and it’s different from being African American. Is she ignorant for saying that? I don’t understand. I also atempted to explain what I though V4Real meant by real Black woman. I’m Hispanic, my parents say they are Hispanic so does a lot of people in my family. There are also a lot of other people who will say that Zoe is not Black. You can’t get mad at them for stating their opinion, especially if you are not sure of the percentage of Black ancestry she has in her, African Diaspora or not.
So you are really trying to drive home this point of you being, I guess offended, that I called her out on being ignorant and uneducated on the matter? Is this your main gripe? Because this is not Sesame Street and I’m not at work. And at what point did I say that one should identify as Black or White? I clearly stated that SOME, as in not ALL, Hispanics refer to themselves as Black or White racially wise and some will simply say that they are Hispanic. And this is a result of the African Diaspora and it’s effect on self identification in the Caribbean. Now since I have stated this to you three times now, point out where I said it, directly or indirectly, that anyone should call themselves either Black or White. Cut and paste my quote word for word and in complete context. All I can do is shake my head at you trying to tell me what I said as if I don’t know exactly what I typed.
And I don’t know what Deehoney said because I did not read it. You mentioned ME right? And you wanted to interject yourself on my previous conversation with another poster on the Zoe thread right? So let’s stick to that. I do not need you to explain what she meant by “real black woman” because I know exactly what she meant, and it wasn’t even a matter of opinion. Black is not a monolithic race. SOME people have a perception of what they think “Black” is and that is always based on stereotypes and/or what they see in their immediate surroundings while not giving attention to the FACT that Black people are all over the world and are apart of different cultures/ethnic groups. Blackness can’t be measured.
Furthermore, when someone states what they identify as, and someone else takes it’s upon themselves to say that they aren’t, that is NEVER a matter of opinion, but a matter of prejudice because they are not fitting into their box of what Black, White, Hispanic, etc.. is. Since when can “blackness” be measured to a point to be called real or not real? Since you want to speak for V4Real and defend her viewpoints, explain that please. And I would like facts, not opinions.
@Lena80-I can’t even begin to thank you for taking on the task of responding to and counteracting the pure unadultered ignorance exhibited by some commenters(and their enablers), with your informed, educated, and historically sound responses. thank you, girl!
Most of all, thank you for the Sesame Street comment. You are not Jesus, and futhermore, you have every right to state the obvious. If someone looks like a willfully ignorant, uneducated duck why can’t you call it exactly like you see it? We’re grown, and everyone here quite obviously has access to the internet, particularly Google. A multitude of internet resources have saved me numerous times from talking out my a$x, like V4real. There is really no excuse.
Not being able to understand the different concepts of race and ethnicity as an adult is ridiculous. Refusing to do research yourself before opining with self righteous conviction on subject matter you know gxddxxm well you don’t understand, is infuriating.
(Particularly when you are an able bodied adult with internet resources at your fingertips) Trying to be condescending to someone who is educated and well versed on the thing you obviously know next to nothing about, is contemptible. But nothing is more contemptible then being arrogant enough to think that your ignorance is omnipresent. That you have any right at all to contradict, challenge, and disregard someone’s identity as a black hispanic because you just can’t grasp the basic terms of race and ethnicity. There are no words.
Emme let me say this to you; I was done with all this crap with Lena days ago. I really don’t understand why you guys are rehashing something that was over and done with on a post about Halle, perhaps it’s because Vega girl stirred the pot. But since you guys are rehashing it I will say this. You and Lena SHOW ME WHERE I SAID THAT THERE ARE NO BLACK HISPANICS. I know the difference between race and ethnicity. I only said ZOE is not Black and I have my reasons for saying that. That’s when Lena went on a tantrum about The African Diaspora. I even admitted to my contradiction by later saying she was Black/Hispanic, so what, she is. So what’s the issue now? My problem is with Zoe, and believing the only reason she claims to be Black is to get the Black roles. That’s my opinion, just like you have yours. Lena is trying to imply that I don’t know the difference between race and ethnicity and knowledge about the African Diaspora/self-identification. Listen I was the one who said that Hispanics with Black/European ancestry can choose to be whatever they want and just because you have Black Ancestry does not mean you have to say you are Black. I stated that I did research on Hispanics that chose NOT TO IDENTIFY as Black or White, not the ones who do. I was the one who said they have the right to do that.
I was not talking about an entire group of people, I was speaking of one (Zoe). I think Zoe claim to being Black is for appearances sake. I believe the rumors that she only says that she is Black to get the Black roles. Zoe was criticize for complaining about not enough people of dark skin being on covers of magazines but she as a darker skin person mainly on have love interest in her movies who are not dark, and it’s the same in her personal life. Lena was the one who said that Zoe says dumb shit. If that’s her opinion of Zoe why is it so far stretched to believe that Zoe has a hidden agenda for saying she’s Black. It’s not that hard to believe that a source said that Zoe’s mother told her she was not Black and that Zoe said she mainly identifies as Latino when she’s away from the media and interviewers. A lot of the stuff we hear on here comes from a source. I read the twitter comment from Zoe and Lena called her a jackass because the comment was dumb; I can believe she says a lot of stupid crap off scene as well. Mitt Romney has been rumored to have said a lot of stupid shit behind closed doors, and even though not direct quotes I chose to believe he said it. Apparently so does a lot of Americans. Also just like Zoe, he has said a lot of stupid shit on camera/interviews, behind scene as well. So if I want to come out and speak against her Blackness because I think she is a fake ass person who’s Black when it is only beneficial to her, that’s my choice. So that’s why I separated Zoe from other Hispanics who identify as Black. Once again I never said anything about all Hispanics. I also only mention the one drop rule because that was put in Law but I said I didn’t believe in it. But it is Law, not my Law.
I even admit to saying Zoe is not a real Black woman, cruel I know but if the woman is saying it herself then what’s the argument? I know Black does not mean only being Black and from America; I never said that either as some people implied. I do believe that Zoe is not a good fit to play Nina Simone. I would prefer someone like Anika Noni Rose or Viola Davis, who could emote the deep emotions that Nina conveyed. But let’s put it this way like I said if they had gotten an African American woman to play the role of a Hispanic woman, how you think that would go? What if they had gotten someone like singer Melanie Fiona or Mariah Carey to play the part of Selena, they both have Latin roots, Melanie Portuguese and Mariah Venezuelan? Do you not think that people would have said something about that even though Mariah identifies as White/African Venezuelan? It would have been a big deal if they had invited Rihanna to play Zoe’s part in Colombiana.
Lena said she only deals in facts and direct quotes but I called her on that BS because this is a gossip site and not everything printed here are direct quotes from celebrities. A lot of information on these posts is just what some people have been rumored to have said. If she only dealt in statements from interviews then she wouldn’t be commenting on a gossip site. She listens and responds to rumors just like the rest of us. Lena disparages my research because I got a lot of info from the NY library but yet she tells me to go on Wiki. Is she telling me that published articles and books from the library are less relevant then Wiki? Lena claims that she’s going to be a teacher, then as a teacher she should know that Wiki should only be used as a reference because anyone with a computer can edit and change things in Wiki but yet I’m ignorant, really? Now she wants to say she worked for the census bureau, if that’s true she would know that on the census you can identify however you like. I can choose Black as my race and Hispanic as my ethnicity, or I could only choose Hispanic. Hell I can choose Asian if I want to. I’m sure as a scholar she is aware that the census is not 100% accurate. She even said that only about 12% Dominicans identify as Black, doesn’t that go back to what I said about not all Hispanics say they are Black even though they have Black Ancestry. Maybe she should visit a library every now and then but Oh, I’m sorry she prefers Wiki. Some teacher she is going to be because God forbid if her students disagree with her about an issue.
So basically she’s mad at me for having an opinion about Zoe, not an entire group. Lena also told me to stay on topic but went on to say this is in no relation to our conversation as she told me how she felt about Zoe. Oh she can go off topic but I can’t? Is she a dictator now? She also said that she doesn’t pay attention to other peoples comments, if she doesn’t then why is she going back and forth with people on this post about Halle? She said she deals in facts and direct quotes, she, like some of us called Halle crazy, her word is nutters or something like that. Someone can say to us Halle nor a doctor has said that she is crazy so we can’t make that observation. But hey it’s just our opinion about the lady. But Lena said she only deals in facts or direct quotes. We are saying Halle is unstable because of the measures she seems to be taking to keep Gabe away from his daughter. For instance, Halle never came straight out and said hey I’m trying to move to Paris to get my daughter away from her father, she said it’s to get away from the paps; It’s our opinion about what her true motives are. I also stated that some people say that Halle is not Black but bi-racial even though she said she is Black. I don’t get all up in arms at them because that’s their opinions. But Lena can’t say she only deals in facts. As for the name calling, I could care less what Vega said about that because me handing ignorant back to Lena was my way of being kind. But thank you guys for pulling me back into this mess, since you can’t seem to let it go. I was focused on more important things last night such as the election. Congrats to President Obama.
@ Emme, and I thank you for understanding and seeing it for what it is. I get nothing back but *crickets* when I ask how can you measure ones “blackness”.? It’s disgusting that people project their ignorance when it comes to how other people self identify.
I can’t believe I’m replying to this nonsense again. Ask Vegabond why she bought it up in a non related post.
When you say that Zoe or anyone else for that matter is not “a real black woman” you ARE stating that the Black race in monolithic. If your opinion is that Zoe has some ulterior motive behind the scenes and that she has an identity crisis going on , Than why didn’t you say that!? You don’t use terms like “real black woman”. You really don’t understand the sweeping, generalized, loaded context of that phrase? Really? For all of the studying you have supposedly done about the Diaspora you make blanket statements like she’s not Black, if she chooses to that’s fine, but I don’t think she is, then she’s “not a real black woman” You don’t see the “dog whistle” in your comments??? But you want people to think you have firm understanding on the Diaspora?
As far as who she dates, umm so what? it doesn’t make her less “black” if she is having an identity crisis than state that, but don’t imply someone isn’t “black”.
And last time I checked, Zoe isn’t a casting director in a position to pick who she co stars with. And are you forgetting that Hollywood will not run the “risk” of having two brown people on the screen as love interests or leads because it will be dubbed a “black movie”? One last time, if she has quotes out there floating around what she identifies as, who are you to question her level of “blackness”?
As far as what she said on twitter etc.. That was in response to your claim that I must be “fooled” by Zoe as if I’m some kind of fan of hers. You really can not keep up with what you say and conversations you have people. And on a side note, I KNOW wiki is used as a reference and that it changes…umm that’s the basis of wikipedia…so things can be added and adjusted to over the years, like statistics, and if you look on any wiki page for statistics info you will scroll down and see that there’s a little ole section called references that list the journals, census, articles, etc…you know, stuff you can get at the library.
Sorry ladies I didn’t mean to start this up again. Please accept my apologies.
Vegabond no apologies needed; you have the right to voice your views and opinions just like everyone else. This whole issue started over me saying Zoe was not Black but then I said she’s Black Hispanic, which is true she is. Maybe I have issues with Zoe because I believe she is fake and believe she only plays the Black card when it is beneficial to her. I explained what I meant by calling her not a real Black woman and perhaps I am bias to her and only her. People went on the warpath because they assumed I was talking about a whole group of people. I read Deehunny’s comments because I read all comments and not just the ones that help me prove a point. But she said “all those dark skin Dominican girls are Hispanic with Black ancestry. Different than being African American. Completely” I basically said the same thing and it was like I was creating hell on earth. Some people are upset that she is playing Nina Simone and it probably has to do with colorism, her acting ability as well as her being Black Hispanic and not African American.
Just imagine how upset some people will be if Queen Latifah was cast to play the great Celia Cruz.
I was told by Lena not to tell someone what their level of Blackness is but yet it’s okay for her to call Halle crazy when neither Halle nor a doctor has ever publicly came out and said that Halle is off her rockers. I also believe Halle is coo coo given recent behavior but that’s my opinion but Lena claims to only deal in facts. I see a double standard somewhere.
My intelligence was questioned because I made that comment about Zoe but Lena goes on to say that if Zoe’s love interests were Black it would be dubbed a Black movie; Seriously, Colombiana would have been dubbed a Black movie if her love interest was Black or Hispanic, Star Trek would have been dubbed a Black movie (even though not many Black men in that), The Losers would have been dubbed a Black movie, Avatar would have been dubbed a Black movie. She’s saying all these movies would have been dubbed a Black movie if her love interest were Black. Death at a Funeral was a Black movie and her love interest was still White.
To this I say; Bad Boys 1 & 2 Black actors with Black love interest, were they Black movies or just action movies with Black actors in the lead?
Enemy of the State Black man married to Black woman, Black movie or a suspenseful movie with a Black Actor; White Man Can’t Jump; Black man married to Black woman was that a Basketball movie or a Black movie; Spawn Black man married to Black woman; Black movie or just a Superhero movie with Black actors; Dr. Doo Little; Black movie or just a comedy about a Black Dr. married to a Black woman who could talk to animals and Daddy Daycare, Black movie or just a Black man running a Daycare. I haven’t seen Denzel’s new movie Flight but if he just happen to be married to a Black woman in this film; it’s going to be dubbed a Black movie and not about a pilot with a drinking problem. Perhaps someone was drinking when they made that comment.
Frankly I don’t care who Zoe date, I myself date men, not color. I mention the rumors to show the contradictions in Zoe’s statements.
Seriously V4Real just stop pleae. You don’t care who she dates yet you bought it up to make some sort of point. Then you list movies with Will Smith and Denzel and others who are Males and “crossed over” into Hollywood decades ago and who are always leads in their movies and they have the power to pick their leafing ladies. Nice try. Zoe has been a supporting actress for the longest and has just begun getting lead roles, and fyi, this Nina pic is supposedly financed by her newly established production company. Hence why she is playing the role, but that is something I read and it could be wrong. And I don’t know why you are even questioning the well known fact that Hollywood rarely casts two minorities on screen because they feel it will alienate their white audience. Furthermore white leading actresses rarely have pull for who they star along with and you think Zoe has that clout? Lol okay. Keep on believing that if you want to.
She’s had short hair for longer than three years, though, hasn’t she? She had short hair when she was in James Bond and when she won her Oscar in 2002.
I agree that women should wear a style that suits them best. I have worn short hair since high school and I look so much better with it. Of course my face is similar to Halle’s shape and features, so honestly i have kind of followed her short hair trends even from the 90s when I was in jr high and high school. And yes, her hair was short even in the 1990s, back when long hair was still the standard for black actresses. She inspired lots of women of color to cut their hair, so now it doesn’t seem like an issue now.Of course, there are other women who look great with either short or long hair or even no hair…so I agree with Halle, too, in that it’s just hair.
Halle definitely played a critical role in helping to change black society’s perceptions about short hair and beauty. Love her for that. Btw, I missed the memo on how she is an awful person?!?
I know people on this site hate Halle but think that jerk Gabriel walks on water.I guess when he finally gets arrested people will learn the truth about him.
Sadly, long hair will always be the accepted default for women. I definitely agree that women should wear what suits their features and style best, but so few women do. I see 10 women every day who should not be wearing long hair, but they do, because the motto is “at least my hair is long”
Oops..wrong person lol
I agree about seeing women every day who should not be sticking with long hair. On some women, it really looks like they’re trying to keep a style that worked for them in their 20s and 30s but now just ages them.
Sorry but there are tons of teens and 20 or 30 somethings who would look so much better with a different style then the oh so boring let’s everybody look the same long hair with side bangs. It has very little to do with age altho a woman with gray hair and long hair does often look like a sister mama.
Check out Facebook and all the pics of teen and 20 something girls look the same. Same haircut and the same pouty looks. Yikes girls, you’ve all become sheeples
Sorry but there are tons of teens and 20 or 30 somethings who would look so much better with a different style then the oh so boring let’s everybody look the same long hair with side bangs. It has very little to do with age altho a woman with gray hair and long hair does often look like a sister mama.
Check out Facebook and all the pics of teen and 20 something girls look the same. Same haircut and the same pouty looks. Yikes girls, you’ve all become sheeples,
Crazy Halle actually got something right!
she may be crazy, but she’s strikingly beautiful.
or rather, you have to be beautiful to rock short hair.
When I was younger, I used to think that people should dress or wear hair to suit their body type, facial features, etc. Now I think that people should wear whatever they want, as long as it’s appropriate (ie don’t wear a skimpy dress to visit your Muslim friend who’s mourning her grandfather’s death – true story!). However, it’s still true that for many people, long hair is a sign of feminity and beauty. I go through a cycle of super short hair, then grow it out down to my waist, and cut it off all again, and in my circle of friends, family, colleagues, and strangers, only lesbians, my husband, and sister like the short look.
actually, I think it is impressive. EVERYONE has fake hair in Hollywood. You name it, they have extensions or clip on at all times. Kate Hudson, Jessica Biel, Beyonce lol, so I do think it is pretty admirable that she chooses to keep in natural. Kim K or J-Lo would be caught dead without them
How can I be agreeing with Halle Berry? Yet, she’s right. “Good” hair – straight, shiny, long – is a HUGE deal for women of color. HUGE, particularly in Hollyweird. So she is being a bit out there with her short hair, and dare I say it? Brave.
Still, it’s all relative. She isn’t charging into battle or anything.
“SMH at all of the people who do not understand what she’s talking about. Black women in hollywood are STILL expected to conform to idea of European beauty standards, so despite that fact that she may be nutterballs, it was a big deal for her to go against the grain back in the day.”
I got it and can’t believe that others didn’t.
I’m not African American but I’ve read and listened to what African American women have had to say about their experiences. And frankly, I am disgusted by the thinly veiled racist comments about Halle.
well, definitely getting bored with the ubiquitous long wavy extension-ed hair. and the thing that bugs me is how the red carpet pics often have chicks with their long hair down even when the outfit doesnt work with it. like, i always had the rule, if it’s a one-shoulder or ornate neckline, hair up. cuz otherwise you mask the effect of the neckline. oh, and carrie underwood’s hair at the CMAs was weird as hell. looked like a polyester wig. that girl has serious style problems, IMO.
I have long hair because if it was short I would look like Side Show Bob from the Simpsons. And my face will never be thin enough for short hair. But I wish more women did short or at least quit trying to have super long hair when they have baby fine thin hair that barely grows. Not every woman needs long hair. How boring would it be if we all looked the same?
I don’t like her and know she’s a wacko. I also think short hair suits me better and absolutely hate people criticizing my looks. It’s really annoying and sometimes even rude. That’s why I kinda like Michele Williams too, she sticks to her pixie !!
but the nose job and breast implants were an acceptable compromise?
That would be ‘nose jobs’…plus whatever else she’s doing to her face. The hair cut does look good on her.
Lol. Exactly.
Thing is she can get away with the short hair cause she has a beautiful face and she knows it. Emma Watson and Anne Hathaway are cute but not on Halle’s level in terms of beauty. So short hair looks like crap on them. Makes them look like boys. If Halle wasn’t beautiful trust she would be doing the long hair thang too just like the nose and boob jobs.
It’s amazing what short memories people have. The 80s were mostly about music, so many famous black women with short/long/buzzcut/dyed hair. Personally, Salt n Pepa during their ‘push It’ days in biker shorts, bomber jackets and wierd asymetric short/long buzz cut on one side. And in Britain, 5star.
Lots of women (who weren’t tweens like me) were doing that Anita Baker or poofy control era Janet jackson.
Early to mid 80s was about jerry afros like Michael Jackson.That’s why that joke is so funny in COMING TO AMERICA. The perils of Jerry curls….Soul Glow!!!
Spike Lee had 2 very influential films out in the 80s, DO THE RIGHT THING and SCHOOL DAZE that had actresses with shorter, dreadlocked and buzz cut hair than Halle did in BOOMRANG.
Not to mention Grace Jones in BOND in the mid 80s. Even Blood diamond Naomi was allowed to be seen without her weave, on a magazine.
Somewhere in the 90s is when conformity took over and everyone really started to do the same thing. Black girls HAD to have weaves. That’s not to say it wasn’t a problem before, but the 90s was when it became a uniform…Even Salt N Pepa gave in. Now it’s everywhere. You can’t move for tripping over a weave. Halle can claim to be trailblazing now, ironically, but not then.
Sorry for the soapbox
The point is she’s rocking short hair in 2012 when most celebs are wearing fake. hair. So keep it up Halle for us short hair girls.
@ Lak, I get what you are trying to say, but did you forget the good or bad hair song from School Daze and it’s significance of what black women thought of themselves? It was very much prevalent in the 80’s as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HUUvQ3Yac8
Lena80 – I didn’t miss the point of that number. The entire film is about the ridiculous rivalry between dark skinned/’bad’ haired blacks vs the light skinned/’good’ haired blacks. However, in the 80s, the girls with the natural, dreadlocked hair featured in that film were able to find work without requiring to compromise their look or be seen as militant black women. The standard of Halle Beauty for me who mucked around with her hair to no adverse effect was Lisa Bonet. And that is the point am making about Halle. That she’s not and was not trailblazing for short hair back then because there were other ladies who were already doing that and even offerring up hairstyles that were considered much more negative than short hair. Halle Berry like to give this ‘life is/was hard because I am beautiful’ interview all the time. And that’s what she is doing here. If she were applying the lessons she had learnt to other areas of her life, then I’d cut her some slack. She’s said in the past that long hair is some kind of tyranny in the beauty stakes, and this interview goes further by saying on a professional level she was fighting that tyranny. You can’t fight something you don’t believe in. And then do the opposite in your personal life thereby contradicting the very thing you’ve been fighting. If long hair is tyranny, and she felt it then, what changed for the years she was with Gabe? Did she suddenly think she was more beautiful with long hair(or acceeded to HIS preference based upon the afore mentioned indoctrinated tyranny?)
@Lak., I guess I’m missing the part where she said she was trailblazer or started the trend. I’m not quite sure why people are taking her comments into a completely different direction when her own manager told her she wouldn’t get work. Seriously what am I missing?, because I Simply took her statement as she wanted to separate herself from the other young black actresses that she was competing with so she would stand out and that’s it. I don’t see where she said or implied she trailblazed, and when your manager says you won’t get a job because you cut your hair, that is somewhat of a rebellious, albeit not earth shattering, thing to do. As far as hair goes when she was with Gabe? Is it really that deep? She switched it up and tried something different and that appears to be it. I don’t recall her saying she felt more beautiful because she had hair sewn or glued in. I guess I just really don’t understand why people can’t separate their hatred for her when she states something innocuous about her past.
she’s right, women have become obsessed with this weave/clip on fad and their own hair is thin as cotton at the roots.
I let my hair grow to mid back and then I cut it real short, its nothing to me.
and older women PLEASE cut your hair its not cute whether you think it is or not.
go try on a short wig style to find out if you look good in certain looks BUT women over 45 nd to let the weight on long hair GO around their shoulders, it makes them look worn and not stylish and pulled together.
its only hair geeze, I am grateful that my man does not care, whether I’ve grown it long or I am short and sassy.
I took this article as Halle speaking about what SHE did and it was best for her…she is not telling folks to give up their long boring hairstyles..
I will, its not for everyone BUT everyone wears it and it cracks me up sometimes, when I am in the downtown Chicago area–its almost like a uniform for allll.
Why would say with one breath to do whatever works for you and then insist that women over 45 cut their hair because it isn’t “cute”? Why aren’t they allowed to be like you and have it EITHER long or “short and sassy”
I’d hate to see what Toni Morrison or Grace Coddington would look like if they took your advice.
I said it because I am 31…and I am stating my opinion.
older women looks nice in layered shoulder length bobs or shorter, all of that hair takes away from their features and drags their faces down.
Hillary Clinton is a perfect example of how bad long hair looks on older women. She looks aged and the hair drags her face down. Her short hair was much more flattering. She now looks like a messy frump.
That’s more of factor of Hilary’s features rather than a general “older women shouldn’t wear long hair” dictum, though.
I think Hilary is one of those ladies who looks better in mid-length hair.
I remember when Bill was elected she had longer hair during the campaign, always held back by an Alice band, and it looked so much nicer and more flattering when she cut it after the election. And she was much younger then.
Schizo!
I actually think she looks better with short hair than longer hair.
I have hip length hair now but at least once a day I think about chopping it all off into a Halle cut.
She’s a vile human being, but it’s true that she rebels against what the norms for beauty are and I like that part. Do what works for you, and she is awfully lucky that she is physically lovely no matter what, but she definitely stands out.
I don’t see how it is brave to wear your hair in a style that suits you best. When Halle has long hair it takes away from the exquisite bones in her beautiful face. She looks best with short hair, knows it, wears it. It has nothing to do with her being any color at all.
I’ve said this before and I stick by it – she’s right, short hair suits her the best.
It’s all about the face, the structure. To her, it’s the most complimenting cut there is.
I WANT TO LIKE OR THUMBS UP SO MANY OF THESE COMMENTS AND CANT! FML!
I’ve just cut my hair off and I look way hotter than I did with long thick hair.
it’s just hair. One of my cousins is really beautiful, has really good bone structure and wears a similar cut to Halle very very well. I look better with longer hair and like the styling flexibility of it. No big deal.
Halle is striking with her hair in that style.
Well, it helps that she has a beautiful face. If your face is stunning, you will look beautiful with short hair. If your face isn’t that great, cutting your hair short won’t do you any aesthetic favors, unless you have really awful hair.
But you’re still beautiful in every other way, so… Golf clap? I’m not hating. I know there are deeper issues to unpack concerning black hair, but she’s gorgeous no matter what, which guarantees that she’ll always be successful in anything she does.