Horror satire “Bad Hair” features some iconic 1989 hairstyles, including those worn by Janie King Moonshine, left, Elle Loren and Lena Waithe.

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80s Hairstyles For Black Hair

Two years ago, after reading the script for her next film project set in 1989 Los Angeles, Nikki Wright began reading old black fashion magazines, watching cosmetics ads and watching videos. of music also from the New Jack Swing era. . She pondered how to imitate the low standards of beauty that African-American women felt under pressure to live at the time, which is the main theme of the film. None of these arrangements were unusual for the old hairdresser.

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But this was not just a movie. It was Wright’s highest-profile gig to date: reprising the witch-killer “Bad Hair,” Hulu’s high-minded, low-budget horror comedy. Every part of the culture had to be right, even if it meant reviving old hairstyles that turned out to be wrong.

“I wanted you to feel like you were there at that time,” said writer-director Justin Simien, whose new film turns the experience of making your first film into a chilling parody of culture. . “I didn’t want the film to feel like ‘2020 in 1989 hula.’

Dear White People creator Justin Simien returns to Sundance and New Jack Swing with the retro-horror satire Bad Hair.

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Her commitment to integrity meant that the basics of braiding were done the old school way, by braiding the hair into a ring on the client’s head (a big no-no these days ), before sewing it with rails, like Luxury. Laverne Cox’s stylist does it on film. “It’s funny, looking back,” Wright said. “We were writing a book that way and while we were doing it we realized that braiding hair in a circle is not what we should be doing.” “When the hair grows, it looks like a light bulb.”

In “Bad Hair,” which sparked a backlash after premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, long strands of silk don’t flow in meetings, and all of its parts slide into corners, climb walls , and are armed from topics such as. demons. ways to capture and kill victims and feed on their blood. Weaves, they appear sinister and take on the women who wear them, such as Anna (Elle Loren), the mild-mannered assistant to the director of the black music network TV Cult.

Wright, who ran the hair production department, saw Anna as an ordinary Compton girl with what it takes to pursue her dream of becoming a flight attendant, without the right looks. At the beginning of the film, she wears her natural hair in a modern curly style, pulled back into an afro puff. Trouble is, mainstream style won’t cut it anymore at Cult, whose new boss (Vanessa Williams) wears her hair in a posh weave and is hungry for content that appeals to “white and older” audiences. “. ” He suggests that Anna host the show.

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“European features were believed to be the key to success and getting you accepted at work,” said Kelly Robinson, the film’s head of makeup. It was important to Robinson that the makeup in the film reflected the choice of women of color in the 80s, when they were limited to three foundations: light, medium or dark. “Obviously, we have a lot of color combinations and undertones,” said Robinson, who used her primary and base colors to match the cast. He added: “The colors were gone in the 80s.”

After earning her cosmetology degree, Wright worked at several salons before opening her own. Celebrity clients like Queen Latifah followed, and in 2005, her first television credit: The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz, with R&B singer Ashanti. The show introduced her to the hair and makeup union, Local 706, which gave her a taste of the entertainment industry.

“I remember working on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ they would only call me when they had black people on the show,” he said. “They didn’t hire me as an employee.” It was just, “Oh, Chris Brown and his fans are coming. Can you work?” When they did that a few times, I said, “No, I’m fine. I can’t be found.” The thought is still amazing. “We know how to do everything, every type of hair.”

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Like other unions in Hollywood, Local 706 is working to increase the number of ethnic minorities among its ranks. It doesn’t track information about gender, age, race or ethnicity, but the organization has about 1,700 hair stylists on its film and television roster, about half of whom list “hair done” as knowledge.

One of the fun parts of working on a movie like “Bad Hair,” whose hair and makeup team was 100 percent in color, Wright said, was recreating the many hair styles in from his youth. The classic high-top fade worn by Anna’s narcissistic bender Julius (Jay Pharoah) was inspired by Bobbi Brown. The asymmetrical bob her best friend Brooke-Lynn (Lena Waithe) rocks back in the film is a nod to Salt-N-Pepa. For pop-diva-to-the-door Kelly Rowland, they went full Janet Jackson, reaching for her curly, mid-length locks.

Many models were actually human hair wigs, specially made for the film or rented. About half of the wigs of various lengths were made for Lauren’s character alone.

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Because the killer weaves Bad Hair grows in length after each feeding, the hair and makeup department had to work closely to achieve the desired physical changes, which required touching in a subtle way. “Since Anna started sewing, you can see her facial expression start to change [as she feels more attractive and confident], so I changed her face shape more to enhance her naturally beautiful cheeks and nose.. “While her hair was long, I straightened Anna’s features.”

For the film’s hair effects, the director turned to Tony Gardner of Alterian Inc. Studios. In the San Gabriel Valley. I feel like their performance and performance is straight out of the 80s. Lengths of acrylic hair were used in conjunction with Wright’s handmade wigs.

“It was great to have Nikki there early on to help us get the hair just right, thick and shiny,” Gardner said. “We actually bought the hair in 50-foot rolls, so we had the ability to pull whatever Justin had, and we also has the tools to be able to create multiple images.”

Quiz: Hairstyles From The 1980s

Air cannons and blowers were used to move the hair in the pictures and electric charges placed on the walls around the set to make the hair move towards it. “The day we filmed the weave attacking everyone in the salon was a great day,” Gardner said. Production created a fiberglass skull cap for the actor to wear, with the animatronic equipment placed on top. “They were doing things I had never seen before,” Wright said.

If “Bad Hair” is set in the past, “Black Panther” could point to the future. Some see the 2018 superhero film about the fictional African nation of Wakanda as a dramatic moment for African-American hair. The film, which Wright worked on, had many natural figures sculpted in a variety of ways—threads and side locks, detailed braid work, human knots, bald skin accessories—which won the film awards. “We did a lot of research on the new Black Panther look and looked at new ways to express yourself with your hair,” he said.

One thing’s for sure: hair has always been tied to cultural identity and politics, and it continues to be so 24/7. “We can do a lot with black hair,” Wright said. “It’s not just sitting on your head. It’s a crown, however you choose to wear it.”

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Get our L.A. letter. Go Out, with the best events of the week, to help you explore and see our city. As we embrace the advancement of technology, media and beauty, we cannot forget the ideas and practices that have been around for a long time. In the 80s, 90s, and 00s, black television sitcoms were produced twice as often as there are today, while hot hair styles were created rapidly. We honor the sitcoms that have given us lessons to learn and patterns to emulate. Whether it’s hair or fashion, we can all point to which sitcoms and characters have had the biggest impact on our character and personality. Three shows in particular celebrated black diversity in a new and powerful way that really made a difference.

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