When Hulu and Oynx Collective’s “ The Other Black Girl ” hit the airwaves, audiences weren’t ready for the cornucopia of hairstyling about to infiltrate their screens. How women of color have their hair styled is a direct reflection of their identity. And that was just as important to the leading ladies on the show.
The show stars Sinclair Daniel as Nella, an editorial assistant, who after being the only Black girl at her company, grows excited when she learns a new Black girl named Hazel (Ashleigh Murray) has been hired. But as Hazel’s star begins to rise, Nella spirals out and discovers something sinister is going on at the Wagner Books. Based in Atlanta, “The Other Black Girl’s” hair department head, Pamela Hall wanted to create a safe, sacred environment akin to a Black beauty shop with any project she is associated with.
Speaking with Variety, Hall stressed the importance of the beauty salon to Black women showing how it’s a place where Black women gather for a sense of liberation, vulnerability and empowerment. “It’s an ongoing fight for Black women to be able to just be natural and I really hate that because we have some sisters with some beautiful textures you can do different things with, it’s unfortunate that people feel like you have to have a certain texture of hair to be “professional,” Hall passionately stated. “If you’re natural and that is what you are blessed with, why does it have to be what society says?” With that, natural.