Chris Rock’s new documentary, “Good Hair,” finally hit theatres nationwide last weekend, so black women across the country are undoubtedly still discussing the politics of hair. I’ve experienced more than 20 years of hair reinventions, from the 14-inch, layered partial weave I sport today to the two big country plaits my Liberian mother braided into my hair when I was in elementary school. On other occasions, my cousin would make square parts all over my head and make single braids out of my very short, very coarse hair. You probably would’ve mistook me for one of Coolio’s children back then, but my childhood hairstyles never became the source of hot-button debate—my hair was never political. But for 4-year-old Zahara Jolie-Pitt, the adopted daughter of Brad and Angelina, her hair has become as political as the debate over healthcare.

Newsweek’s Allison Samuels touched a nerve a few weeks ago when she wrote about Jolie-Pitt’s “uncombed hair.” Samuels writes:

“Any self-respecting black mother knows that she must comb, oil, and brush her daughter’s hair every night. Keeping your daughter’s hair neat is an unspoken rule of parental duties that everyone in the community recognizes and respects….In recent pictures it’s clear Angelina Jolie hasn’t taken the time to learn or understand the long and painful history of African-American women and hair.”

Samuels’ article had both black and white women crying foul, with readers leaving more than 300 comments on Newsweek’s website. Some said it would take Brad and Angelina a little bit more time to learn about black hair care. Others admonished Samuels for supposedly berating a toddler, saying that Zahara had beautiful curly hair that didn’t need to be damaged with harsh chemical relaxers or perms.

Before reading Samuels’ article I never thought of Zahara’s hair as unruly or uncombed, but a quick Google image search provided some evidence for Samuels’ argument. As a West African woman with Ethiopian friends, I have seen many black women, young and old, sporting hair similar to Zahara’s. Sure, Zahara’s hair maybe could’ve used some Luster’s pink oil lotion in some of the pics, but she’s only four years old and there’s only so much you can do with a toddler’s hair. The article seems to raise the issue of white parents not knowing how to care for black hair, which is a valid and interesting argument. However, I’ve seen plenty of black mothers who let their daughters—and sons—out of the house with hair that was yearning for the bristles of a brush. As America’s first black “First Family,” I know the Obamas are sacrosanct, but there were a few times on the campaign trail when Sasha and Malia’s hair looked a bit suspect, but I don’t see anyone blaming First Lady Michelle Obama for their hair mishaps.

Black women have sometimes become too touchy about their hair. When Chris Rock was on Oprah’s Live Friday show a few weeks ago, Oprah read a letter from a black woman who was angry at Rock for exposing our hair secrets, even saying that black men date white woman because they like running their fingers through silky, bone straight hair. She argued that showing the unglamorous side of black women’s hair would lead more black men to supposedly stray. Honestly, that Oprah viewer may have a bit of a complex. For me, hair isn’t that political. It’s more about function and fashion, whether I’m rocking my country plaits or my 14-inch yaky perm straight.

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Satta Sarmah writes a blog called Politicking which aggregates and analyzes news across the web about the African-American community on topics ranging from politics to pop culture.

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