Many of you will be familiar with the hit live show The Talk which appears Monday through Thursday on the channel CBS, however you may be unacquainted with the incident that caused a ruckus in the Natural Hair forums two years ago . Comedy Icon Sheryl Underwood revealed some not so friendly remarks towards natural hair, particularly those with coarser hair types stating “No one walks into the hair place and says ‘Look here, what I need is curly, nappy, beady hair. That just seems nasty.” Her opinions came to surface when the topic of Heidi Klum saving her bi-racial children’s hair in a plastic Ziploc bag appeared in the media. |
Underwood frankly didn’t quite see the point, and as result of her comments she received harsh critique from her diehard fans and public. For years Sheryl suffered from name calling, her ex enthusiasts continuously called her ‘ HN’ ‘Uncle Tom’ and ‘Coon’. Realizing how many people had been affected by her comments Underwood gave a remorseful apology. Along her journey of self-discovery Underwood joined the stage of Naturalistas and became 100% natural herself. I kid you not, Underwood has now decided to film in her natural hair and remain natural throughout the show. It’s a huge step forward for her, bringing up past mistakes on National Television isn’t a small task. Underwood practically laid her heart on the table.
She acknowledges the fact the she had hurt the African-American and Natural Hair Community. She’s aware of her responsibility as a TV personality and previously sat down with CurlyNikki to explain her regrets.
“CN: What do you want to say to those offended by your words?
Sheryl: There is a consequence to everything that you do and say. I understand why a part of my community was disappointed in the implication that Black, natural hair is bad and that White hair is good. I will be much more careful with everything I say. Please do not attack my colleagues, my family, my friends. I’m with ya’ll”
Sheryl wants her viewers to tune into their pathos and understand the remorse she’s feeling, she does care, and she’s willing to work hard to make it up to her viewers by endlessly finding social platforms to apologize on. So far the majority of the reception has been forgiving despite the many Youtubers making the following remarks:
Underwood wants her apology to reach all ears of the Natural Hair Community regardless of their decision to forgive her or not. "The way the joke came out offended my people and my community which was not my intent".
Because none of us in the natural community have made such wayward comment it’s easy for us to criticize, after all we never make mistakes. There's no way we could ever discriminate against textures! It’s Impossible to fall victim to hair typing. The natural community is absolutely perfect!
Ladies and gentlemen we have here a middle aged woman whose face is known globally for her ability to make others laugh. So she slipped up who hasn’t? It’s just a shame it had to be aired for the whole world to see. The NHC has made a habit of baring grudges in order to feed the gossip stimuli of its readers, the belief that the community has no flaws is breaking it down. We fail to empathize with those who truly seek the forgiveness of others and thus steer new comers away. We need to work on breaking down this wall of defense, we need the Natural Hair Community to ‘re-open its arms’.