Once upon a time in Hollywood there was a movement for inclusion riders in tv and film productions. These are clauses inserted into an actor or producer’s contract stating that the crew should reflect the world around us.

Is the world all white? All cisgender? All male or female? Nope, and it’s time opportunities opened up for more people of color and those in the LGBTQ+ communities so they can grow their success in their particular fields. There are talented people of all kinds for all areas, you just have to look. For too many years it’s been the default not to look too far or too hard and that’s just plain lazy (at the least).

Let’s talk about something near and dear to my heart: black hair and makeup.

I’ve learned a lot over the years. I’ve also continually learned how much I haven’t yet learned, so it’s kind of a never-ending hair primer around here. Our latest adventure was in box braids – getting them put in, scalp care, braid maintenance, touching up the perimeter, then eventually taking out the braids. It’s a whole thing, man, and it’s only the first in what I’m certain is a long list of hair experiments the girly girl wants to try. I’m also learning about hair sponging, and if anyone has tips for a kiddo who gets clipper burn at the barber I’m all ears/eyes.

You know what I didn’t know until just recently? Most black actresses have to do their own hair and makeup. Okay, fine, you might think big whoop, but if everyone else hits the hair and makeup trailer to study their lines while someone gets them ready then you might see what the whoop probably is. It turns out there is a stunning lack of black hair and makeup artists hired in Hollywood, so black actresses are left to their own defenses before going on camera. I’ve never been in the situation but I’d imagine thirty minutes before being on screen is no time to learn the on set stylist doesn’t know how to work with black hair texture or darker skin tones.

We can do better, y’all.

Linda hosts Stream of Consciousness Saturdays. This week’s prompt is “movie title.” Take the title of the last movie you watched (just the title, not the premise of the movie), and base your post on that title. Have fun!