Megastar actress, Halle Berry has taken her former partner, Gabriel Aubry – the father of her six-year-old daughter, Nahla – to court (again), this time for straightening her daughter’s hair without her consent; a move Halle claims is an attack on Nahla’s mixed heritage.
While the pair have been in heated disputes over their joint custody of Nahla before, Berry is said to believe that by straightening and highlighting Nahla’s naturally curly hair, without her consent, Aubry is making ‘an attempt to stifle Nahla’s biracial identity,’ and sough to take action against his in order to protect her child.
Though the move may seem extreme to some, with Halle Berry having made several strides forward for black women in her industry throughout her career, her stance on Aubry’s actions should come as no surprise. And, with ‘white-washing’ being such a topical issue, thrust under the spotlight following star’s like Beyonce being seen lightened in her 2008 ad campaign for L’Oreal, and with the natural hair movement in full swing, following celebrities like Solange Knowles, Kerry Washington and even baby Blue Ivy Carter championing their natural tresses, it’s not so shocking either, that the judge overseeing the Berry-Aubry debacle ruled that Nahla’s hair is not to be altered from its natural state by either parent – a move that protects her natural appearance, with real reflection on how society’s shift in attitude towards black, mixed race and ethnic hair and identity has truly changed.
While we at SPICE begin a month celebrating all things ‘celebration’ here on the site, news of Halle Berry taking her former partner to court to protect her daughter’s biracial identity comes as great news – both in the on-going celebration of natural hair and the fight for a deeper range of diversity in beauty, overall.
True, this may well be one small win for one young girl, but in the overall battle towards across-the-board acceptance of all types of beauty – where Hollywood lies at the heart of the fight – having Halle’s hair success story in the public eye is certainly something to celebrate none the less. A win for Team Halle, Team Natural and Team Diversity.
Image source: Eonline.com
