Regina King believes that the many different textures and styles of black women's hair is truly phenomenal.
The Emmy Award-winning actress made this declaration in the latest episode of "The Hair Tales," an online show where successful black women in Hollywood share their hair stories.
The show was created by cultural critic Michaela Angela Davis who believes there is a story in every curl, coil and kink -- so she invited King to share her own story in the show's final episode in the series. Watch it below:
In the video, which has previously featured stars like Mara Brock Akil and Tasha Smith, King discusses her breakout role on the NBC show "227." She said joining the sitcom in the late '80s marked the first time she applied a relaxer to her hair to help make it straight.
"When I started '227' is when I got my first relaxer. It burned," King admitted. "My scalp didn't like me liking the relaxer."
King reflects on that moment and how getting a relaxer at such a young age was part of a popular trend among black women, at the time. She went on to question the cultural influences imposed on her and to talk about how her roles in the 1991 cult classic "Boyz In The Hood" and the 1993 film "Poetic Justice" also marked defining moments for her and her hair journey. King starred in both films as separate characters who rocked beautiful brown braids.
"[They] represented so many girls I knew in high school," King said. "The braids represented that regular beautiful black girl."
King credits black women for creating styles in ways she says has set the bar high for all women of all races. Through it all, she says hair among women, regardless of style, will always hold special meaning.
"It all starts with your hair," King said. "A lot of your confidence lies in your tresses."
Davis said the video was inspired by King's role as Shalika in "Boyz In The Hood" and it is dedicated to every “'regular beautiful black girl' that ever was and always will be," she told The Huffington Post.
To mark the closing episode of her premiere series, Davis also wanted to celebrate King for her outstanding portrayals over the years and highlight the power she believes King's work represents.
"For decades, Regina has been bringing black girl realness to a Hollywood hostile to that notion," Davis said. "From a precocious little girl on the block, to a ballers wife, to a complex American Muslim, we’ve seen her bring an easy beauty and honesty to every rich and 'regular' character she’s ever embodied."
"We trust her, completely," Davis added. "She is that beautiful black girl we all know. She is a great American actress."
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