How an Oscar-winning film helped a girl love her ‘big hair’
DJ Hines’ wife was out of town. Hines and his brother, who was visiting, wanted to go out with his two kids.
The problem? Getting Hines’ 3year-old daughter, Chloe, ready to go out.
“I couldn’t take her out with her hair all over the place,” the Milwaukee father said. “I knew my wife wouldn’t like that.”
Hines had never done his daughter’s hair before, but he was game to try something simple — a ponytail.
After about 20 minutes of trying to get his daughter’s hair to cooperate, Hines’ brother took out his phone and started recording. They later submitted the video to “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” The recording of a dad fumbling to do his daughter’s hair resonated with people when it aired in 2016, and the family won second place.
Chloe, who is now 7, recently asked her dad the relevant question. “Did we ever get out of the house?”
“Yeah, we did,” Hines said, laughing. “I think I just put a hat on you.”
When “‘America’s Funniest Home Videos” shared the video on Facebook, it went viral quickly. Hines said it’s been seen millions of times and has become the subject of GIFs and memes.
Chloe thinks her celebrity status is “super cool.”
That status has picked up recently as the video became the inspiration for Matthew A. Cherry’s Oscar-winning animated short, “Hair Love.” The family has been covered nationally, including an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
Hines said he’s known for a few years that Cherry was working on the video — ever since the creator retweeted it in a successful effort to crowdfund his project.
In the animated short, a little girl wants to do her hair but can’t do it by herself. So she asks her dad for help. The dad’s difficulties mirror Hines’ attempts doing his own daughter’s hair — although the movie daughter refuses her dad’s offer of a hat.
The dad is successful, and by the end of the movie, viewers realize the reason the girl’s mom can’t do her hair (spoiler alert) is that she’s in a hospital dealing with cancer.
That somber moment isn’t true to Hines’ family’s life — where his wife, Nina, is Chloe’s main hairstylist — but the film’s deeper message of self-acceptance of natural hair is something the family embraces.
The movie, and accompanying children’s book, are timely as several local and state governments around the country have passed laws barring discrimination of people based on hair textures and styles — a subject that is especially relevant for people of color. The CROWN Act is being considered by the Wisconsin Legislature, and has been introduced at the federal level where Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore is a co-sponsor.
DJ and Nina Hines have been helping Chloe to accept her hair her whole life — even before the subject has been in the news.
“Chloe has always had a tremendous amount of hair for her age,” Hines said. “Because it’s unusual, sometimes people will comment on it, and we would notice that it made her uncomfortable.”
The Hineses have had many conversations with Chloe, telling her that her hair is beautiful, that it’s a gift and that she should love and appreciate it.
The positive attention from the Oscar-winning short has helped Chloe to learn to celebrate her hair — even to the point that she now shows off her various hairstyles on an Instagram account, chloesbighair, which she introduces with, “Hi! I’m Chloe. I’m 7 years old with a TON of hair!”
“Once Chloe started to see the attention from the world that her hair was receiving, it changed her whole perspective,” said Hines. “She owns it and loves it now, and I hope the whole ‘Hair Love’ movement can do for other daughters what it’s done for my daughter.”
As for Chloe’s hair know-how, she’s similar to the little girl from the short, teaching herself to style her hair. According to Hines, though, Chloe is having more success, as her mom helps her learn.
But what about Chloe’s dad? “Nope, I’ve retired from doing hair,” Hines said, laughing. “My hair-doing days are over!”
Contact Amy Schwabe at (262) 8759488 or amy.schwabe@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @WisFamilyJS, Instagram at @wisfamilyjs or Facebook at WisconsinFamily.