Actress Monique Coleman revealed that her character âTaylor McKessieâ from Disneyâs High School Musical films wore headbands to cover up the on-set crewâs âvery poorlyâ done hair styling job.Â
âWeâve grown a lot in this industry and weâve grown a lot in representation and weâve grown a lot in terms of understanding the needs of an African American actress,â Coleman said.Â
âBut the truth is that they had done my hair, and they had done it very poorly in the front.âÂ
It was Coleman who suggested to âincorporate headbands into her characterâ and âjust make that a part of who she is,â since they didnât have time to fix the botched hair styling before filming started.Â
According to People, Coleman, 40, said despite the challenges, she was glad to be a part of the movies.Â
âIâm really grateful to have been someone who was able to bring representation at a time where there wasnât very much, and Iâm so happy when I see this next generation of young artists and there just being so much more room for people of color,â she said.Â
Coleman isnât the only Black actress to go through this.Â
Twitter user @ctrlgrlz posted about multiple Black actressâ struggles of having to do their hair themselves, or, like Monique, adapt a solution into their characterâs signature look.
Trina McGee who played âAngela Mooreâ on the hit 90s sitcom Boy Meets World revealed that she didnât even have a hairstylist on the set of the show. âAll of those little micro braids you see, I stayed up all night doing them right before I went on national television for myself,â she shared in an interview with USA TODAY.Â
The same can be said for makeup artists who can apply the proper products to the range of hues of Black women who are going to be in front of a camera.Â
âWeâve all cried in our trailers,â Florida Girls actress Laci Mosley said to The Hollywood Reporter. âIâm a dark skin actress in Hollywood and like 3 union makeup artist[s] know how to do my makeup and theyâre all busy as hell.âÂ
Acting vet Taraji P. Henson said in an interview with THR that asking for another stylist could make you look âdifficult,â but revealed that her hesitancy at one photo shoot set left her with hair damage after a stylist used a root booster.Â
As more Black actresses share their experiences and call on industry leaders to respond, legislation like the CROWN Act, which bans hair discrimination in the workplace, is working to ensure more Black artists donât have the same story.
The innovation, creativity, and sacrifice of our artists, however, should not be left unnoticed or unappreciated. They've made characters come to life on screen, so we can see ourselves in spite of the obstacles they face on set.
Photos: Getty ImagesÂ