CLOSE

Is this whole Shea Moisture controversy rubbing you the wrong way (sorry, we couldn’t help it)? Well, you’re not the only one. Avis Jones Deweever was in the NewsOne Now studio with Shea Moisture CEO Richelieu Dennis and asked the question we ALL wanted to ask . . .

 

Hmm. Now why does this all seem so familiar? Oh, because just a couple weeks ago it was Pepsi with a crazy ad that had us all wondering — “are there any Black folks looking at these ads before they go out?” 

While we give Dennis props for being upfront about what happened, his answer to Deweever’s question was basically — “we weren’t checking that close.” Which is crazy when you consider this is a BLACK-owned company. That said, his answer as to why Shea is adding a more diverse customer base is hard to argue with:

We have been fighting that struggle [acceptance of natural hair] with black women for 25 years. What we’re saying is we’re not getting away from that. We’re not changing formulas, ” Dennis said. “But if we’re not allowed to grow we won’t be able to keep innovating you will end up back — if you remember back in the ’70s and in the ’80s we had black hair companies and they got bought and all you could find on the shelves is relaxers.”

In a nutshell, if Pantene can come for Black women’s hair, why can’t Shea try to recruit “Becky with the good hair?”

TELL US: What do you think about Shea’s decision?