Tracee Ellis Ross and Michaela angela Davis have partnered for a new docuseries on Black women, beauty and identity titled The Hair Tales.
The project will premiere simultaneously next year on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and Hulu, the two companies announced Thursday in a press release.
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In The Hair Tales, narrators and real-life friends Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish) and Michaela angela Davis (The Meaning of Mariah Carey) lead the audience through a journey of the complex culture of Black hair and Black women’s identity, creativity, and contributions to society.
“Hair is a portal into the souls of Black women, it drives straight to the center of who we are,” said Ross. “Our goal is to share this vibrant community, where we hold a sacred space for each other. Like many women, I can trace my own journey to self-acceptance through my hair. This series is personal and universal, American and global. It is a love letter to Black women.”
Added Davis, “There is a story in every curl, coil and kink of our hair. This show will be a dynamic adventure through these stories of ancestry and innovation, politics and pop culture, ritual, resilience, and revolution but mostly reveal humanity.”
OWN CEO Oprah Winfrey said the themes in the series are deeply personal.
“Early in my career, when I was just 22, my boss informed me my hair was too thick for the green screen wall behind the news desk and I needed to change my style,” said Winfrey. “So I was sent to a fancy salon in New York City and the stylist put a French perm on my hair. It burned so badly when he washed the perm out, my hair came out with it – and so did my identity and sense of self. Having grown up with the cultural edict ‘your hair is your crowning glory,’ it took awhile to regain confidence with my teeny weeny Afro. I learned then that our hair and how we as Black women see ourselves had deep roots.”
The Hair Tales is produced by Joy Mill Entertainment, Culture House, Tetravision and Harpo Films. Executive producers are Tracee Ellis Ross, Michaela angela Davis, Tara Duncan, Raeshem Nijhon, Carri Twigg, and Oprah Winfrey.
In an unprecedented partnership to reach a wider audience, The Hair Tales will be available on cable via OWN and streaming via Hulu as a Hulu Original docuseries from the recently announced Onyx Collective in the U.S. and internationally as a Star Original on Disney+.
The series is set to begin production later this year for a 2022 premiere.
Watch the teaser trailer here, featuring the song “Wash & Set” by East Coast artist Leikeli47.
