Bold & beautiful

Series: Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

70-Self-Made

Some people might say that talking about hair is frivolous. They say that either because they have a lot of it, or because they are naive. Hair has immense power. Sarah Breedlove—who later became known as Madam C.J. Walker, America's first female self-made millionaire—knew its power. She felt it acutely when her hair started falling out. As an African-American washerwoman, she had no time to care for it. Her husband abused her and compared her with a “mangy dog”. “If God didn't like ugly, then why did he make me?” asks Sarah (Octavia Spencer), in the four-part Netflix series, Self-Made, inspired by the book, On Her Own Ground, by Sarah's great-great-granddaughter.

Her life changes when the stunning Addie Munroe (Carmen Ejogo) enters it. She offers to let Sarah use her hair product in exchange for doing her laundry. Incredibly, it works. Sarah's hair grows back and so does her confidence. She gets married again to an African-American, Charles Joseph Walker, who treats her right. Unfortunately, things go downhill with Addie when she refuses to let Sarah sell her product, and they become life-long enemies. Sarah decides to strike out on her own, and after several attempts, comes up with her own hair-grower.

More than Sarah's rise to power, wealth and fame, the series focuses on her struggle to get there. Doors are slammed in her face. Investors refuse to back her. Her incessant attempts to get Booker T. Washington, America's most influential African-American, to endorse her product fail spectacularly when he accuses her of putting the wrong ideas into the minds of black women. Their place, he says disparagingly, is in the kitchen. When Sarah's house burns down and Addie comes to offer her 'condolences', Sarah does not just vow to rebuild it, she aims higher. She will replace it, she says, with a factory. “Sarah...,” Addie calls out after her. She turns and delivers the most powerful dialogue in the series. “No,” she says. “If you want to talk to me, call me Madam C.J. Walker,” thus introducing the moniker by which she would be known in later years. The line is so impactful because she says it not at a triumphant moment to celebrate her victory, but rather, when she has lost everything and it seems impossible that she could get back on her feet.

Self-Made is truly inspiring, especially because of Spencer's wonderful portrayal of Sarah, understated yet compelling. It does have its flaws, though. Like how the rivalry between Addie and Sarah is symbolised by a bout in a boxing ring, or how Sarah's dreams are embodied by a group of tap-dancers.

Her story is powerful enough without needing embellishment. In fact, the series strikes its most powerful notes in moments which were perhaps not meant to be high-octane. Like when Sarah tells her daughter that she wants to give her the choice to follow her dreams. There is nothing particularly original about lines like, “You are my legacy... I will always love you.” Yet, because they ring true, they touch a chord. 

Available on Netflix

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