Malcolm X Body Scene Analysis

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The first scene of the film depicting people shows Shorty (Spike Lee) in a flamboyant suit and shoes. He enters a barber shop and prepares a lye cocktail to place in Malcolm X’s (Denzel Washington) hair. This is a painful process that burn the scalp. This scene and the following scene of Malcolm X in a similar flamboyant suit and shoes expresses the power of manipulation. These two scenes show the results of African Americans having hatred for their natural appearance. Malcolm X used the painful lye cocktail to straighten his hair to resemble people of Caucasian descent. Some people believe the scenes are mainly played for laughs, while in his autobiography hair straightening shampoos symbolize self-hatred and wanting to be white. Viewing