Issa Rae Gets Real About Hair Care and Hollywood

Issa Rae keeps it real in everything she does. Time and time again, the actor, producer, and entrepreneur who created the hit HBO show "Insecure" strives for accurate representation. You can see it in every project she touches, from her production company Hoorae, indie music label Raedio, and Prosecco line Viarae to her partnership with hair-care brand Sienna Naturals.

Rae was drawn to the latter because its products cater to a Black audience — a community too often overlooked in the clean-beauty space. "People can say things are natural and that's been proven false and it feels so deceptive," Rae tells POPSUGAR. "The fact that clean ingredients are not at the forefront for hair products concerning Black women and textured hair is crazy to me because we really sacrifice our health for our beauty sometimes. To be part of a company that prioritizes us in many ways and is held at the forefront is something I wanted to be on board with from the beginning."

This mission is also evident in her work with "Insecure," which showcases the variety of hairstyles Black hair can lean into. Each season, we see Rae and the cast in faux hawks with cornrows down the side, crown braids, twist-outs, straight-back braids, TWAs, and so much more. The focus was to loosen the narrow lens on how society views Black hair, and showing numerous natural styles that could complement multiple natural textures.

"Sienna Naturals is hairstyle agnostic but texture specific," Rae says. "We are a product for people with textured hair, but that doesn't mean you have to wear natural hair; you could wear braids, you could wear weaves — it really is generally about helping take care of your hair, making sure the products are good and nourishing to your hair." In that sense, it's not that one particular hairstyle is law; instead, it's about what you want at that moment.

The brand focuses on natural, plant-based ingredients for everyday people. They don't shy away from transparency, either, as they continuously produce content that educates their consumer, forever keeping it real as the foundation. Their latest way of doing so: the Rooted in Real campaign that launches March 5.

"We started off with a gap in educating [customers] on what clean means and what ingredients were good for you," Rae says. "And for me, sometimes you don't get that messaging until there's a tinge of humor." We hear this echoed in the opening line of the campaign, spoken by Rae: "Can I be real with y'all? I'm a dry-ass bitch." The campaign aims to show that the brand is rooted in real: "in a way that the products are real but we'll also give you the real about the journey of this hair-care process."

Rae, who famously and wholeheartedly "roots for everyone Black," has been disappointed in Hollywood's track record on pulling up for the Black community. Like many sectors, Hollywood was eager in their promises to do better by Black folks after the killing of George Floyd, but Rae says their Black Lives Matter initiatives have fallen flat in the years since. Netflix, for example, pledged $5 million to support Black creators, Black youth and Black-owned businesses. But a 2022 UCLA diversity report showed that racial, ethical, and gender diversity among movie actors, directors and writers slid back to 2019 levels — people of color accounted for 22 percent of lead actors, 17 percent of directors, and 12 percent of writers. "Rap Sh!t," Rae's televised series, was one of many Black-led shows that were canceled in 2023.

"I've made my feelings clear since the writers' strike started that this was a possibility," Rae says. "And I've been proven right — we're not the priority. Broad shows and films are gonna be the focus and sometimes that doesn't include shows of color." To navigate these roadblocks, Rae stresses the importance of teaming up with like-minded creatives. "I'm still working and I've got a lot of calls lately of people building and trying to figure out next steps, so that's always encouraging," she says. "It's constantly happening, but as long as there is a community of creatives and executives dedicated to not erasing our stories, we'll be OK."

Natasha Marsh is a freelance writer who writes about fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Prior to freelancing, she held styling staff positions at The Wall Street Journal, Burberry, Cosmopolitan Magazine, British GQ, and Harpers Bazaar.