Copa Controversy
by Vonetta Booker-Brown

Some folks aren't feeling the Copa "Curl Release System" right now. Vonetta Booker-Brown reports on the infomercial controversy, and musses aloud about how deep the hair thing still is.

According to ConsumerAffairs.com, (along with various postings at Blackhaircare.com  and E-Groups' Blackhair message board), many customers have made claims that either Copa didn't work as advertised, the product was ordered but never received, and, in the most serious of charges, the company made unauthorized charges to consumers' credit cards, debit cards and checking accounts. "I haven't received anything after almost a month," said Diane of Largo, MD, one of the customers who complained on the site. "They took the money, but there is no product. They set you up on this monthly plan and take the money even before you receive the first shipment."

Copa Hair Products customer service manager Jim Dalton issued a statement responding to the complaints on ConsumerAffairs.com's site, saying, "We come to this new business with years of direct marketing experience and a desire to provide excellent products and services to a loyal customer base. We are determined to rebuild this business and regain the trust of customers who have been loyal to the product but who have not gotten the best service in the past." The company, which recently came under new management, says that it is making progress in straightening out the kinks (pardon the pun) that have developed over the last few months.

Many people have pointed out the similarities between the Copa controversy and that of Rio, a similar "natural" relaxer product that appeared on the infomercial circuit a few years back. In 1997, a $4.5 million settlement was awarded to 53,000 women who sued the now-defunct World Rio Corporation, claiming that its product caused baldness, green scalps and other health problems. It was the largest number of complaints the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had ever received about a cosmetic product.

Now, I'm sure we all know how angering it can be when a person or company tries to unjustly tamper with our hard-earned revenue. But, ladies--just how deep are we going to take this hair thing? One woman on ConsumerAffairs.com angrily posted that since her box of Copa didn't arrive in time for her vacation, she had to "omit from water recreation" during her trip. (Um, ever heard of braids, girlfriend? There's an African braiding salon on practically every corner—work it out, already!) 

You'd figure the lesson would have been learned from the Rio fiasco (e.g. hair cannot be permanently straightened without chemicals, hello!), right? But I couldn't help but be disturbed by the message sent across in the Copa infomercial (as in most relaxer ads and commercials)--that there's something inherently wrong with extremely curly or kinky hair, and one needs to apply chemicals to "fix" it and straighten it out. I looked at the abundant textures of the women's "before" hair, and couldn't find a damn thing wrong with them (actually, I preferred most of the pre-Copa dos, myself. But that's just me...).

Najah, a poster at E-Groups' Blackhair boards, said she felt "devastated" while watching the Copa infomercial and how unattractive the women seemed to feel because of their natural hair. She broke it down by writing, "It's as if we consider our hair as something He overlooked during Creation...as if He made a mistake and it's our job to continuously correct it by finding and applying just the "right" product. Recognizing our collective 'miseducation' about hair is like knowing the answer to a question everyone is afraid to ask." 

There's truth in that, children.