C.J Walker’s business rival Addie Monroe in Self Made in about Annie Malone in real life. In the show, Monroe is played by Carmen Ejogo. But Malone in real life is very different from the Netflix version we see on the show.
Self Made Now Streaming on Netflix
Netflix has been crushing it with the latest releases recently, and the timing could not be better. The streaming platform’s latest biopic, Self Made, that you’ll definitely want to watch ASAP.
The four-episode series is about the story of Madam C.J. Walker (real name: Sarah Breedlove), who wanted to grow into a salesperson for Addie Monroe’s hair care products after they had helped her hair health. But Monroe cruelly rebuffed Walker — even after she had successfully sold 20 tins of her products. So, Sarah went off and made her line of products, as one does, they sold ridiculously well. She finished up being considered the wealthiest self-made woman in America and the first self-made millionaire when she died in the early 1900s.
The series is based on reality, but it’s not entirely accurate to Madam C.J. Walker’s real story. The character of Addie Monroe is based on Annie Turnbo Malone, who had a successful hair care business that Sarah was complicated in before she set out on her own.
So, who was ‘Addie Monroe,’ a.k.a. Annie Malone IRL?
Annie was considered brave in the African American beauty industry, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. She invented a line of hair products called Poro in the late 1800 and early 1900 century that included her “Hair Growth product,” that helped in improving scalp health, promoting hair growth and straightening hair.
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Sarah was, in fact, one of Annie’s salespeople. And, yup, the two had a falling out, according to C.J. Walker’s story and its based on a book about her ancestor’s journey by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles,
Bundle wrote on her website that Walker moved to Colorado, Denver, where she is still selling Malone’s Poro hair products. “Not long after she married Charles Joseph’ C. J. Walker in early 1906, there was a break of some kind between the two women that caused Madam Walker to sever ties with Malone,” Bundles wrote. Bundles further wrote, “By April of 1906, Madam Walker was selling her line of hair care products.” Here take a look at the trailer below.
What happened to Annie after her rift with Sarah?
Annie, meanwhile, ended up opening the Poro College in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1918, according to the Annie Malone Historical Society. She even launched the Annie Malone Children & Family Service Center, which still provides social services, educational programs, and advocacy for children, families, and the elderly.
Annie Malone eventually died in 1957. It is nearly 40 years after Sarah. In the 1950s, more than 30 branches of the Poro College existed in the United States.
Self Made is currently streaming on Netflix. Make the most from Netflix’s newest shows releasing in this Self Quarantine period.
Thanks, Prasanna, for the back story on Addie Monroe. We thoroughly enjoyed Self-Made, and wondered if the battle between the 2 women was for the story’s sake, or not. But it looks like it could’ve been for real, since they did know each other well. Good job, except for some typos.