![]() ![]() Brands like Dizziak, Afrocenchix, and Jim + Henry all cater to afro-textured hair and are curated together on sites like Antidote Street with hair-changing expert advice. It’s well-documented that the UK black hair market is booming generally, but so are the number of specialist hair products being created by black entrepreneurs. So much so that the thin line between appreciation and appropriation is crossed fairly frequently by non-black women who think that they can borrow hairstyles from black culture, often without understanding the history, and escape the prejudice attached. Hours of YouTube tutorials demonstrate how to DIY these looks, while the viral #dmxchallenge last year showcased this newfound sense of pride and creativity. “Hair can finally go back to being the important means of self-expression it’s supposed to be, transforming the person wearing it inside and out”Ĭhunky braided bobs, jewel-encrusted cornrows, technicolour wigs, and graphic fades: black people are experimenting with their hair like never before and it feels like nothing is off-limits. Hair can finally go back to being the important means of self-expression it’s supposed to be, transforming the person wearing it inside and out. ![]() Secondly, because the wider acceptance of and pride in wearing your hair out if you want to, styling your natural hair, or putting it in a protective style (when your natural hair isn’t exposed), free from harmful chemicals, means that the shackles are off. ![]() Why has this happened? Well, firstly to rebel against discriminatory attitudes to hair that, frankly, should have been left behind when slavery was abolished. This seachange has, in part, been aided by the likes of Solange, Lupita Nyong’o, and Janelle Monáe, it’s fair to say, who’ve led by example and opened eyes to the endless styling possibilities. On this flip side, the natural hair movement – which encourages people with afro-textured hair to embrace it exactly how it grows from the root – has really gained traction. Yes, people do perm, straighten or cut away their natural hair texture for work and school, to culturally assimilate and comply with euro-centric beauty standards, and the various ways that black hair is policed is still enshrined in law in 48 American states.īut gone are the days when you’d rather hide inside than be seen without your long braids/weave/wig (delete as applicable). If you don’t have it, you might be unaware of how black hair culture has shifted in recent years. Here, we explore what the beauty of black hair is all over the globe, from Jamaica to London and New York to the screens of Nollywood films. Welcome to Rooted, a campaign celebrating the power of black hair and the launch of ‘Tallawah’ – an exhibition by photographer Nadine Ijewere and hairstylist Jawara Wauchope. ![]()
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