Get In Fro-mation

The influence of social media and celebrities embracing natural har has created a thriving natural hair movement and its not dying down any time soon.

Jessica Lewis has a popular channel on Youtube called "Mahogany Curls" , where she does natural hair tutorials, vlogs, and gives tips on black natural hair.

"Growing up, it was common for black girls to have perms have at a young age. I personally don't remember being around many young people that wore their natural hair often or at all, and unfortunately I remember countless times, when girls were mocked by their peers when they did."

By: Shadei Terry-Coleman

Hair has always been a major part of black culture. The diversity and freedom to be creative and versatile is not just a hair style or “trend” it’s a method of expression. Yes, past and present racial prejudices in our country have caused black hair to be the source of ridicule and division for some time.

When racial tensions were high in the 1970s, the Afro was worn not only as a style but a political movement. Men and women in the Black Panther Party commonly wore afros, and afros were also heavily worn in black films during those times. Actresses in “blackplotaion” films such as Pam Grier in Foxy Brown and Tamara Dobson in Cleopatra Jones were notably known for their huge afros.

Angela Davis, a black female activist in the 70s received national attention after becoming a fugitive accused of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy. The Federal Bureau of Investigation listed her as one of the 10 most wanted criminals at the time. Life Magazine wrote a cover story on her while she was on the run, put her photo (decked in a large, circular afro) on the front cover and titled it “The Making of a Fugitive”. This photo soon became the symbol of black women. In her book “Afro Images: Politics, Fashion and Nostalgia,” Davis discussed how black women who wore afros were being targeted by the F.B.I.

“Consequently, the photographs identified vast numbers of my vast female contemporaries who wore naturals (whether light skinned or dark) as targets of repression” wrote Davis. “This is the hidden historical context that lurks behind the association between my name and the afro.”

Afros and other natural hair styles declined in the 80s due to the rejection in workplaces in combination with the growing popularity of perms.

Celebs & Social Media:

Today, natural hair is more popular not only in black culture, but in mainstream media as well. Celebrities and social media have embraced natural hair and have been major influences in the growth of the natural hair movement. Popular celebrities like Alicia Keys, Janelle Monae, Solange, Yara Shahidi, Teyonah Paris, and Viola Davis to name a few, have been flawlessly rocking various natural hair style on and off the red carpet. There was a particular memorable scene on the show How To Get Away With Murder, where Viola Davis’s character took off her wig unveiling her natural hair on screen. This type of moment was very rare for a black actresses, it was surely a raw, and bold moment that spoke volumes to viewers.

It is less often that acts like this happen on TV, however it’s likely that we will be seeing more women in their natural hair states on various social media platforms. YouTube, for example, has become a valuable tool in teaching women how to maintain and grow natural hair. People can easily go on YouTube and search hairstyles, tips on how to grow natural hair, and reviews on hair products. These easy to access tutorials were nonexistent 10 years ago, a time when people commonly depended on hairstylist or at-home trial-and-error methods.

YouTube personality Jessica Lewis also known as Mahogony Curls, is just one of many that produce content focused on black natural hair. Her channel currently has over 25 million views. Another successful YouTuber, Whitney White or Naptural85 has over 790,000 subscribers and over 74 million views to date. Lewis and White create video tutorials aimed at the natural hair niche which provide hair care tips like protective styling options.

If you search on YouTube you would find literally thousands of videos from different people sharing their knowledge and experiences on natural hair. I have to admit, most of what I have learned about how to care for black natural hair has been because of YouTube.

The hair diversity and style options are endless. In addition to the afro, some hair styles include: braid-outs, twist-outs, wash and go’s, cornrows, box braids…. and the list can goes on. There are women who do not prefer to go natural, and they have options too, which may include weaves, wigs or clips-ins to help complement or protect their natural hair.

Growing up, it was common for black girls to have perms have at a young age. I personally don't remember being around many young people that wore their natural hair often or at all, and unfortunately I remember countless times, when girls were mocked by their peers when they did. Fortunately, however we are now in a time, where black children and women rocking natural hair styles can be accepted and praised. Although, there are still people who have their own ideas of what “appropriate” hairstyles are, which could be a separate article all in itself. The Natural Hair movement is constantly growing and it doesn’t look like it is slowing down anytime soon.