Hair is important for women of all races. In the African American community, hair is another form of creative expression aside from one’s own personal style. Known for her work in style and fashion and sporting an unapologetic afro, Michaela Angela Davis has decided to explore the personal journeys Black women have with their hair. In a new series, Davis sat down with women to talk about the ups, downs, and in betweens of loving and accepting your hair as a Black woman. Actress Tasha Smith sat down to talk about how she learned to love her kinks and coils.
Smith dubs herself the “braid queen.” However before she could fit the title, she had to learn to love her natural hair. “I used to think that coarse hair was a negative thing until I realized that it was strong. I’ve grown to really love the strength of my hair.” The actress reveals the memories she had growing up and adapting to styles and new advances in hair. Smith says people like Janet Jackson influenced her hair choices when she was young.
There has been a lot of talk about Black hair and it’s influences on fashion. Recently publications like Elle and Vogue have come under fire for giving praise to non-Black women credit for creating styles that were started by Black women. Things like slicked edges and even conrows have been deemed “fashion trends” started by media influences who are non-Black. Women on social media have pointed out the instances numerous times and oftentimes the fashion entities have chosen to not respond. While the Black hair business has always been a multi-million dollar business, its advance and influence in culture is forever growing.
All in all, Black women’s hair will always be an interesting topic of discussion. As long as the things that we can do with it continues to be groundbreaking, the influence it has will do the same. Michaela Angela Davis explores the depths of our hair in more ways than one in her new series. For more on actress Tasha Smith and her personal journey with her hair, check out the video below.
