In Africa, braids often communicated a person’s role within their community. Different styles were used to identify age, tribe, marital status, and even social rank. In ancient Greece, hair braiding wasn’t just a symbol of beauty but a symbol of social status and occupation, and ancient Egyptians in 3100 BCE believed that braiding hair could ward off evil spirits and bring good luck, according to an article by Odele Beauty.
No matter their cultural significance or why you braid your hair, I think it’s safe to say that braids are a language most women can understand and relate to. I remember the first time I ever braided my own hair as a young girl.
At eight, I was obsessed with Rapunzel and the beautiful braid she wore in her hair. I had spent weeks watching YouTube tutorials in my room and practicing on my American Girl Dolls to perfect the braiding motion before trying it on my own hair.
I remember a lot of frustrated tears and many hours of restarting the videos and looking for new ones before I was finally able to get my own hair in two loose braids. From there, it took several years of practice and tutorial videos to perfect more complex braids on myself, like French braids and fishtails.
Fast forward to April 1, 2026, four astronauts launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day lunar mission, marking the first crewed mission to the moon in over 50 years, according to NASA.
The Artemis II mission intended to make scientific history, but Christina Koch, a 47-year-old astronaut from Michigan, created her own legacy. Koch has been working for NASA since she was recruited in 2013 as a flight engineer and previously made history by setting a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, with a total of 328 days in space and participation in some of the first all-female spacewalks.
She served as Mission Specialist I of NASA’s Artemis II mission and aboard Orion. She became the first woman to travel around the Moon.
While she was exploring outer space, Koch posted this insanely powerful photo on Instagram of herself looking out a window at Earth, with braids tied in her hair. The post received an overwhelming amount of love, with users commenting on how inspirational Koch is for all of us back on Earth.
User @mindymckight commented, “the language of hair that binds all women together,” and user @meg_niff_iscent commented, “on behalf of every little girl I’ve ever taught, ever will teach, & for the little girl in every woman on earth (including me) thank you @astro_christina we are all looking up to you, and forward for us!”
This post feels so impactful to me because I know billions of women who came before me who were looked down on by society for their religion, the color of their skin, their social status, and just the plain fact that they were women. And now, in 2026, I can proudly say that I watched a woman serve on a mission to space with braids in her hair, just like the women who came before me braided theirs.
“It’s a man’s world” is a phrase that I have heard countless times throughout my life, but why on Earth would it be a man’s world when women are just as capable? Misogyny has such a deep-rooted history, especially in the United States, and to see a woman not only be a successful astronaut but to make history by traveling around the moon with her hair tied into braids is a symbol of womanhood I will never forget.
Koch has become an inspiration for so many women across the globe, once again proving what should be common knowledge: that a woman can do anything a man can. I hope that young girls for generations to come look up to Koch and recognize in her that there is no such thing as an unachievable dream.