It’s 2019 and the Natural Hair Movement is in full effect. With more and more people embracing their natural textures, it’s hard not to jump on the wave and want to flaunt your curls. Walking down the hair aisle at your local drugstore, you find more diverse products than just five years ago, and nearly half of them seem to be dedicated strictly to curly hair. The Instagram feeds of many hair and beauty pages are filled with curls and coils, and the beauty of natural hair is quite apparent in the fashion industry. Take Zendaya’s most recent showcase of her new Tommy Hilfiger x Zendaya collection in Paris March 2nd. That runway was full of melanin, serves, and natural beauty!
Many of your fellow naturals will tell you that length, body, and health are the main goals for their hair, and that is certainly evident in the many photos and videos you’ll see of hair gurus displaying their curls.
However, are certain people being forgotten in all of this attention? Kinkier textures – particularly type 4 based on the Andre Walker hair typing system – are not seen in the media as often. On Instagram, for instance, you sometimes have to explicitly search for these pages, as the general curly hair pages don’t always show all of the textures. Indeed, unfortunately some of them tend to favor type 3 hair or looser curl patterns. Even when you do see people with tighter curls, they are often seen in shorter styles or the classic afro, puff, and braided styles.
As someone with type 4 hair, I do enjoy seeing all of the beauty of these looser curl patterns, and certainly get inspired by their styles and hair routines, but I would love to see more diversity on these feeds! Our hair can do more than just undefined (but still chic!) afros and braids! We don’t need to straighten it or try to get a looser curl pattern to look beautiful. Where’s the inspiration that I see so often for looser textures?
I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with looser curls. They’re beautiful, too. All of our hair I beautiful. I just want to see all of the incredible textures in people’s hair. Luckily, showcases like Zendaya’s and Tommy Hilfiger’s open up spaces for more diversity, and I love it. Let’s keep moving toward a world that celebrates all hair types, and see slayage across all different textures. After all, how can diversity be boring?