When you search for ‘Black bridal hairstyles’ on Google, most of the images that pop up are of Black brides with straight wigs, weaves and extensions. Although there is nothing wrong with this, what seems to be missing are images of Black brides wearing their natural hair or locs.
However, this is beginning to change with more representation of natural brides appearing. Solange Knowles was one of the first celebrities I saw wear her afro on her wedding day. Another more recent example is influencer MoChunks who proudly rocked a natural style on her big day.
Before discussing why more Black brides are opting for natural hairstyles, it’s important to understand why soon-to-be brides or those who wish to marry may not have thought of wearing their natural hair as an option, to begin with.
How does Western society view Black women’s natural hair?
Due to the prevalence of Eurocentric beauty standards that have favoured straight hair since slavery, many Black women have felt the pressure to straighten their hair to be accepted into Western society. Generations of negative connotations from the West, directed towards Black women’s hair, has also contributed to Black women viewing their natural tresses as nappy, unkempt and difficult.
For years, Western media has upheld that straight hair is more desirable than curly hair. One vivid example that comes to mind is Colandrea’s “Coco” Conners from ‘Dear White People’ and the character’s obsession with hiding parts of her identity through her need to have her hair constantly ‘done’ or hidden under wigs.
She believes this is the only way to fit in and be accepted by her white peers while attending a white-dominated, Ivy league college. We see how this affects her romantic relationship during an intimate scene, where she becomes embarrassed when her wig slips off and exposes her cornrows. She quickly tries to hide, however, to Coco’s surprise, her love interest, Troy, reassures her that he still finds her attractive and even offers her his durag to make her feel more comfortable.
Although in more recent seasons Coco learns to embrace her natural hair, this character alone highlights the hold Eurocentric beauty standards have on Black women’s complex relationship with their hair.
How this is reflected in the wedding space
An article in the Metro from 2020, titled ‘Black bridesmaid told Afro hair “isn’t suitable” for weddings’ explores Black bridesmaids’ treatment. One story highlighted was Alysha who was a bridesmaid at her best friend’s wedding.
The white bride told Alysha that she needed to straighten her hair as she wanted all her bridesmaids to have the same hairstyle, ignoring the fact that Alysha (the only Black bridesmaid) has a different hair texture to the others who all have straight hair. In an attempt to appease her friend, Alysha agreed to get her 4A hair (that she had worked hard to take care of over the years) straightened for the big day.
However, her friend didn’t think to accommodate Alysha’s natural hair needs, which led to her hair being poorly handled by a stylist who didn’t know how to straighten her hair type and left Alysha feeling very upset. This is just one story that exemplifies how Eurocentric beauty standards can seep into the wedding scene in what is seen as acceptable v.s what is seen as unacceptable to wear.
The narrative is changing
On the other hand, the influence of Eurocentric beauty standards on society is starting to lose its grip. With movements like the black natural hair movement showcasing the beauty and versatility of hair, Black women are becoming their own standard of beauty and are embracing their natural tresses.
Even images of Black brides online are also starting to change. Just a quick Google search of ‘Black brides natural hairstyles’ and hundreds of images of women wearing their natural hair and locs pop up. There are even video tutorials on YouTube about natural hairstyles you can wear on your big day or to a wedding.
One company that wants to change the narrative about Afro hair and the wedding industry is The Curly Bride Company, an online luxury bridal accessory company, based in the UK, which provides brides who want to wear their natural hair on their wedding day with the tools and inspiration they need.
Examples of real-life Black natural hair brides
1) MoChunks
Content creator, presenter, producer, speaker and writer, Mo Ojo (also known as MoChunks) recently shared her two-part wedding on her YouTube channel (the first being a traditional Nigerian wedding and the second being a church wedding). During a TikTok focused on MoChunk’s natural hairstyle for her church wedding, she showed her viewers the process of creating her elegant look.
She expressed how excited she was to wear her natural hair on her big day (even mentioning that this was one of the reasons she grew it). In addition, she shared a powerful message to her viewers: “let’s break stereotypes, your afro hair is beautiful and can be rocked on your special day”. MoChunks also uploaded this video on her Instagram, where she received lots of love and congratulations from her viewers.
Added to the messages left in the comment section, several women, inspired by her bridal look, expressed that they would like to wear their natural hair on their wedding day too. This just goes to show the importance of positive representation when it comes to Black women’s natural hair.
2) Nakyia Whitty Davis
Nakyia Whitty Davis, whose stunning wedding photos showcasing her natural hair and her bridesmaids’ on Instagram, went viral in 2016. In a Buzzfeed article discussing the reception she received, Nakyia mentioned that even before her engagement, she wanted her and her bridesmaids to wear their natural hair on her wedding day. Nakyia also said “wearing my natural hair signifies who I am as a Black woman [and] who God created me to be”, expressing how important wearing her hair is to her.
3) Solange Knowles
Although the ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ artist is no longer married to her former husband, Solange’s 2014 look is still iconic. She was one of the first celebrities that I saw rocking their natural hair on their wedding day. Although her afro is a statement in itself, she also wore not one but six wedding outfits, including a cream white jumpsuit cape, fit for the queen she is.
Honest responses from Black women
I decided to do a number of polls on social media, to gain real-life insight from Black women on this topic. I asked the following:
1) Would you consider wearing your natural hair on your wedding day? If yes, why and if no, why?
Here are their responses on Twitter:
Although the results on Twitter were mixed, 60% of Black women would consider wearing their natural hair on their wedding day as opposed to 40%.
I asked this same question on Instagram, as well as:
2) Do you see your natural hair as an acceptable bridal hairstyle? Here are their responses:
88% of Black women said they would consider wearing their natural hair on their wedding day, compared to 12% who wouldn’t. 94% also said they saw their natural hair as an acceptable bridal hairstyle, whilst 6% disagreed. The majority of Black women not only see their natural hair as acceptable but would consider wearing it on their big day.
Along with these poll results, I also received written responses. Here are some that stood out on from Twitter.
“Yes, I would, and I did, I have locs and wore them curled on my wedding day.” @luna_mars
“No, I wouldn’t – I have always wanted to wear a wig, I love my natural hair though just not my desire to wear it for my wedding day.” @gracefayeeee
“Probably not as then I’d have to think about how to style it for the special night… I want a hairstyle that I can wear when I wake up and don’t have to do anything. So probably a weave would have to do.” Anonymous
“It’s what I have done the majority of my life except for once when I tried braids, so why would my wedding day be any different? I might consider extensions but would deffo try to go a natural look.” Anonymous
“Now that Ruka Hair exists? Natural hair is the only way forwards.’’ @okmykoshesai
*Ruka Hair is a Black-owned hair company specialising in wigs and extensions that match natural curls and coils.
I received a variety of responses and enjoyed that each woman had her own individual reason. For some, wearing their natural hair was not a big deal. For others, they either hadn’t considered it or wasn’t sure how to style and maintain it for the whole day.
Final thoughts
This article highlights how Eurocentric beauty standards has contributed to Black women’s complex relationship with their natural hair. However, the natural hair movement and more positive representation of Black women’s hair in the media is changing this. As a result, Black women are becoming their own standard of beauty more and more.
This is also being seen in the wedding sphere. In recent years, there has been an emergence of Black brides opting to wear their hair, locs or natural-looking hairstyles. Needless to say, Black women should have autonomy on how they choose to wear their hair, whether natural or in a weave, in every part of their life. The choice is up to them.
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Written by Fadeke Banjo
Illustrated by Francesca Mariama
