A photographer and journalist shares scenes along her own path.
I am surprised by the confusion, and occasional derision, with which my natural hair is still received in 2023. |
Recent years have seen more acceptance of Black hair. This is thanks in part to the widespread popularity of light-skinned Black stars like Zendaya, the smashing success of TV shows like "Black-ish," "Atlanta" and "Insecure" and the adoption of the Crown Act, which prohibits discrimination based on hair style or texture, by over 20 states. However, there is still a long way to go. (For example, the Crown Act has not passed on the federal level; it was blocked by Senate Republicans last year.) |
There was an even longer way to go back in the '90s, in the relatively homogeneous country that was Sweden. |
In a guest essay, the photographer and journalist Malin Fezehai traces her own natural hair journey, which begins in Stockholm. She captures how complex a natural hair journey can be, especially for Black women who are mixed race or otherwise do not have caregivers who are familiar with the specific needs of their hair. |
Sometimes, someone special can come along and completely transform your natural hair journey. I know that I am thinking of someone right now — a fellow Moroccan woman who I met at Cafe Erzulie in Brooklyn, who taught me that it was OK to wear my hair big. |
For Malin, that person was Charlotte Mensah, a Black hairstylist of Ghanaian descent whom she met as a child, and who now styles the hair of celebrities, including Zadie Smith, Erykah Badu and Michaela Coel. |
Malin's essay weaves together a story of friendship and discovery — not only of the rich possibilities that natural hair holds but also of the African legacies that birthed them. Her accompanying photos depict scenes of beauty, friendship and care that span the cities of Accra, Stockholm and London. They are as stunning as they are evocative, and we hope you enjoy them as you reflect on the themes of her essay, and the power that your own differences may hold. |
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