LAILA
Hairstyle: Blowout
Time Taken: 3 hours
Hairstylist: Wayne Shorter-Campbell
I believe there is a stereotype of what black natural hair on dark-skinned women should look like and because I don't fit this stereotype I've always had people question me about my hair. This is my hair, it's thick and not always easy to manage. When I was younger, I always had people saying to me that "You haven't got black hair, it's more like mixed race, are you Indian?" There was always an assumption that I wasn't who I said I was (In terms of background).
I've constantly been discredited as a dark-skinned woman because my hair didn't fit the stereotype. People have constantly tried to take away my Blackness. I AM BLACK. THIS IS MY HAIR. IT'S TIME THE WORLD UNDERSTOOD THAT WE COME IN LOADS OF DIFFERENT SHAPES AND FORMS.