Afro Hair
In Afro hair styling, barids (corn rows) were poular int he 80s/90s, as a reflection of RnB influences in the music industry. This was said to be a time of individuality and because of this, many styles were popular at this one time.
Television was a huge influence on culture and freedom of choice was a big movement in the USA.
Whereas previous generations were encouraged to follow suit, to fit in and look like those around them.
It is suggested that with a past of heavily racist poweris also responsible for encouraging blacks to express themselves, and feel like they too have the same freedom as whites.
Natural hair became a symbol of black pride, as they were comfortable to be represented in their natural selves.
(Banks, I. 2000)
Now in 2016, we are still seeing many types of braiding, which appears to have become a reborn 'new' style to celebrities of all nationalities. It has been a red carpet look appearance for the last five years, for celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Kirsten Stewart, Cara Delavigne and Amanda Seyfried.
Supposeidly, the hairstyle a woman chooses to wear is symbolic of their attitude and personality. Afro hair is said to reflect a bolder attitude, due to the kinks in the hair. Whereas a straight hairstyle is that of a woman whos emotions surface only when her hair is tossed in large sweeping motions.
(Banks, I. 2000 Pp.42)
Interestingly the images above, show a combination of different styles blacks wouldn't necessarily put together as the straight hair and the tight braids symbolise differnt elements of personality.These images are a much more modern and contemoporary take on afro hair styling.
(Banks, I. 2000)
Thirsty Roots (2016)
Types of Natural Black Hair
 3c |  3c 4a |
|---|---|
 4a |  4b |
 4c |
HML Fit (2011)
These images display the diffferent types of afro hair.
From lef tto right: 3C, 3C/4A, 4A, 4B, 4C.
The Afro became popular after an actress' character wore her hair in an Afro on T.V show East Side, West Side in 1962.It wasn't until a few years later that this style caught on and became popular. It became 'an expression of rebellion at the time.' - Byrd, A. D. and Tharps, L. L. (2002). the braids we see in african womens hair, is usually what makes the distinction between tribes.
To create hir pieces for my makeup, I will be using straight black/ dark brown synthtic hair. To texture this to look like afro hair, I will use small rollers to create a tight coil, which I will then set in hot water.