There are hair rites of passage in Black women’s lives: the first salon appointment, the first treatment, the first blow out, the big chop, the natural transition, the weave, and the braid up. And then, of course, there's the first moment of isolation and feeling of other from those who don’t understand the history, the richness, and the texture of Black hair and the stories it tells. ELLE.com brought together 20 women telling their hair stories—from a beauty editor whose middle school principal scolded her for wearing braids to an engineer swarmed at a party by a handsy “Can I touch your hair?” crowd. Listen to what they have to say.
Eunice's Story
Ashley's Story
Chloe's Story
Illustration: Joelle Avelino
Editor: Shu-Ying Chung
Motion Art Director: Alina Petrichyn
Animation: Lindsey Flood
Sound Recordists: Kameron Key & Thomas Jezik
Chloe Hall oversees all beauty coverage at ELLE.com. She knew she wanted to get into beauty the moment Donna Summer came on her screen and she's been chasing the perfect disco shadows ever since. Her sweet spot is the intersections of beauty with current culture, whether it's music, movies, or social media. You can find her in Brooklyn with her pug or in Rihanna's comment section.
Nerisha is the beauty commerce editor at ELLE.com, covering all things beauty (and fashion and music). She has a penchant for sneakers and nude lip glosses, and spends way too much time re-watching 90s sitcoms.
