Stories Behind These Black Celeb Hair Transformations

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As Vice President Kamala Harris hits the campaign trail, the focus is as much on her style as her policy plans. Although her opponent may be able to get away with whatever that is happening on top of his head, VP Harris knows she can’t step out with a single hair out of place.

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“So you know, I don’t use a curling iron,” Harris told Keke Palmer on a 2023 episode of her podcast Baby, This is Keke Palmer. “It’s too much heat, I use a round brush.”

The country might not be ready for a Black woman to enter the White House with corn rows, but we are showing up in every space wearing styles that show off the diversity and creativity of our culture.

From Michelle Obama to Jada Pinkett Smith, these Black celebrities have used their hairstyles to make a serious statement.

Celebration of International Day of the Girl and Let Girls Learn, First Lady Michelle Obama speaks before the screening of her new CNN Film, We Will Rise: Michelle Obamas Mission to Educate Girls Around the World. East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on 11 October 2016.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama wore the perfect silk press during her eight-year stint in the White House, telling The Washington Post she made a conscious choice to wear straight hair as the country was getting used to the first Black women in the position, saying Americans “weren’t ready” for her natural hair.”

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But since she’s left politics, Mrs. Obama has been seen out and about with braided styles. She even made a visit back to the White House in 2022 for the unveiling of her and former President Barack Obama’s White House portraits wearing braids pulled back into a low bun – making a powerful statement that was not lost on Black Twitter.

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“Something that will mean ALOT to Black people across the country: Former First Lady Michelle Obama wearing braids at the unveiling of her official White House portrait,” Politico White House correspondent Eugene Daniels posted on X about the moment.

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 21: U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) introduces Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) at a campaign event at Clark Atlanta University on November 21, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.

In an exclusive interview with The Root in 2020, United States Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) revealed that she decided to stop wearing wigs to cover the hair loss she’d suffered while living with alopecia so that she could free herself from a painful secret.

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“I’m ready now, because I want to be freed from the secret and the shame that secret carries with it. Because I’m not here just to occupy space — I’m here to create it,” she said in the video.

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Since then, she’s proudly worn her shaved head as she serves the people of Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives.

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“I am grateful to have an ID that finally aligns with where I am on this journey called life,” she wrote in a 2021 Instagram post showing off a new Congressional ID card with an updated picture of her new look.

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After relaxing her hair for years as a young woman, actress Lupita Nyong’o made the big chop at age 18.

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Nyong’o says being bald helped her become more confident with her natural hair.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 10: Actress Sanaa Lathan attends the “Shots Fired” FYC event at Saban Media Center on May 10, 2017 in North Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

Actress Sanaa Lathan shaved her head to take on the role of Violet Jones in the film adaptation of the Trisha R. Thomas book “Nappily Ever After.” Although she was a little nervous about the idea of such a dramatic change, she found herself loving her look and even keeping it for a while.

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“It was terrifying, but like most terrifying things, once you jump, it turns out to be surprisingly great. I actually continued shaving my head for four months after we finished the film because it felt so freeing, so good,” she told Entertainment Weekly in 2018.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 03: Viola Davis joins L’Oréal Paris to celebrate the launch of Age Perfect Cosmetics on March 03, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.

Actress Viola Davis’ roles on stage and screen require her to wear a variety of wigs, weaves and other styles. But in 2012, she made the decision to walk the Oscars red carpet wearing her natural hair.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Actor Viola Davis arrives at the 84th Annual Academy Awards held at Hollywood & Highland Centre on February 26, 2012 in Hollywood, California.

“When I took the wig off, I found the balance. And I have to tell you, I felt really good. I felt surprised with how good I felt. I wrote my own headline [that night]: ‘Viola stuns with her natural hair,’” she said at the time.

Halle Berry poses with her Actress in a Leading Role Oscar for “Monster’s Ball” at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California

Most people associate actress Halle Berry with her iconic pixie cut. But the truth is, she’s been experimenting with cuts and colors for years.

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In August 2023, Berry made her fans gag when she posted a picture of herself rocking a fro on Instagram. “My man loves this. Forward all complaints to him @vanhunt,” she captioned the post.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 12: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on September 12, 2024 in Washington, DC.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made history as the first Black person to serve in the position. She says that while she believes her curly locs make her one of the most recognizable Press Secretaries, the decision to rock her natural hair is not about making a political statement.

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 02: In this image released on October 2, Willow Smith attends Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 presented by Amazon Prime Video at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California; and broadcast on October 2, 2020.

Willow Smith is another Black celebrity who has gone viral for her daring dos.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 30: Willow Smith attends the Los Angeles premiere of Columbia Pictures’ “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” at the TCL Chinese Theatre on May 30, 2024 in Hollywood, California.

From braided styles to afros, she’s never afraid to take risks and show off her style. “IN ❤️ WITH THIS SHAPE,” wrote her stylist Vernon François on Instagram about her perfectly-picked afro.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 05: Taraji P. Henson attends ELLE’s Women in Hollywood Celebration at Nya Studios on December 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Actress Taraji P. Henson has never been afraid to try a new do – even when it happens on accident. She admitted that her latest orange locs were the result of a glitch when she was trying to go golden instead.

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“It’s sort of a fluke. We were trying to go blond, and at about 2 o’clock in the morning when my hair didn’t lift, it kept turning this color,” Henson told NBC on September 11. “I was like, ‘I guess the universe wants me to be orange.’”

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 18: Actress Eva Marcille attends OK! Magazine’s So Sexy LA party at SkyBar at the Mondrian Los Angeles on May 18, 2016 in West Hollywood, California.

When we first met actress/model Eva Marcille, she wore a stunning short haircut. But in 2020, Marcille said it was her daughter who helped her make the decision to begin growing locs.

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My daughter Marley has been loc’d for almost 5 years and I’m just trying to get like her,” Marcille shared in a 2020 Instagram post. “I love the freedom my locs give me.”

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 02: Malia Obama, Sasha Obama, mother-in-law Marian Robinson, first lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama attend the national Christmas tree lighting ceremony on the Ellipse south of the White House December 3, 2015 in Washington, DC.

Sasha and Malia Obama grew up in the White House with perfectly pressed tresses throughout most of their childhood.

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But like their mother, the former First Daughters have worn braids and other creative protective hairstyles since leaving 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

WESTWOOD, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 20: Jada Pinkett Smith attends the LA Premiere of Lionsgate’s “Angel Has Fallen” at Regency Village Theatre on August 20, 2019 in Westwood, California.

Chris Rock’s comments about actress Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head at the 2022 Academy Awards led to the slap heard around the world. But since her 2018 alopecia diagnosis, Pinkett Smith has been open with fans on Instagram about how she’s coped with losing her hair.

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“Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something😜,” she captioned a 2021 post. “Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!😆.”

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