History of Black Hair
By Ari Bonacorso
All throughout Lemonade Beyoncé has been pictured with a multitude of hairstyles. Throughout our course, the history of black hairstyles has been something that has sparked my interest. We did not touch up this subject much during the duration of our course so I decided to learn more about each hairstyle depicted in Lemonade. Come along as I go through the journey of Beyonce’s hair and delve into the deeper meanings behind each hairstyle.
Starting off with “Pray You Catch Me”, Beyoncé is seen with voluminous hair that seems to be highly textured after she takes off her black hoodie. One lyric that stood out to me during this song was “In that time, my hair I grew past my ankles”. This hairstyle looks natural and seems as if not a lot of product was used.
In “Hold Up” Beyoncé has long loose blonde curls which fall to her hips. This exemplifies loving your natural hair. In addition, Beyoncé seems to be representing Oshun, the Water Goddess. Oshun is a Nigerian water goddess for the people of the Yourba tribe. This is a female goddess representing love, fertility, and life.Oshun is often depicted in yellow surrounded by fresh water and Beyoncé is also wearing a yellow dress.
In “Don’t Hurt Yourself” Beyoncé has tight cornrows in. According to Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows, “Cornrows are a really functional way of keeping black texture hair unknotted and neat but like with style”.
According to History, “Africans wore these tight braids laid along the scalp as a representation of agriculture, order and a civilized way of life. These type of braids have served many purposes, from an everyday convenience to a more elaborate adornment meant for special occasions. In the age of colonialism, slaves wore cornrows not only as an homage to where they had come from, but also a practical way to wear one’s hair during long labored hours. Hair also played a role in the way enslaved workers were treated; if the texture and kink of one’s hair more closely resembled European hair, they would receive better treatment.” Beyoncé wearing her hair like this truly pays tribute to her heritage.
In “Sorry”, Beyoncé is pictured with 3 different hairstyles. The first one is these long braids. This ties into one of the lyrics in the song being “Becky with the good hair”. The second hairstyle is loose, soft waves that end in two long braids. The last hairstyle seen on Beyoncé is a true homage to African culture which represents traditional styles of the Congo’s Mangbetu women. According to Lemonade is Black Girl Magic, Beyoncé is “Crowned in braids, a bejeweled headdress and a triangular silver bra, she’s Nefertiti, the powerful Egyptian queen-deity whose name means “The Beautiful One Has Come ``’’.
In “Emptiness” Beyoncé has long, full, blonde, and textured hair. She is also wearing a spiked headpiece which looks like a crown that is partially covering her ears and face.
In “Daddy’s Lesson” she is seen riding a horse with long, chunky braids. According to Bydie, “Braiding started in Africa with the Himba people of Namibia. These people have been braiding their hair for centuries. In many African tribes, braided hairstyles were a unique way to identify each tribe. Braid patterns and hairstyles were an indication of a person’s tribe, age, marital status, wealth, power, and religion. Braiding was and is a social art. Because of the amount of time it can take, people often would take the time to socialize.” These braids exemplify Beyonce’s heritage and where she has come from.
In “Love Drought” Beyoncé has a bubble hairstyle. This is a style that many African Americans might have worn as children.
In “Freedom”, Beyoncés hair is long, loose, and light. Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin’s mothers are also pictured in this video. In addition there is a part of Lemonade where there are photos of women with their various hair styles which represent all black women and pays tribute to them. This goes against the quote in Lemonade “The most neglected person in America is the black woman”. All throughout Lemonade black women are empowered and cherished.
SOURCES
https://www.bustle.com/articles/156663-why-the-hairstyles-in-beyonces-lemonade-are-so-important
https://www.history.com/news/black-hairstyles-visual-history-in-photos
