8 Moments That Put Natural Hair in the Spotlight in 2016

Beyonce's 2016 release, Lemonade, is full to the brim of #BlackGirlMagic moments, and the visual for her lead single "Formation" set the unapologetic tone for the rest of the album.

Having previously dealt with derogatory comments made about how she chooses to style her daughter, Blue Ivy's hair in an Afro, Beyoncé shut down the naysayers with an empowered response that saw her singing about her love of "Baby Hair and Afros," paired with scenes of Blue Ivy and some playmates rocking their sweet little Afros!

The video also featured several prominent young black women wearing their hair out and proud, including artists Halle and Chloe who wear their hair in dreadlocks, and activist and actress Amandla Stenberg who's famed for her gorgeous Afro.

We're used to Lupita Nyong'o stunning us with her daring beauty looks and chic sartorial choices, but even we weren't prepared for the gravity-defying, sculptural bun she rocked to the 2016 Met Gala. The stunning 'do which is a great example of the versatility of natural hair styling options, caused such a stir that Lupita was forced to set the record straight on just where her inspiration came from, after Vogue magazine's speculation pointed to more Euro-centric sources.

We can always count on the Met Gala red carpet to be awash with standout beauty looks from the celeb attendees. And this year was no different, with the added exception of an abundance of natural-haired celebs who wore their hair in striking styles, with some adorned in extravagant accessories.

One common put-down thrown at natural hair is that it looks less tidy in comparison to other hair types, but anyone who saw this natural bride's wedding pictures take the internet by storm, can agree Afros are pretty damn regal.
The bride in question, Nakyia Whitty who told Buzzfeed "Wearing my natural hair signifies who I am as a black woman, who God created me to be. I love my natural tresses," decided to showcase her love for her Afro by asking all her bridesmaids to wear their own for her beach wedding. The result was a stunning celebration of black beauty that we're excited to see more of.

After a controversial casting call for "Multiracial women only" went viral, it was a surprise for many when the Yeezy season four show was awash with women of all colors, many of whom wore their hair in natural styles. The catwalk show, which featured over 100 models, was a celebration of every type of kink, coil, and curl.

If you haven't heard of South African schoolgirl, Zulaikha yet, then you may have missed one of the most unifying protests of the year. People across the internet shared and sent support to the 13-year-old and her schoolmates, who had been send to detention for not adhering to their school's discriminatory hair policy, which called Afro hair "untidy and unladylike." International support mounted for Zulaikha, whose powerful protest for self-expression, resulted in her school revising its ban on natural, Afro hair being worn loose.

When Solange Released her Album featuring an empowering anthem called "Don't Touch My Hair" — which features lyrics like "don't touch my hair, when it's the feelings I wear," — we should probably have guessed that soon after she'd stun us with a hair look that looked fit for a deity.
The singer debuted her showstopping halo braid for a performance on SNL. And while we thought we'd seen intricate braids before, Solange's stylistr Shani Crowe managed to create a stunning Afrofuturistic look that's said to have been the result of 40 hours of delicate braid work, with 100 feet of added hair and 2,000 crystals.

The Victoria's Secret catwalk is going a long way to be more inclusive and representative of different types of beauty. Last year saw Angolan model Maria Borges make history by becoming the first black woman to rock her natural Afro hair for the show, and it seemed she opened the door for more models to do the same. When the Angels hit Paris for their fashion show this year, we could barely keep up as models Herieth Paul and Jourdana Phillips rocked their Afros alongside Maria on the catwalk.