Lauren Bryant
For its third year in a row, FrOtober is stronger than ever in its fight to end hair prejudice and drive forward the acceptance of natural, black hair.
Emmy nominated actress Nathalie Emmanuel, best known for her roles in Fast & Furious and Game of Thrones, has recently announced her involvement in this year’s month-long FrOtober Afro hair Campaign.
“I have so many stories,” says Emmanuel. “Once on a job, they made me straighten my hair because there was another mixed-race woman actor (with natural hair) and I was told no one would be able to tell us apart. And my hair was destroyed by the end.”
Tammy Facey, CEO of natural hair brand Jim + Henry, founded FrOtober back in 2018, fed up with the misrepresentation of black hair as socially unacceptable, and its widespread association with “unprofessionalism” and “messiness”.
The movement stands against hair bias and discrimination, promoting the celebration and acceptance of natural, black hair.
“FrOtober returns in 2021 and is set to be bigger, better and curlier than ever.”
Since its creation, FrOtober has received an outpour of support and national recognition. In 2019, Facey discussed the campaign live with Channel 5 Anchor Claudia Liza.
The following year she also commemorated the African-American millionairess Madam CJ. Walker at ITV News Central- Netflix miniseries Self Made is inspired by her life and revolutionary activism.
In light of Black History Month, FrOtober returns in 2021 and is set to be bigger, better, and curlier than ever. Igniting a global conversation, Facey has reached out to celebrities, such as Emmanuel, but also authors and MPs.
In recent years, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement has magnified the ever-present racial tension within the UK and across the world. As a result of this spotlight, issues such as hair bias are now being recognised as political matters of racial prejudice, and reflections of social inequality.
A-list celebrities such as Gabrielle Union and Monique Coleman have spoken out against Hollywood’s constant failure to treat and style black hair, instead favouring Eurocentric beauty standards. In a 2017 interview with Glamour, Union stated, “I realized very quickly that there were many people in hair and makeup trailers who were totally unqualified to do my hair”.
Coleman told Glamour that her character in High School Musical was forced to wear a headband because the hair stylist had done her hair “very poorly in the front”, and it needed to be covered.
“93% of black people have experienced hair discrimination in the form of microaggressions.”
There has also been an increase in coverage on hair prejudice within school environments. On September 8th, 15-year-old Tyrelle Richards, whose hair was styled in plaits, was excluded from Ellis Guildford School in Nottingham because his hair was “too short”. His hair had not changed since Year 7.
Last year in October, Ruby Williams, 18, was also sent home for breaching her uniform policy and was told that her afro “should be of a reasonable size and length”. These are clear examples of culturally biased and prejudicial policies which disfavour natural, black hair.
In the UK, #TOGETHERBAND states that 93% of black people have experienced hair discrimination in the form of microaggressions. FrOtober aims to stop hair discrimination in 2021. To take part, post a picture of yourself with your natural hair on any social media platform using #FrOtober.
Also, don’t forget to tune into Tammy Facey’s Instagram live on the 23rd October for an interview with author and lecturer Kehinde Andrews to discuss the campaign further.
Featured image courtesy of efes via Pixabay. No changes were made to this image. Image licence can be found here.
Lauren Bryant
Lauren is one of the Social Media Managers at Empoword, and a first-class English graduate planning to convert to Law in September. Alongside working for non-profits tackling public sexual harassment, she is extremely passionate about sociocultural, feminist issues.