There’s no doubt that the natural hair movement is taking the hair industry by storm and encouraging women to rock their natural born crown, unapologetically. Big businesses such as Pantene and Dove are interested in reaching the natural hair community by switching up their marketing to be more inclusive and creating products for relaxed and natural hair.
Pantene introduced their Gold Series campaign this week with an impressive and powerful commercial shining a light on all the beautiful styles of natural hair. The minute-long video showcased a variety of women of all ages, skin tones and textures embracing their hair that is a source of confidence. From the sculptural updos, voluminous curls, and bold afros, to edgy bobs, and striking dreadlocks the video demonstrated all the dynamics of natural hair which have been ignored for so long by mainstream media. Let’s not forget about the empowering spoken word that shares our journey of how we’ve been encouraged to conform our beauty standards to fit in. “We are proudly born with hair that grows strong as a storm and doesn’t conform to a beauty norm that isn’t our own. Because whether we choose to wear it relaxed or natural, every strand is testimony to our history. That makes us stronger,” the narrator concludes. “And strong is beautiful.”
Without further ado, check out the video below.
I appreciate their poetic presentation representing the ode to our African history and how we’ve turned our pain into power, but social media reaction to the campaign questions the brand’s intentions. For as long as I can remember Pantene has been representing straight and sleek hair, and the change has naturals begging the question: are they trying to reach the natural hair community simply for monetary purposes?
Regardless, representations matters and it’s important for all women to be represented in the media no matter their skin tone, hair texture or age. I truly hope these mainstream companies can utilize their platforms to redefine the beauty standards and empower all women to love the skin they’re in.
The natural hair movement is not a trend. This is our lifestyle. This is our history.
