Uncovering The Neglect Of Black Hair In Fashion

The modeling industry has long been known for its exclusivity—often leaving Black models on the fringes of opportunity and visibility. The few who manage to break through onto major runways and into top editorial spaces remain drastically underrepresented compared to their non-Black counterparts. And even when they do make it in, the challenges don’t stop at the casting call.

For many Black models, the backstage beauty experience becomes a recurring site of microaggressions and neglect—especially when it comes to their hair. Too often, they’re told to arrive with it already >Nick Joesten and fashion model Angëër Amol are using their voices to push back, creating a rapidly growing TikTok series that sheds light on the mistreatment of Black hair in the fashion world. “After over a decade in the industry, I’ve seen firsthand how Black hair is treated on set,” says Joesten. “Early on in my career, I noticed most deeper-toned models were asked to cut their hair very short, and that made me uneasy. It was almost as if we needed a certain look to be considered ‘bookable.’ Once I realized I had a platform, I teamed up with my good friend and fellow model Angëër to start a conversation we felt was long overdue.”

Amol echoes that sentiment. “When I first came into the industry, I had locs. When I signed to my agency, they told me I needed to cut my hair. I wasn’t comfortable with it—it took me five years to grow out my locs.”

There’s often a narrow, one-dimensional view of textured hair within the non-Black beauty space. Where we see versatility, strength, and beauty—others see limitations. “I did a Valentino show,” Amol continues. “And it took them four hours to do my hair. All they wanted was braids down with added extensions. Thattitle="@nicolasjoesten" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolasjoesten?refer=embed">@nicolasjoesten

@Aŋëër sharing her experience in the Modeling industry! Thank you for your time and openness #creative #talks #podcast #lite #nyc #modeling #industy

Amol recalls a moment shared with her by a close friend, a South Sudanese male model whose name she withheld for privacy. He had flown in from Japan for a shoot, only to arrive on set and be asked to take out his own braids and redo them—by himself—while the glam team focused all their attention on his non-Black counterpart. This is a familiar story, one that underscores a painful truth: when it comes to textured hair, even the most basic forms of care are treated as optional.

“One common pattern is that so many models are just tired—tired of doing their own hair on set, tired of being told to cut it, and tired of constantly having to compromise themselves just to book a job,” says Joesten. “But sadly, that’s the norm.”

What naturally grows from our heads is treated as a point of scrutiny, as if every agent, casting director, and stylist is entitled to an opinion on our hair. It’s presumptuous when you really think about it. Yes, modeling is an aesthetics-driven industry, but for Black models, hair becomes an immediate and ongoing negotiation. As Amol shared, her hair was one of the first things brought up when she put pen to paper with her agency. 

She also highlights a double standard that persists across the industry: once Black models are deemed “bookable” with a particular look, they’re expected to stick with it. Change isn’t encouraged or celebrated as it often is for non-Black models; it’s met with silence or skepticism, not empowerment. “When I told my agents I was going to cut my hair, they were fine with it because they’d wanted me to anyway,” Amol recalls. “But they didn’t expect me to cut it as short as I did. I shaved it all the way down—and I didn’t book a single job for over a year and a half.”

Amol’s hair story within the modeling industry, unfortunately, isn’t a unique one. It points to a much larger, systemic issue: the glaring lack of Black hairstylists—or even stylists properly trained in the art that is textured hair. When the professionals tasked with creating beauty looks aren’t equipped or diverse enough to care for all hair types, it falls on the model to show up and do two jobs.

“Over the last ten years, I can count on one hand how many Black hairstylists I’ve worked with,” Joesten shares. “The biggest issue is that Eurocentric hair is still treated as the default factory setting. So many stylists haven’t been taught how to work with textured hair because they’ve never had to.”

Of course, there are Black hairstylists in the industry who are making it a point to elevate textured hair and celebrate its versatility—names like Naeemah LaFond, Jawara, Vernon François, Ursula Stephen, Jabarie Anderson and many more. But the presence of a few shouldn’t be the exception—it should be the norm. There needs to come a point (sooner rather than later) when understanding how to manipulate andrel="tag">beauty and fashion black hair

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