Little Mix's Leigh-Anne Pinnock Shared a Selfie of Her Hair to Encourage Fans
The members of Little Mix have often used social media and their music as a means of sharing powerful and empowering messages. Just days after Perrie Edwards shared a foundation-free selfie to reclaim her freckles, fellow Little Mix member Leigh-Anne Pinnock shared a selfie as a means of encouraging black girls to embrace their natural hair.
On Saturday, August 18, Leigh-Anne addressed a recent incident that had occurred in her family, The Independent reported. In a post to the Little Mix [Twitter] account (https://twitter.com/LittleMix/status/1030796880249344000), she wrote, "My niece of 7 years once said she didn’t like her Afro & wanted to look like the other girls in her class, it broke my heart that she didn’t consider what she had as beautiful...Love your curls, love your Afro."
She continued, sharing what she believes needs to change, writing, "We need to teach young black girls that it IS just as beautiful."
The tweet and accompanying Instagram post earned support on social media. Some shared their own stories, writing, "I used to hate my Afro too, I kept asking my parents if I could straighten it or braid it just so I could look like the other girls in my classroom. It took my a long time to realize that my natural hair is beautiful and that I didn't need to look like everyone else." Another follower posted a selfie, tweeting, "I'm so grateful for this message because I'm a mixed girl and I've learned to accept that my Afro hair is a part of me and I've grown to love it more everyday."
Twitter users also expressed some concern over the selfie, noting that Leigh-Anne's hairstyle in the image is not an Afro. "This is a nice message except for the fact that having the hair texture shown in your picture is not the same as having an 'Afro.' Kinky hair is not the same as curly hair because they’re viewed as two completely separate entities. (Both in and out of the black community)," one follower pointed out. Another person on Twitter shared the sentiment, writing, "Thank you, Afro is not a synonym for big, wild curly hair. Afro itself isn’t a hair texture, it’s a hairstyle. Kinky hair worn in an Afro is it’s [sic] own thing, but I’m still glad to see they’re embracing their natural hair."
Leigh-Anne responded to the tweets, writing, "I think the bottom line of the message in my post is to just love whatever natural hair you have. My niece has got an Afro and I have curly hair, and I just want my younger black fans to know that that is beautiful. Whatever they have!"
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