The World’s Largest Afro
Fro Fashion Week is underway in Atlanta, Georgia. Sadly I won’t be able to make it to Hotlanta until Friday when I’ll be hitting the Fro Fashion Week Conference. But to celebrate Fro Fashion Week and as a sort of countdown to the conference I’ll be posting natural hair content on GeorgiaMae.com each day this week. It only seemed right to kick things off with the flyest fro of them all…
Aevin Dugas, a natural hair beauty from the South, is getting much attention these days thanks to her massive mane. Dugas made it in the 2012 edition of the Guinness Book of Records for rocking the world’s largest afro. In addition to the video above, check out a more in-depth interview with Dugas on BBC News.
Do you consider this positive publicity?
Antoinette of A Curl’s Best Friend feels that Dugas is being treated like a “circus freak show” in these interviews and that the questions only support the notion that wearing afro is laughable.
When I first heard about Dugas I was so excited to learn of a woman proudly sporting a fantastic ‘fro, but I was a bit disappointed that these interviews didn’t discuss why Dugas loves her natural hair and instead focused on how much of a inconvenience her hair can be. Being a reporter myself I know that this is probably the angle editors want for a Guinness Book of Records story. But being a naturalista, I couldn’t help but want more from these stories.
What do you think?
Yeah, it’s pretty disappointing that the interview is basically ‘My hair sho iz big – it gets in the way when I dance at da club.’ But it’s not like this interview was meant to be a gripping investigative piece.
I don’t think it’s bad publicity but hopefully in future interviews she can talk more about what motivated her to have natural hair and speak on more weighty issues than what happens at the club.
I didn’t have a problem with the interview because the beauty of natural hair wasn’t the point. She’s in the Guiness Book of World Records for the size of her afro, not because it’s been judged the most beautiful fro on earth. Her not being able to drive safely and the hair getting caught in trees has to do with the 4 foot 4 in circumference of the fro. Had the interview been a vlog for a beauty or fashion magazine, I would be insulted, but in this case, I’m like, c’mon. What in the Guiness Book of World Records ISN’T a circus freak show?
I have to agree with Mariam on this one!