The practice of smoothing and/or gelling down soft, wispy hairs at the forehead, ears and nape is a common practice in black beauty culture, but alternative R&B singer and dancer FKA Twigs takes it to another level by creating intricate and beautiful designs that many celebrities are now copying. In an interview last year, the songstress referenced Josephine Baker as her inspiration while expressing some discomfort with how mainstream the style is going;
I’ve been doing S‑curls for years; I just use gel and a tooth comb. But the baby hairs are gone now; I’m done. I’m sure they’ll make an appearance, but I used to really enjoy doing them every single day, even if I was half an hour late I’d manage to squeeze in seven minutes to do it. But since I did the i‑D cover, it’s something that’s really taken off in fashion and in music. My reference for it comes from Josephine Baker, the first-ever famous black performer, but I think the way it’s been taken now, I don’t know if I’m down with it. It’s just like piercings and tattoos: On the right person they can be really beautiful, but on the wrong person they can be really bad.
Luckily for us she is still rocking the baby hair. Here are 10 times she brought the style to the next level;
![FKA Twigs in i-D. Photography by Matthew Stone. Hair Alex Brownsell. [The Just Kids Issue, no. 320, Pre-Fall 12].](https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/whats-the-big-deal-with-baby-hair-body-image-1425936438-600x772.jpg)
FKA Twigs in i‑D. Photography by Matthew Stone. Hair Alex Brownsell. [The Just Kids Issue, no. 320, Pre-Fall 12].
July/August 2014 FKA twigs Spex Magazine
The time she paired baby hairs with a pink lip.
Via https://twitter.com/twigsbabyhair
Baby hair + cornrows = win
Gorgeous with these braid buns.
FKA Twigs by David Burton, 2014 Photo: David Burton
This piece of art right here.
With the ponytails…
Rocking baby hairs while wearing Alexander McQueen.
Fader Magazine
Eyebrows and baby hair on fleek
Baby hairs and twist extensions
Baby hairs with a crown for her Two Weeks video, which is a reference to Aaliyah in Queen of the Damned.
Ladies, do you ever style your baby hair?
I have not disliked anything she has said or done yet. Thank you BGLH for featuring my current fave!
Cool piece! I agree with her on the baby hairs. It looks good on some and it looks bad on others…case in point, Katy Perry!
There is nothing wispy or baby-like about my edges so I’m going to leave this look in her capable hands, but I do LUV me some FKA Twigs. I had some harsh words for one of my friends for failing to tell me about her sooner.
Classy, creative, unique, talented…a delightful breath of fresh air, she is.
I love FKA twigs and this hairstyle. I’ve been reading a lot recently about cultural appropriation and systematic racism in fashion. This article refers to the style as ‘black beauty culture’ — how does this fall when it comes to historic symbolism of black style? I’m half singaporean, half english; if I were to wear this hairstyle simply in appreciation of the beauty and FKA twigs’ style, would this be an usurpation of a culture I haven’t acknowledged as suffering in the past for this style? If you have any ideas please do respond, I’m just curious and the internet… Read more »