On August 7th, 2021, Back to the Shop celebrated our relaunch and rebrand with a hair gala entitled “The Bigger the Hair, the Harder they Stare”. In accordance with the title, the corresponding theme asked guests to dawn their most creative hair styles or head wear. The notion behind the event, which also served as a doctoral celebration for the Editor in Chief, Dr. Shané Weaver, was that asking Black men and women to wear imaginative hair and headwear allows Black people to subvert marginalizing aesthetic ideas. Through the frequent sharing of image from the event, it is our hope to not only share the Back to the Shop Brand but to also give further comfort and permission to Black women and men to simply be and relish in the power of their aesthetic choice as a means of agency and rebuttal of marginalizing forces.
This look also pays homage to Naomi Campbell who was the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue France. For a Ellen von Unwerth photo shoot, Campbell wore a bang wig with Coca Cola cans in her hair serving as rollers. While the Unwerth shoot is only one of many recognizable and highly replicated Campbell looks, it is one of the most notable for the modeling pioneer.
Left Image: Diahann Carroll (Credit: Essence Magazine Pinterest account via Getty Images) Right Image: Naomi Campbell (credit: Pinterest account; original: Ellen von Unwerth)
