Post by @madmires

Apparently, this 1935 photograph of a young Mozambican boy with a fade has to be AI because some people couldn’t believe an African could have that hairstyle back then. 😂 Except… the original photograph exists in a historical book from 1935, and there’s even a version autographed by the photographer. And this isn’t an isolated example. African societies have had incredibly diverse ways of cutting, styling, braiding, shaving and managing hair for centuries. From the stylised hair of a Bamum boy photographed around 1901–1905 to braids, cornrows, afros, locs, shaved styles and other forms of hair design found across the continent. The important question shouldn’t be “Who owns this hairstyle?” It should be: what did these hairstyles mean to the people who wore them? African hair history is our history. There’s so much more to discover when we stop arguing over who invented what and actually study the cultures behind it. #africanhairstyles #Africanhistory #historytok #BlackTikTok #Afticantiktok