Why are black models always BALD? | TEXTURISM | FETISHISATION OF AFRICAN BODIES

Why Are Black Models Always Bald?”

Why are so many Black models in high fashion bald — and why are they almost always dark-skinned, with East or Central African features?

In this video essay, I break down how the fashion industry has built a narrow template of acceptable Black beauty: either you're dark-skinned, bald, and “editorial”, or you're light-skinned, racially ambiguous, and loose-curled. There’s almost no room for the full spectrum of Black identity — especially brown-skinned girls with 4C hair, round faces, or Afro-diasporic features.

This conversation goes beyond aesthetics — it’s about colorism, texturism, and the visual tokenization of African women. I connect this fashion pattern to real-world issues, like how African schoolgirls are forced to shave their heads in schools — because their hair is considered “distracting” or unkempt — and how that logic is simply repackaged and glamorized in the fashion world.

I also unpack the controversial Jay Verse tweet, where he questioned why so many successful Black models must look “extremely African” — a statement that sparked intense online debate. While the tweet was undeniably colorist and xenophobic, it reflects a frustration that many Black American women feel unseen in an industry that claims to be diverse — but only under very narrow conditions.

This isn't about one group being more deserving than another. It's about how fashion systems tokenize specific kinds of Blackness while erasing others. Real inclusivity means showing the full spectrum — not just two extremes.

🧠 Topics covered in this video:

Why Black models are expected to shave their heads
The fashion industry’s obsession with “high-fashion African” aesthetics
Colorism and texturism in modeling
How the erasure of average Black features upholds Eurocentric standards
The link between shaved heads in African schools and modeling
A nuanced critique of the Jay Verse tweet and its implications
Why white and mixed models are never asked to erase their identity
👁️‍🗨️ If you’re interested in the intersections of race, beauty standards, media representation, and the fashion industry's deep-rooted biases — this one’s for you.

📢 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe if this resonated with you — and share your thoughts on what real representation looks like in fashion.

#BlackModels
#BaldBlackModels
#ColorismInFashion
#4CHairErasure
#Texturism
#JayVerseTweet
#AfricanModels
#FashionIndustryBias
#BlackBeautyStandards
#representationmatters

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*what do you film on? https://liketk.it/4oAYI
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Instagram • https://instagram.com/tanya_couillet?...
SUBSCRIBE    / @talkswithtanya  
My tiktok account https://www.tiktok.com/@talkswithtany...

W E L C O M E TO MY C H A N N E L

Wig https://www.hairvivi.com/products/add...

Shop my outfits (if you need it 😅)

https://www.shopltk.com/explore/Tanya...

C O N T A C T M E
email business only
[email protected]

......
FAQ
*what do you film on? https://liketk.it/4oAYI
*editor? VLLO
*where are you from? Zimbabwe but I live in France