There were afros, twist-outs and curls galore!
Some women with curly hair watch YouTube tutorials for tips on styling their natural tresses, but there’s nothing like meeting face-to-face with other women who just get it.
That’s one reason why more than 20,000 women (and some men, too) recently flocked to CurlFest, an annual gathering that celebrates the beauty of natural hair.
Organizers call the festival “a mecca of afros, twist-outs, curls (and beards!) set to a soundtrack of positive energy” — and the vibes definitely seemed happy at the huge gathering in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York
For some African-American women who attended, it was a novel experience to be surrounded by so many people who looked like them, said Simone Mair, the co-founder of Curly Girl Collective (CGC), the event marketing group that launched CurlFest in 2014.
“They’ve just never been in a place where they’ve seen so many women of color,” Mair told TODAY Style. “A lot of people talk about the energy. There’s a lot of love in the air, this feeling of community.”
The festival included live hair demos, games and giveaways — but above all, it was a chance for people with natural hair to feel embraced and surrounded by other people of color who are rocking their natural strands.
The idea for the Curly Girl Collective was born about seven years ago, when Mair and some other women started an email chain to swap their natural hair care tips. When they finally all met in person, it was a revelation.
“We realized there’s something unique and special” about actually meeting other people who understand what it’s like to have natural hair, co-founder Tracey Coleman told TODAY Style.