What is a Cloud Bob, Vogue? So the Afro Gets a New Name?

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of Vogue renaming Tracy Ellis Ross's afro to 'cloud bob' and its impact on the narrative surrounding Black hair.

Send us Fan Mail Vogue called Tracy Ellis Ross’s afro a “cloud bob,” and I couldn’t let that slide. Not because the photo wasn’t stunning, but because that one little rename reveals a whole system: the way Black hair gets rejected as “too much” until it’s repackaged with softer language for a wider audience. The hair didn’t change. The narrative did. And when the narrative changes, so does who gets access, who gets praised, and who gets policed. As a hairstylist, I’ve watched Black women carr...

People in this episode

Host: Kinetra

Topics covered

• Black hair
• cultural appropriation
• narrative change
• beauty standards
• hairstyling

Keywords

• cloud bob
• Tracy Ellis Ross
• Vogue
• Black hair
• cultural narrative
• hairstyling
• beauty

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Vogue

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