Braids are nothing latest to Black women, but recently essentially the most stylish Black women I do know are wearing a specific type of cornrows unlike anything I’ve ever seen. These freestyle braids take the form of mesmerizing twirls, swirls, and symbols that emulate hieroglyphic script hiding a celestial message. Unlike traditional cornrows that run straight back, freestyle braids follow patterns inspired by visuals like adornments on welded iron gates, stars, and Adinkra symbols (a pictorial language originating in West Africa). The style isn’t only taking off in my group chat: #Freestylebraids has over 83 million views on TikTok with videos of stylists the world over turning blown-out or curly Black hair into geometric artistic endeavors. Freestyle braids were even...
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