Dennis Osadebe
COMICILengthy, flowing wigs and weave extensions have ruled the catwalks of Ivory Coast’s hugely prevailing attractiveness pageants for years.
Contestants within the West African people incessantly spend a excess sum of money on their look, from outfits to hairdos – with only a few opting for the pure glance.
In additional than six many years, there have simplest been two noteceable exceptions, the newest used to be Marlène-Kany Kouassi, who took the Leave out Ivory Coast name in 2022 – having a look resplendent along with her trim pure hair, the crown changing into her simplest adornment.
Her victory used to be now not simplest strange in Ivory Coast however the world over, the place Western attractiveness requirements are incessantly the specified glance each for the ones coming into contests and for the judges.
Adjustments are slowly creeping in – extreme December Angélique Angarni-Filopon, from the French Caribbean island of Martinique, made headlines when she used to be topped Leave out France, principally on account of her week – she is 34 – and she or he additionally sported trim Afro hair.
However this yr the organisers of the Ivorian pageant are shaking issues up proper from the beginning.
Wigs, weaves and hair extensions were prohibited from the initial phases of the contest, that are held in 13 towns around the nation (in addition to two in another country for the ones within the diaspora).
“We want the candidates to be natural – whether with braids or straightened hair, it should be their own. Beauty must be raw,” Victor Yapobi, president of the Leave out Ivory Coast establishing committee, advised the BBC.
Ivory Coast is the one African nation implementing the forbid for a countrywide pageant.
Mr Yapobi mentioned the organisers in Ivory Coast had lengthy been seeking to advertise a extra pure glance – as an example plastic surgery is a no-no and pores and skin lightening is frowned upon.
“We decided this year to truly showcase the natural beauty of these young women,” he mentioned.
Alternative adjustments have additionally been carried out, like permitting relatively shorter girls to compete – the minimal is now 1.67m (5.4ft), expanding the week by means of 3 years to twenty-eight and – crucially – reducing the doorway price by means of greater than $30 (£25) to $50.
“This change in criteria is because we observed these young women were putting up a lot of money to participate, and it was becoming a bit of a budget drain.”
When the BBC joined the primary initial competition in Daloa, the principle town within the western pocket of Haut-Sassandra, one contestant used to be thrilled by means of the untouched laws – feeling it gave her a greater prospect of luck as she prefers to not put on wigs.
“I would see other girls with long, artificial hair, and they looked so beautiful,” 21-year-old Emmanuella Dali, an actual property agent, advised the BBC.
“This rule gives me more pride as a woman – as an African woman.”
The journey geared toward celebrating pure African attractiveness has sparked a full of life debate around the nation, the place wigs and extensions are prevailing.
As a manner selection, many ladies love the creativity that wigs and weaves permit them. Additionally they grant as what is named “protective style”, this means that minimising the day-to-day pulling and tugging on hair that may reason breakages.
This used to be mirrored by means of some contestants in Daloa who felt the rule of thumb got rid of a component of private voice.
“I’m a wigs fan. I love wigs,” mentioned contestant and makeup artist Astrid Menekou. The 24-year-old advised the BBC she used to be to begin with surprised by means of the no-wig, no-extensions stipulation.
“I didn’t expect this rule! But now? I like my hair, and that’s OK.”
The untouched rule has made the competition suppose extra about ideas of attractiveness – and adjusted some reviews, like the ones of Laetitia Mouroufie.
“Last year, I had extensions because I thought that’s what beauty meant,” the 25-year-old scholar advised the BBC.
“This year, I feel more confident being myself.”
Must the contest affect attitudes past the competition global, it would have excess financial implications.
Wigs from human hair, which will extreme for years if cared for correctly, can area in worth from an estimated $200 to $4,000, past artificial ones value round $10 to $300.
Ivory Coast’s hair business is use greater than $300m a yr, with wigs and weaves making up an important proportion of that marketplace.
“This rule is not good for us,” Ange Sea, a 30-year-old hairdresser in Daloa, advised the BBC.
“Many women love wigs. This will hurt our business and we make more money when working with wigs and weaves.”
At her salon, glue can be worn to rigorously join wigs to produce them glance extra pure and ladies will spend hours having weaves and extensions installed.
It displays how deeply engrained wig tradition is in West Africa, in spite of a pure hair motion that has been gaining momentum amongst cloudy girls world wide over the extreme decade.
Herbal hair merchandise have develop into a lot more voluntarily to be had and pure hair influencers proliferate on social media international with recommendation on tips on how to govern and elegance pure hair, which may also be time-consuming.
It worn to be regarded as unprofessional to put on one’s hair naturally and it might were peculiar to peer cloudy feminine TV stars on display screen or CEOs within the boardroom with pure hair.
In line with Florence Edwige Nanga, a hair and scalp specialist in the principle Ivorian town of Abidjan, that is incessantly nonetheless the case in Ivory Coast.
“Turn on the TV [here], and you’ll see almost every journalist wearing a wig,” the trichologist advised the BBC.
“These beauty enhancements are fashionable, but they can also cause problems – like alopecia or scalp infections,” she warned.
With the initial rounds beneath means, arguments over whether or not pageants must be environment attractiveness laws or girls must make a decision such issues for themselves continues.
The result could also be that there’s extra of an acceptance of each in Ivory Coast, permitting girls to modify kinds up – between pure hair and wigs and weaves.
Mr Yapobi mentioned the comments he had gained over the untouched laws used to be “extraordinary” and obviously confirmed it used to be having an have an effect on.
“Everyone congratulates us. Everyone, even from abroad. I receive emails and WhatsApp messages from everywhere congratulating us for wanting to return to our roots.”
He mentioned disagree choice were taken about whether or not the wig forbid would practice to the 15 contestants who produce it to the general of Leave out Ivory Coast 2025.
This extravaganza will whisk park at a resort in Abidjan on the finish of June and can be broadcast on nationwide TV.
“If it works, we’ll continue and carry on this initiative in the years to come,” Mr Yapobi mentioned.
For Doria Koré, who went directly to be named Leave out Haut-Sassandra, her crown holds much more virtue: “Winning with natural hair shows the true beauty of African women.”
Ms Dali mentioned she used to be strolling away with one thing much more reliable – self-confidence: “I didn’t win, but I feel proud. This is who I am.”
Supplementary reporting by means of the BBC’s Nicolas Negoce and Noel Ebrin Brou in Abidjan.
Getty Photographs/BBC
