Another day, another chaotic beauty debate — this time insisting braids don’t belong in the club. Spoiler alert: they absolutely do.
There’s always a new rule circulating about what Black women should or shouldn’t wear, and recently the internet set its sights on braids in the club. The claim felt less like a real concern and more like another reminder of how easily beauty standards try to police what has always been ours. Opinions ranged from “braids are too casual” to “braids don’t feel luxurious”. However, as with most online conversations involving Black women’s beauty, what lingered wasn’t the claim itself but the quiet architecture beneath it — a rigid hierarchy of aesthetics shaped by centuries of beauty politics and resurfacing once again on our algorithm.
Why the conversation feels out of touch
The discourse felt oddly detached from reality because braids, in all their forms, have existed across the continent, dynasties, and eras — long before “classy” even became a metric. In many African cultures, braids were (and still are) markers of identity. They signified age, lineage, marital status, spirituality, artistry, and community. Styles like cornrows, shuku, fulani braids, and intricate plaits weren’t just aesthetics; they were cultural language. Their function ranged from protection to storytelling to adornment, which is why their legacy has never depended on trend cycles or external validation.
What makes the backlash even stranger is how inherently versatile braids are. Unlike wigs or silk presses that often require maintenance, weather cooperation, or caution (especially in humidity or nightlife chaos), braids adapt. They move easily between formal, casual, and nightlife settings without losing polish. Braids can carry the same elegance as a sleek wig install — sometimes more, because they hold their structure, don’t frizz under club lights, and stay effortlessly put-together.
Framing braids as “less refined” is ignoring their cultural depth and practical sophistication. Braids aren’t an alternative to “classy”; they are a long-standing blueprint of it.
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Braids — versatile, stylish, and timeless
For many Nigerian women, braids are the most practical, stylish, and versatile option. Box braids go with literally everything, and you can wear knotless braids and stitch braids to a party. You could also wear a braided ponytail for date night, and yes, even cornrows to the club and look put-together every single time. The idea that braids don’t “fit” certain spaces says more about people’s internalised beauty hierarchies than the hairstyle itself.
To question whether braids are “classy”, is to misunderstand what class has become. The term once signified modest elegance; now it functions more as a code — often for proximity to Eurocentric beauty ideals. It has become shorthand for a very specific kind of femininity — polished, minimal, and tightly defined. It’s the feel of straight bobs, sleek installs, and expensive-looking simplicity. Beautiful, yes — but not the only standard.
Did Fashion Weeks just end the braids are not classy debate?
Fashion, ironically, proves the opposite of what the internet tries to argue. At Lagos Fashion Week, braids were beyond present — they were central. Brands like Hertunba, cute-saint and Éki Kéré leaned into braided cornrows, side part cornrows and traditional braids, all of which complemented the variety of styles and silhouettes that were presented. Across international runways, too, we’ve seen braids become part of major beauty directions for entire seasons.
Braids outlast trends — and always will
So, are braids “not cool anymore”? Far from it. If anything, what’s losing relevance is the idea that one hairstyle can determine a woman’s level of sophistication.
Braids have long outlasted trends. What is fading, however, is the cultural patience for beauty hierarchies that privilege one texture over another. The future of style is expansive, not exclusive — and braids, in all their heritage and evolution, remain one of fashion’s most enduring expressions of identity and artistry. Braids aren’t trends, they’re a lifestyle, a cultural archive, and a beauty statement that continues to evolve. They belong, and will keep belonging — because they were never waiting for approval in the first place.
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