Crowned and Still Fighting: Why True Representation for Textured Hair Isn’t Finished Yet

By: Angela Walker

Editor’s Note:

At Texture Experts, we believe that textured hair is more than just a style — it’s a statement, a history, and a future. While legal protections like the CROWN Act have opened important doors, the fight for full representation is still unfolding across boardrooms, beauty campaigns, and red carpets. In this piece, we explore why the next chapter in the textured hair movement demands not just acceptance, but celebration without compromise.

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Article:

Walk into any beauty supply store today and you’ll see textured hair products lining the shelves — coils, curls, and kinks boldly taking their rightful place. Turn on the TV and you might even catch a commercial where a woman’s 4C twist-out isn’t tucked away or hidden — it’s the main event.

But while some progress has been made, true representation for textured hair is still playing catch-up, both in the boardrooms, and on the big screens. And for all the celebration happening online, we still live in a world where protective styles are called “unprofessional,” and one where shrinkage is misunderstood instead of respected.

At the heart of this battle sits the CROWN Act — legislation designed to protect natural hair textures and styles from discrimination in schools and workplaces. Since its introduction in 2019, versions of the Act have passed in over 20 states, with more advocacy efforts pushing for nationwide protection.

The message behind the law is simple: how we wear our hair should never cost us an education, a promotion, or our dignity.

But policy alone can’t shift a culture.

Laws may grant the right to wear an afro or locs without penalty, but they don’t erase generations of bias embedded in beauty standards, hiring practices, and media representation. If anything, the CROWN Act highlights how much deeper the work must go.

Representation — real, unfiltered, textured representation — matters just as much.

We see it every time a major brand releases a “diverse” campaign but still flattens or softens curls until they barely resemble the real thing.

We feel it when awards shows celebrate “natural looks” but fail to honor stylists who specialize in textured hair backstage.

We know it when magazines, even the ones that claim to speak to us, feature textured hair only during “special issues” instead of in regular, everyday stories.

Representation isn’t just about visibility, it’s about authenticity. It’s about seeing yourself — fully, unapologetically — and knowing that your beauty doesn’t need to be altered to be accepted.

Textured hair isn’t a monolith. It’s a spectrum of beauty, creativity, and heritage. It’s Bantu knots at a block party. It’s twist-outs for a job interview. It’s braids under graduation caps and locs on wedding days. It’s history, resilience, and future all wrapped into the crown we carry daily.

As someone growing up in an era where social media finally gave textured hair a louder megaphone, I recognize both the progress and the gaps.

Yes, the doors are opening, but only because we are pushing, organizing, and refusing to let them close again.

The next chapter isn’t just about legal victories, it’s about ensuring that textured hair takes up space on billboards, boardrooms, bridal runways, and beyond — not as an exception, but as a norm.

Because the real flex isn’t just wearing our natural hair without fear, it’s seeing the world celebrate it, without conditions.