P-Valley character Autumn Night, a stripper turned part owner of The Pynk who loves to mix up her look, Elarica Johnson says she's always favored wearing her hair naturally.
Growing up, she was told she couldn't blow dry or straighten her hair—so she didn't. Not until a photo shoot at age 18. Like so many other women of color, Johnson says it took her a long time to feel comfortable with her hair, though she started gaining more confidence after she started her modeling career.
Now, she's come to view and love her hair as a beautiful part of herself—while remembering that it’s still just one part of herself. “I learned to love it, but I also learned that it doesn't define me,” Johnson says.
And something she remembers any time she sees hair texture like hers spoken of as a trend. “There was this kind of love for this kind of mixed-race texture, and I never wanted that to rub off on me.
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