Beyond the Afro

From the time that it first appeared on the scene five years ago, the "natural" or Afro hair style closely paralleled the growth of black pride. Becoming a political statement and a symbol of racial identity as much as a popular hair style, it gradually billowed from close-cropped cuts into dramatic, spherical clouds that framed the heads of both women and men. Now that blacks feel more secure about their identity and are achieving some of their political goals, the popularity of the Afro has begun to wane. Though the style is still much in evidence, it is already passe with many black fashion leaders.

Says Walter Fountaine, a New York City hairdresser: "Afros are as out of date as plantation bandannas."

While that view is overstated, many black men who adopted Afros have begun returning to shorter cuts. It is the women, though, who are abandoning the Afro in rapidly increasing numbers and turning to a variety of new hair styles --and a couple of old standbys. Among the most popular of the newcomers:

THE PUFF, created by parting the hair in the middle, combing it flat on top and | fluffing it into two large Afro snowballs on the sides.

THE AFRO-SHAG, a short Afro with straightened hair descending along the neck and into sideburns.

THE AFRO-BRAID, a short Afro combined with a layer of small braids in the front.

THE CORNROW, fashioned by parting and braiding sectors of hair to form geometric patterns on the head.

THE BIRD, medium-length hair that is straightened and then set in large, soft curls.

In addition, both straightened hair and the Buckwheat (small braids tied with ribbons) are regaining some of their old popularity.

The decline of the Afro will be greeted with relief by many blacks who know only too well that the look was anything but "natural." To maintain the Afro's cotton-candy structure themselves, they had to spend long hours in front of their mirrors using special combs and applying conditioners and sprays. For the women having it styled in a beauty parlor, the Afro was more costly than other styles. The continuous combing required to keep an Afro fluffy also caused hair to become more brittle and to break along the hairline and on the crown. Finally, the massive look of the Afro was not flattering to all faces and head shapes.

"Afros are beautiful," says Dolores Martin, a Playboy Bunny, "but they're like hot pants. Some people can wear them, but others can't." Ruth Ginyard, a Los Angeles boutique owner, agrees.

"I have large eyes," she says, "and the Afro gave me a crazy look."

Whatever its drawbacks and inconveniences, however, the Afro has served the black woman well, reinforcing her ego, emphasizing her new "black is beautiful" philosophy and preparing the way for the bold hair styles that she is now adopting. That new outlook is succinctly--and bluntly--expressed by Barbara Walden, whose line of cosmetics for blacks is marketed across the nation: "Before the Afro the black woman was always embarrassed about her kinked-up hair. Wearing the Afro has helped to achieve a freer feeling about herself."

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