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Home · Essence Festival 2020

‘Bad Hair’ Star Elle Lorraine Says Losing Her Hair Helped Her Find Herself

"My hair defines me in a totally different way at this point," she said.
‘Bad Hair’ Star Elle Lorraine Says Losing Her Hair Helped Her Find Herself
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
By Shalwah Evans · Updated December 6, 2020

For Black women, the different journeys we go through with our hair can be very complex. It can be truly uncomfortable for celebrities experiencing their hair journey right before the public. Bad Hair star Elle Lorraine opened up about her own bad hair experiences during a discussion with the cast and creators of the film on the ESSENCE Festival of Culture Beauty Carnival virtual stage.

“I’m originally from Houston, Texas, and moving to L.A., I feel like there was all of a sudden a part of me that had to look a certain way,” she said. “I had to present an image that I wasn’t used to, so I went through so many hair changes, from the weaves to the—what is it?—dyed, fried and blow-dried. All those things. I even remember at one point I tried to go blond because I was trying to look different and present myself in a different way for the industry. And all of my hair fell out.”

She continued, “And that was a moment for me where I was like, Okay, I have to find myself—my own identity—and love everything about myself because no one else will. And once I did that, I kind of started to open up and find out who I am as a woman. My hair defines me in a totally different way at this point.”

View this post on Instagram

Last picture of the night! ✨ #GoldenGlobes #InStyle

A post shared by Elle Lorraine (@ellemagazine) on Jan 7, 2019 at 5:54pm PST

It’s an experience that so many Black women can relate to—including Lorraine’s Bad Hair character, who gets a weave in order to succeed in the music television industry in the 1980s, and soon has a regrettable experience. It’s a horror and a comedy (like many of our weave experiences) that takes the term “bad hair” to the next level.

Article continues after video.

We can’t wait until the movie is released in theaters and during Huluween, Hulu’s scary movie fest in October.

TOPICS:  2020efvirtual Bad Hair movie bcfest2020 beauty Elle Lorraine ESSENCE Beauty Carnival ESSENCE Fest 2020 Essence Festival Beauty Carnival hair hulu Laverne Cox LGBTQ SPONSORED Transgender wk2
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