For Rihanna’s role as Nine Ball in Ocean’s 8, released globally next week, her hairstyle plays a huge part in forming the character’s identity. And it was the singer herself who requested to wear faux dreadlocks when filming, her long-term hairstylist, Yusef Williams revealed.
Speaking to Refinery29, he explained: "Her locs would maintain that tie to Africa. She'd keep her accent. She wasn't just going to be some American girl in this movie. Nine Ball is still a Caribbean girl that just happens to be in America."
Typically, Rihanna looks amazing in character, but this move is more significant than most from the beauty chameleon’s ever-evolving hairstyle files. It’s a classic power play from the Barbadian, who uses her profile to break barriers - be it launching the truly all-inclusive Fenty Beauty brand, or bringing locs to a blockbuster.
In America, it’s still legal to ban dreadlocks in the workplace; a shocking notion of discrimination. Here’s hoping that high-profile Hollywood releases like Ocean’s 8 (and Black Panther, which celebrated natural black hairstyles before it) demonstrate on the world stage that locs are work-appropriate as well as beautiful, badass – and whatever the wearer wants them to be.
Bridget March is the Multiplatform Beauty Birector at Harper’s Bazaar, overseeing all beauty and wellbeing content on the UK website and YouTube channel.
From news and interviews to tutorials and treatment reviews, she answers the beauty questions you’re searching for with expert advice (see the renowned #SkinSchool franchise for evidence), taking deep dives into the latest trends (from polynucleotides to Profhilo), and sharing the products A-listers really use (via the ‘Inside my beauty bag’ video series).
Bridget has written for various brands within the Hearst portfolio and beyond, and was formerly Digital Beauty Editor at Cosmopolitan. She lives with her husband and two sons (plus a baby on the way!) in the Cotswolds.
Follow Bridget on Instagram @bridgetmarch
