Influential people carefully choose their hairstyles. It is integrated to their personal brand. It helps to recognize them, to set a trend, to send a message. Hair is a potent communication tool. Let’s have a look at 8 contemporary public personalities.

1. Winnie Mandela persistently campaigned worldwide to expose Apartheid, the racial discriminating system used in South Africa. Her efforts led to the liberation of her husband Nelson Mandela after 27 years in prison. Throughout the years, she kept her distinctive Afro hairstyle adorned in elegant wraps and turbans. Sadly she passed away this year but will always be remembered for her fearless fight for equal civil rights.
2. American singer Solange Knowles made hair statements with her celebrated Afro before the Nappy movement. The visionary musician made her Afro hair part of her personal brand. Her fashion and hairstyles are stirring creativity among her numerous followers.
3. Ukrainian ex-Prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, during all her years in service, had her beautiful blond hair arranged in long braid held around her head as a crown. What a hair signature! It is definitely part of her personal branding. A peculiar element that makes her immediately recognizable.
4. Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o made a sensation in 2014. She won the Oscar for best actress and was elected the most beautiful woman in the world!!! Her rocking Nappy hairstyles inspire teenagers and women with African background worldwide to proudly style their natural coiled hair. Nappy stands for Natural and happy. The term was coined in the USA by the wave encouraging Afro-American women to drop their chemical hair relaxers products, to embrace their naturally curly hair. Scientific evidence connecting Cancer to harmful chemicals in cosmetics provided additional support to the Nappy movement worldwide.
5. Mrs. Thatcher’s voluminous hairstyle was classic and feminine. It made her stand out in an environment dominated by males. Even those who didn’t agree with her wouldn’t deny that she had style.
6. Singer Angelique Kidjo comes from Benin. She has one of the most powerful voice on the African continent. Her unique “Twa” has been her hair signature for 2 decades. Angelique’s musical collaborations made her famous on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. “Twa” is a  short hairstyle, typical of Afro hair.
7. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has been in charge of the world largest food and beverage business for the past 12 years. Yet she remained loyal to her short hairstyle, indivisible part of her public image.
8. Burmese Politician Aung San Suu Kyi,  kept her long hair during the many years of her political struggle for her country. In 2016 she became first state counselor of Myanmar, the equivalent of  the head of government with her iconic hairstyle intact.

So, how does your natural crown contributes to your personal brand?  Do you have pictures to share with us? Please do, it will certainly be inspiring!

With much love,

Adila