Miss Ivory Coast Pageant Bans Wigs and Weaves To Promote Natural Hair And Beauty

Long, Flowing Wigs and Weave Extensions Have Dominated The Catwalks of Ivory Coast’s Massively Popular Beauty Pageants for Years.

Contestants in The West African Nation Ophend’s Spend Amount of Money On Their Appearance, From Outfits to Hairdos – With Very Few Choosing The Natural Look.

In More Than Six Decades, there are notable exceptions, The Most Recent Was Marlène-Koussi, Who Took The Miss Ivory Coast Title 2022 – Looking Resplend with Her Short Natural Hair, The Crown Becoming Her Only Adornment.

Her Victory Was Not Only Unusual In Ivory Coast But Across The World, Where Western Beauty Standards Are the Desired Look for Those Entering Contests and for The Judges.

Changes Are Slowly Creeping – Last December Angarni-Filopon, Made Headlines, Made Headlines, Miss France, Mainly Because of Her Age – And She Is 34 – And She Also Sported Short Afro Hair.

But This Year The Organisers of the Ivorian Competition Are Shaking Things Up From The Start.

Weaves and Hair Extensions Have Banned From The Preliminary Stages of The Competition, which Held in 13 Cities Across The Country (As Well as Two Abroad for Those In The Diaspora).

“We want the candidates to be natural braids or straighted hair, it should be their. Beauty Must Be Raw,” Victor Yapobi, President of the Miss Ivory Coast Organizing Committee, Told The BBC.

Ivory Coast is The Only African Country Enforcing The Ban For A National Competition.

Mr Yapobi Said The Organisers In Ivory Coast Had Trying To Promote a More Natural Look – Example Cosmetic Surgery Is A No-No And Skin Lightening Is Frowned Upon.

“We decided this year to Truly Showcase The Natural Beauty of These Young Women,” He said.

Other Changes Have Also Implementeted, Like Slightly Shorter Women’s Compete – The Minimum Is Now 1,67m (5.4ft), Increasing the Age Three Years to Three – Lowering The Entrance Fee $ 30 (£ 25) to $ 50.

“Ther Change in Criteria is Because We observed These Young Women Were Putting Up to Participate, And It Was A Bud Of A Budget Drain.”

When The First Preliminary Pageant in Daloa, The Main City of the Western Region of Haut-Sassandra, One Contestant Was The New Rules – Feeling It Gave Her a Better Chance of Success Not to Wear Wigs.

“I Would See with Long, Artificial Hair, And They Looked So Beautiful,” 21-Year-Old Emmanuella Dali, A Real Estate Agent, Told The BBC.

“This rule gives me more Pride as a woman – As an African Woman.”

The Move Aimed Celebrating Natural African Beauty has Sparked a Lively Across The Country, Where Wigs And Extensions Are Even Popular.

As a Fashion Choice, Many Women Love The Creativity That Wigs and Weaves Allow Them. They all Serve What is Called “Protective Style”, What Means Minimizing The Daily Pulling and Tugging Hair That Can Cause Breakages.

This reflected by Some Contestants in Daloa Who Felt The Rule Removed An Element Of Expression.

“I’m a wigs fan. I love wigs,” Said Contestant and Make-up Artist Astrid menekou. The 24-Year-Old Told The BBC She was Initially Shocked by The No-Wig, no-extensions stipulation.

“I didn’t expect this rule! But now? I like my hair, and that’s Ok.”

The New Rule has Made the Competitors Think of the Concepts of Beauty – And Changed Some Opinions, Like Those of Laetitia Mouroufie.

“Last Year, I Had Extensions Because I Thought That’s What Beauty Meant,” The 25-Year-Old Student Told The BBC.

“This year, I feel more confident to Being Myself.”

Should The Competition Influence Attitudes Beyond The Pageant World, It Could Huge Economic Implications.

From the wigs from Human Hair, who can be kept out for IF cared, Can Range in Price Estatated $ 200 to $ 4,000, While synthetic Ones Cost Around $ 10 to $ 300.

Ivory Coast’s Hair Industry Is Worth More Than $ 300ma Year, With Wigs and Weaves Making Up A Significant Share of That Market.

“This rule is not good for us,” Ange Sea, A 30-year-old Hairdresser in Daloa, Told The BBC.

“Many Women Love Wigs. This Will Hurt Our Business and We Make More Money When Working With Wigs and Weaves.”

At Her Salon, Glue Will Be Carefully Attach Wigs to Make Them Look More And Women Will Spend Hours Having Weaves and Extensions Put.

It Shows How Deeply Wig Culture is in West Africa, despite a natural hair movement That has beginning Momentum Among Black Women Around The World Over the Last Decade.

Natural Hair Products Have More Readily Available And Natural Hair Influencers on Social Media Worldwide Advice On How To Manage And Style Natural Hair, Wrim-Consuming.

It used to be considered to be unprofessional to wearing one’s hair naturally and it would have been wearing black female tv stars on screen or cos in the Boardroom with natural hair.

According to Florence Edwige Nanga, a Hair and Scalp Specialist in the Main Ivorian City of Abidjan, This Is Ophen Still in the Case in Ivory Coast.

“Turn on The TV (Here), And You’ll See Almost Ever Journalist Wearing Wig,” The Trichologist Told The BBC.

“These beauty enhancements are fashionable, but they can afflemes – Like Alopecia or Scalp Infections,” She Warned.

With the Preliminary rounds Under Way, Arguments Over Whether Pageants Should Be Beauty Rules or Women Should Decide Such Things for Themselves Continues.

The Outcome May Be That More Of An Acceptance Of Both In Ivory Coast, Allowing Women to Switch Styles Up – Between Natural Hair And Weaves and Weaves.

Mr Yapobi Said The Feedback He received the New Rules Was “Extraordinary” and Clearly Showed It Was An Impact.

“Everyone Congratulates US. Everyone, Even From Abroad. I Receive Emails And Whatsapp Messages From Everywhere Congratulating US Wanting To Return To Roots.”

Hey Said No Decision Hen Taken About The Wig Ban Would to Apply 15 Contestants Who Make It To It Final Of Miss Ivory Coast 2025.

This Extravaganza Will Take Place at A Hotel in Abidjan The End of June and Will Be Broadcast on National TV.

“IF It Works, We’ll Continue and Carry On This Initiative In The Years to Come,” Mr Yapobi Said.

For Doria Koré, Who Went to Be Named Miss Haut-Sassandra, Her Crown Holds Even More Significance: “Winning With Natural Hair Shows The True Beauty of African Women.”

Ms Dali Said She Was Walking With Something Even More Valuable – Self-Confidence: “I didn’t win, But I Feel Proud. This is Who I am.”

Additional Reporting by The BBC’s Negolas Nego and Noel Ebrin Brown in Abidjan.