BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Actors call for more black hairstylists in Hollywood

  • Published
    12 March 2019
Share page
About sharing
Gabrielle UnionImage source, European Photopress Agency
Image caption,

Actress Gabrielle Union said it was "extremely difficult" for celebrities to bring their own make-up artists and hairstylists on set

By Sarah Jenkins
BBC News

Black actors are calling on Hollywood to hire more hairstylists who know how to work with Afro-Caribbean hair.

Stars including Gabrielle Union - who is best known for her role in the movie Bring It On - have been sharing their experiences of turning up to production sets to find the hairstylists are not capable of working with Afro hair.

Union urged fellow actors to speak up if they found themselves in this position, tweeting: "If you stay quiet, you will have bald spots, hair damage, look nuts."

The America's Got Talent judge explained on Twitter that in order to work on Hollywood productions, hairstylists and make-up artists need to be members of a particular union - which she says is "extremely difficult" and "expensive" to join.

Yvette Nicole BrownImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Yvette Nicole Brown said she wanted to "pull back the curtain" and reveal the issues black actors face

In a tweet liked more than 16,000 times, actress and TV host Yvette Nicole Brown explained that to avoid issues she often arrives on set with her hair already done, while others will bring their own wigs with them.

She added that there are also issues when it comes to make-up, with many stars taking their own foundation as some make-up artists do not have a shade to match their skin.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by yvette nicole brown

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by yvette nicole brown
Presentational white space

Fans have suggested that by taking these steps, black actors are having to pay for a service which other cast members receive for free.

A number of black actors have since called for more diverse make-up artists and hairstylists to be accepted into the union to stop these issues from occurring.

The discussion also struck a chord with London-based make-up artist Dorita Nissen who said there is "no excuse" for a professional not to be able to mix the right foundation shade for any skin tone.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2 by Dorita Nissen

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2 by Dorita Nissen
Presentational white space

The issue was first highlighted by model Olivia Anakwe who shared on Instagram that she arrived at a fashion show to find "not one person" was able to do her hair.

"After one lady attempted and pulled my edges relentlessly, I stood up to find a model who could possibly do it," she said.

This Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Instagram
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip instagram post by olivia_anakwe

Allow Instagram content?

This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of instagram post by olivia_anakwe
Presentational white space

Ms Anakwe explained it was the nail stylist who ended up doing her hair for the show.

"This is not okay. This will never be okay. This needs to change," the model wrote on Instagram.

She added that black hairstylists are required to know how to do everyone's hair and questioned why the same did not apply to others.

Signing off her post Ms Anakwe said: "I was ignored, I was forgotten... it's 2019, it's time to do better."

More on this story

  • Black Panther star on being 'young, gifted and black'

    • Published
      28 January 2019
    Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, Angela Bassett, and Danai Gurira,
  • The 19 black female judges making history

    • Published
      9 November 2018
    The 19 women were elected to county judgeships on Tuesday
  • The Hollywood writer who hated her name

    • Published
      30 September 2018
    Ubah

Top stories

  • Live. 

    Desperate search for girls swept away at summer camp after Texas floods kill 24 people

    • 9334 viewing9.3k viewing
  • Live. 

    Family and Liverpool players gather for funeral of Diogo Jota and André Silva

    • 21010 viewing21k viewing
  • Hamas says it delivered 'positive response' on US Gaza ceasefire plan

    • Published
      2 hours ago

More to explore

  • Oasis kick off their comeback: The best they've been since the 90s

    A collage of Noel (left) and Liam Gallagher (right) of Oasis. Noel in a blue denim shirt stands at a microphone, likely mid-vocal or addressing the audience. Liam, in a dark jacket, raises a tambourine overhead with one hand.
  • How fake-will fraudsters stole millions from the dead

    Old photo of Christine Harverson, with curly hair is standing outdoors in front of a wooden fence and some plants. She is wearing a dark-colored, long-sleeved shirt with horizontal stripes and a necklace with a small pendant. The background includes greenery and part of a brick wall.
  • Limber up for Euro 2025 with our big football quiz

    Euro 2025
  • 'Reeves fears tax turmoil' and 'Oasis back together'

    A composite image of the front pages of the Guardian and Daily Telegraph newspapers
  • 'Do they have gold in them?': The Indian artisans up in arms over Prada's sandals

    The image shows Kolhapuri sandals in different shades of brown displayed at a shop.
  • Tiny creatures gorge, get fat, and help fight global warming

    Close-up of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, showing its specialised front limbs (the ‘feeding basket’) that help them harvest microscopic phytoplankton (algae) from the water. Its green gut demonstrates their effectiveness.
  • Ketamine helped me escape my negative thoughts - then it nearly killed me

    Abbie standing in a garden in front of a house. She has long brown hair and is wearing a white vest top
  • Crying at work: A sign of strength, weakness or just being human?

    A stock image showing a young man crying. He's wearing a denim shirt and is being consoled by another man wearing a white shirt, navy jacket and glasses. He has a beard. Behind them is a potted plant.
  • Off Air with Laura K: Get Laura Kuenssberg’s weekly newsletter emailed directly to you

    Laura Kuenssberg
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    How fake-will fraudsters stole millions from the dead

  2. 2

    Australian actor Julian McMahon dies aged 56

  3. 3

    Oasis kick off their comeback: The best they've been since the 90s

  4. 4

    'It's got to be stopped' - why are people getting fly-tipping penalties?

  5. 5

    Ketamine helped me escape my negative thoughts - then it nearly killed me

  6. 6

    Pride in London returns as events struggle with falling funds

  7. 7

    'Any excuse to go to pub' culture at crisis-hit cathedral

  8. 8

    Trump signs sweeping tax and spending bill into law

  9. 9

    'Do they have gold in them?': The Indian artisans up in arms over Prada's sandals

  10. 10

    Tiny creatures gorge, get fat, and help fight global warming

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Taking an alternative look at cricket

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Tailenders
  • The Bafta-award winning comedy returns

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Such Brave Girls
  • Anaïs Gallagher explores Oasis' legacy

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Mad for Oasis
  • Ghosts US returns for series 4

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Ghosts US S4
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.