afro

noun

Etymology

Formed by conversion of the combining form Afro-, in combinations such Afro-American, adjective and noun, Afro-Caribbean, adjective and noun, etc. See OED Afro- comb. form. Compare OED Afro, n.

Meaning & use

Also Afro, 'fro, fro

  1. 1903–A hairstyle originally and chiefly worn by Black people, which is characterized by textured hair shaped into an evenly round shape around the head. Also used as a modifier.

    cultural The afro gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s during the Civil Rights and Black Power eras, and came to serve as a symbol of Black pride. The hairstyle, which embraces the qualities of natural Black hair, was seen as a rejection of western beauty standards, to which many Black people had previously conformed by using straightening chemicals and processes.

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    1903
    Some days I just let my hair be free to do what it wants, to go any which-way it pleases. Then my hair surrounds my head, like a globe. This is my Afro style.
    London Magazine December 597/2 in E. Nesbit
    1913
    Ray…sports a trim new "Afro-Cut" and wears a spotless white shop jacket.
    E. H. Hickey Later Poems 45
    1914
    I love my Afro, im just standing by my mirror admiring how gorge my hair is🥰😍I look so cute
    W. S. Blunt Poetical Works II. 17
    1920
    The dean at historically black Howard University refused his traditional role of crowning the homecoming queen in 1968 simply because she wore an Afro.
    L. L. Hope Bobbsey Twins in Great West xix. 210
    1963
    Erykah Badu, whose first album came out in the mid1990s, epitomized this female archetype from the follicles of her iconic 'fro right on down to her toes.
    R. J. Nelson Corneille i. 41
    1968
    The same goes for boys who like to wear.‥Afro haircuts.
    Globe & Mail Toronto 13 January 49/6
    1969
    There seems to be a misconception floating around that anyone who wears a dasheki or an Afro is either militant or wants to go back to Africa. This is not true.
    G. M. Brown Orkney Tapestry 20
    1996
    The 1960's brought us a cosmetic method by which we could demonstrate our black pride, we let our konked hair go kinky and labeled it an afro, a symbol of black pride and unity.
    C. Higson Fast Show Book 60

See also