Natural hair is getting due shine in the Dominican Republic. Recently, publicist Virginia Perdomo wrote a piece for Acento about the changing face of DR’s beauty industry. While Afro-Latina models still get passed over for lighter skinned, straight-haired models from South America, there has been a push to include models with natural hair in ads.
The biggest sign that natural hair has made it in the DR may very well be The New York Times‘ profile of Miss Rizos, the woman behind Santo Domingo’s first natural hair salon. And now, a video shot by Lala Film looks at the last 100 years of beauty in the DR, and it ends with a model proudly rocking her pajón for the year 2016.
Director Kayla “Lala” Rodriguez said she was inspired by DR’s growing natural hair movement. Advocacy groups are embracing curls, but there have also been victories that allow women to wear their hair as they please to work or to take their photos for their IDs.