CAMPAIGNER EUNICE ON
When Eunice was growing up, Moira – the country’s first African-Caribbean female newsreader – was the only woman she ever saw on television with afro hair.
Two decades on, it was young model Eunice’s afro hair – and her refusal to have it relaxed or straightened – that led to her losing work and being dropped by one of the country’s biggest modelling agencies.
She is talking about the difficulties of growing up looking different and why she is determined to change things for young women of colour today.
Eunice, who grew up in and still lives in Edinburgh, said: “When I was growing up, the only woman I can think of on television at the time with afro hair was Moira Stuart.
“She had it shortish but still in a ci rcular, volume style and she looked great.
“When you are young and growing up with afro hair, it can be the mos t significant area of insecurity.
“S ome h ow straight hair is seen as better than curly hair, and the reason so many women of colour don’t wear their hair in a natural style is because of the stigma.
“We need to turn this stigma around. I have walked the runway everywhere from New York and Paris to Japan, Milan and London and I’ve loved it – it’s been the most exciting and incredible journey.
“Throughout my career I have always worn my hair naturally but I got dropped by one of the biggest agencies in the UK because I refused to relax my hair.
“Wearing my hair natural was always really important to me and was practically unheard of 10 years ago.
“But it’s so important that young people are allowed to celebrate their natural beauty.” Eunice is proud to have become Scotland’s f irst black supermodel, travell ing the world to work for designers and fashion labels including Gucci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood and Prada.
She has become a powerful style icon for others and is now a judge for a nat ional c omp e t i t i o n aimed at boosting the confidence of young people in their afro hair.
But she remains sad that so many high-profile women of colour, including Naomi Campbell, Nicki Minaj and Alexander Burke, are rarely photog raphed wearing their hair naturally curly.
She said: “So many women do so much damage to their hair trying to straighten it – and men too.
“There is a great scene at the start of the film Malcolm X where the character of Malcolm puts hair rela xer on his head, leaves it on for f ive minutes and starts to get third degree burns.
“But that’s what can really happen. Most people in this country don’t know the lengths black women go to relax and straighten their hair, and much of what they do can be so harmful.”
Eunice is always deeply upset to read news articles about youngsters with afro hair who have been sent home from school as a result of their hair volume or because they have chosen to protect their hair by braiding it in cornrows.
Earlier this year, teenager
Straight hair is seen as better than curly hair