Beyoncé: Braids and Other Triumphs
Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter Promo, 2024
Monday night was a big night for music. Finally, THE artist of our time won Album of the Year, as well as Country Album of the Year. It was both a homecoming and an overdue righting of a wrong. Beyoncé's win felt like the much needed recognition for not only her, but for the many black women who go unrewarded and unacknowledged.
The album came from a moment of deep rejection at the Country Music Awards and addressed the many comments made by her detractors of her worthiness to sing Country Music. After a lifetime of being criticised for everything from her Texan drawl, to her mother's homemade garments during her years in Destiny's Child, it felt like the reclamation and celebration of her roots. While Renaissance felt like a night out dancing, Cowboy Carter felt like the walk home.
Beyoncé, Lemonade, Album Cover, 2016
Most would consider Lemonade the album that was truly worth the Album of The Year and we agree. A deeply personal album that saw the singer bare and discuss much of her inner turmoil, it wades through grief, betrayal and rejection and is considered her opus.
Beyoncé has a long history of wearing braids in her music videos but Lemonade was the newest iteration of the hairstyle that set the trend for black women everywhere. With news outlets commenting on her newfound 'militant' image, black women saw her revisit to her braids as a new level of authenticity and exploration of what we go through when we are not allowed to express anger and disappointment. 
Beyoncé, Formation, Music Video, 2016
Braids were an important part of the visual inner language of the album. Something that was undeniably black and inextricable from the black experience, was a symbol many of us embraced as a signal to do away with the rules. Until that point, it felt like Beyoncé had done everything to be understood and to put her critics at ease. With Lemonade, their understanding was no longer required.
Beyoncé, Bootylicious (Remix), Music Video, 2001
As a young girl, I could relate to Beyoncé's designation as a 'country bumpkin' who outreached her grasp. I was born in a small town in South Africa and only moved to London as an early teen. I often felt out of step with 'city kids' and felt the need to assimilate as quickly as possible. Beyoncé was often mocked for how she spoke, so much so, she stopped doing interviews. And yet, when she sought to make a country album in celebration of her roots, she was told 'she wasn't country enough.'
Beyoncé, Kinky Curly Twists
In the early days of Destiny's Child, Beyoncé wore her 'countryness' on her sleeve. Wearing cowboy hats, rhinestones and prairie dresses, her braids were in contrast to the sleek and straight styles of city girl groups like SWV and TLC.
Beyoncé, Pick and Drop Braids
To see her come back to braids over and over again is its own thread in her artistic tapestry. A reminder of her blackness and her pride in it.
Beyoncé, Black Is King, Music Video, 2020
Black Is King is the album where we saw the most braided hairstyles and it was the perfect accompaniment to her love letter to Africa. Exuberant and heavy with historic references, we saw the inclusion of beads and avant garde up-dos that were reminiscent of traditional headdresses African women wore at court.
Beyoncé, Black Is King, Music Video, 2020
We celebrate this win with Beyoncé and feel gratitude for the many gifts she's bestowed to us with her talent. Tonight especially, we're thankful for the fortifying reminder of the majesty of our hair and beauty in our self-expression. 
Beyoncé, Formation, Music Video, 2016
