Vernon François feels a "responsibility" to celebrate African/American hair.
Lupita Nyongo and Vernon Francois (c) Instagram
The celebrity hair stylist - who works closely with Lupita Nyong'o, Serena Williams and Kerry Washington - thinks it's important that the Hollywood stars show "versatility" in their looks and don't conform to typical hairstyles regardless of whether they face "ignorance" because he wants to break down the beauty industry's standards.
Speaking to Teen Vogue, he said: "I think it's important to recognise my responsibility as an artist and to be able to demonstrate the versatility and the strength of those hair textures, yes, there could be ignorance. Yes, there could be racism. But I think it's really important to take the stance that you're in the most powerful position to teach someone something about yourself. All hair is good hair.
"It's time to celebrate the beauty of textured hair in all its glory, it's imperative to have honest depictions of the vivacity of textured hair in the media so that we can embrace the reality that there is no one standard of beauty."
Vernon's statement comes after Tyra Banks recently revealed to W magazine that she failed to impress on her first tryout for Victoria's Secret because the brand's hair stylist couldn't work with the texture of her hair but eventually landed a contract with the lingerie giant after insisting they change their ways.
She said: "I was sent home the first day because the hairdresser didn't know what to do with my African American hair, so it looked crazy.
"I'm the first black woman to have a contract, to be an Angel, to wear a Fantasy Bra - all of these different things, because I stopped silently suffering. And I do have to take my hat off to Victoria's Secret, because that was the last time I ever had to do that. I talked to them and said, 'Look, my hair is different, I need somebody who can do my hair.' After that, they hired people who could do my hair for 10 years."
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