As iconic hairstyles go, afros are right up there with the beehive and the pixie cut: no matter how modern the incarnation, you can spot that gravity-defying dome of hair in a heartbeat. While many are born with afro hair, it takes personality – and at some points in history, guts as well – to pull off ‘an afro’. 

Synonymous with the Black Power movement of the 60s, when wearing your hair in an afro was a political statement; an assertion of black pride (the hair equivalent of James Brown’s commandment 'Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud' if you will), the look eventually became part of the pop cultural landscape in the 70s, made popular by singers and actresses such as Diana Ross and Pam Grier.

After a relative lull in the 80s, a whole new generation of female afro wearers cropped up in the 90s: from bohemian types such as Erykah Badu and Lauren Hill to the Spice Girls’ Mel B, whose natural ‘fro was as big as her personality. 

And the resurgence continues. Despite (or perhaps, because of?) a proliferation of hair extension and weave techniques, the afro has found high-profile fans with Solange Knowles and Shingai Shoniwa giving it a new lease of life. Check out the most iconic afro hairstyles and the women who wore them in the gallery above.