The Miss Côte d’Ivoire pageant has announced a ban on wigs and weaves on January 28, 2025, aiming to celebrate and promote natural beauty.
This decision emphasizes authenticity, encouraging contestants to showcase their natural hair and embrace their true selves, reflecting a shift towards empowering women to feel confident without relying on artificial enhancements.
This move is considered historic being the first time a national beauty pageant has banned the use of weaves and wigs in the competition.
Contestants are expected to showcase their natural hair. It could be long, short, braided, or shaved.
The organsing committee stated that the changes are meant to emphasise natural African beauty and authenticity.
The president of the organising committee, Victor Yapobi, referenced past participants at the Miss Universe pageant that participated and won with short natural hair.
Cote d’Ivoire becomes the first country pageant to introduce such measures, in a national competition.
This new requirement was also influenced by Marlene Kouassi who was crowned Miss Cote d’Ivoire in 2022. Kouassi participated in the pageant with short hair.
The move has attracted mixed reactions with some people stating that Africa is setting its own standards while others felt it is a means to oppress black women.
Other adjustments of the pageant include the minimum height requirement which has been adjusted from 1.68 meters to 1.67 meters. The age limit has also been extended from 25 years to 28 years.
The crowning of the Miss Cote d’Ivoire 2025 will take place on June 26, 2025.
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Meanwhile, renowned US based Ghanaian gospel musician and preacher, Sonnie Badu, has ignited a heated debate with his recent remarks on women’s hair choices, specifically the use of wigs.
During a sermon at RockHill Church, Dr. Badu urged women, particularly those of Christian faith to embrace their natural hair, warning that excessive reliance on wigs could have spiritual repercussions.
He explained that a woman’s natural hair holds sacred significance and that covering it with synthetic or human hair wigs may lead to a loss of spiritual “glory.”
Dr. Badu cautioned that many women unknowingly hinder their spiritual blessings by consistently wearing wigs instead of embracing the natural beauty bestowed upon them by God.
“There is a glory that comes with being natural. Some of you don’t even know the origin of the wigs you wear on your head, yet you wear them daily without understanding the spiritual implications. Young ladies, learn to love your natural hair.
“Some of you want real human hair, but do you know whose head that hair was on? Some of you get it from India, where they don’t worship the God, you worship. Sometimes, the hair is cut as a sacrifice to their gods, and after the sacrifice, the hair is gathered and sold for profit,” he explained.
Sonnie Badu later shared excerpts of his sermon on Facebook captioned, “Whose hair are you really wearing? Did you pray over it? Did you cleanse that wig?”
In support of his assertion, Sonnie Badu shared a thought-provoking Al-Jazeera documentary on his Facebook page, which exposed the practice of Indian women selling their hair for financial gain.
He accompanied the post with a profound caption: “Knowledge is light,” sparking a flurry of comments and reactions from his followers.
