Trendlet: The tapered Afro

The natural coil of black women's hair has assumed many shapes over the years - whether dictated by social or political statements or by fashion trends.

The tapered Afro - a full crown with trim sides and nape - is the latest style in natural hair-care trends.

Afros go back to the late 1960s and '70s, when they became a symbol of the black power movement, an outward rejection of European standards of beauty. In solidarity, many black celebrities, including James Brown, the Supremes, and Gladys Knight and all of the Pips wore Afros - and a fashion trend was born.

Fast-forward to the late 1990s, when black women - exhausted from the constant upkeep of relaxers - began experimenting with natural styles. But without many products to keep their hair moisturized, black women gravitated mainly toward braided styles: twists and dreadlocks.

Then five years ago, companies such as Miss Jessie's, DevaCurl, and Kinky Curl came on the scene, giving black women more options to moisturize, manage, and maintain their hair. Women of all races began to embrace their natural curl - and Afros began trending again. Women with softer hair wore floppier Afros, and women with tighter curls would twist their hair and let the curls loose after a day for a more textured look.

In 2014, Solange Knowles got married in a beautifully plain dress (and then a jumpsuit) by Kenzo with a modern twist on her Afro - wider on the sides and tapered in the back. Now, Afros have taken on a millennial personality that is as much about style as it is about freedom.

Alicia Keys, Kelis, Willow Smith, and Lupita Nyong'o - those who live by their own fashion rules.

Locally, jazz singers Kriss Mincey and Lil' Mo wear Afros, and Rakia Reynolds is known for her tapered 'fro that she peppers with shades of pink, blue, and purple.

If I ever become disillusioned with my dreadlocks - which is doubtful, because I've been growing them for 15 years - I'll experiment with curly products and wear some form of Afro. (I have sworn never to put harsh chemicals in my hair again.)

If you are in need of a change, lop that hair off. (If your job allows you, tint it purple, green, blue.) This is not a look for just the self-employed: A tapered Afro can be clean and corporate, too - after all, it is 2015.

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