Zendaya's Hairstylist Reveals Why She Wore An Afro On The Red Carpet

Update: It only took Kim Kimble 45 minutes to sculpt Zendaya's 'fro that still has people talking days later. "We used a wig," she says. "Otherwise, it would take hours to roll the hair, let it dry, and sit there." With some masterful molding, plucking, and some Brazilian Nut & Açai Berry Shine Spray from Kimble's line, she was able to coordinate with Zendaya's stylist Law Roach on an overall look that was "very seventies, psychedelic, and modern."

Regarding the inspiration, Kimble spoke on the similarities between Zendaya and her muse, Angela Davis. "Angela is strong and powerful, and she says what she means. In the seventies, the Afro was a statement and a movement for Black culture. The statement was, I can love myself, I can love my hair, I can love my texture," Kimble notes. Zendaya is the same way: "She’s not afraid to do anything with her hair. And she's a risk-taker. She takes chances."

Every time Zendaya hits the red carpet, we never know what to expect. The actress and singer is constantly experimenting with her hair and makeup — the latter of which she does herself, by the way. It's refreshing to see someone who can do it all, and do it with so much confidence. Take last night, for example. Z attended the InStyle Awards, an event that was chock-full of celebrities with bouncy blowouts and long, long extensions. Instead of blending in, the star stood out (and, uhh, up) with a perfectly-rounded 4c Afro styled by Kim Kimble.

"Last nights inspo... my stunning aunties (my daddy's all the way on the left) and a hint of Angela Davis," Zendaya captioned the post, crediting her family and the author and political activist for inspiring her look.

Of course, Zendaya's fans absolutely loved the look, with the usual choruses of "slayyy sis" and "you did that!" We've reached out to Zendaya's hairstylist for more details and will update this post when we hear more.

While Zendaya typically wears a looser natural curl pattern, we love that she used the moment to highlight the beauty of Black hair — which she saw on her own aunts growing up. It's clear Zendaya, an aunt herself, wants to pass that message of self-love down. "I love this new movement of women embracing their natural hair and sharing their journeys," she once told us. "My little nieces, they need to see that. They need to see cartoon characters with curly hair. The little girl on my Disney show has Afro puffs because that needs to be something that they see more often, something they see as beautiful. Representation is very, very important."