Beyoncé stopped the world with the release of her "Formation" video on the eve of her second Super Bowl performance. The five-minute ode to all things Black, Southern, and bossy is compelling in so many ways, but Bey's amazing tresses truly stand out.
The Texas native has been a blonde bombshell since she debuted with Destiny's Child in 1998. She's spent the bulk of her unparalleled career rotating between extremely long-and-flowing platinum and darker-blonde hair, though she's experimented with length as well as black and brown hues.
"Formation" presents a Bey unafraid to play with new looks. In the video, she flirts with multiple natural hairstyles, including bum-length box braids, freeform curls, and low ponytails.
It's a cool departure from what we're used to seeing and we were curious about the multiple designs with an emphasis on natural Black hair. So we chatted by email with Kim Kimble, the primary hairstylist who collaborated on "Formation," about her hair inspiration.
Click through for some inside scoop and insights.
The first look in the video, an outdoor shot in the extremely humid New Orleans air, captures a slightly undone look that highlights naturalness. Kimble says that "beautiful texture" was the inspiration for the video.
Beyoncé looks like a Creole goddess from a bygone era in this look. Her updo is sleek, but not overdone. Again, it's about showcasing texture, according to Kimble. "Even the updo is about texture," she said.
This protective style is common for Black women with natural hair. For this look, Kimble set Bey's "hair on pins."
This shot captures the complex braid structure from the back. What looks like a single braid in the front grows into a beautiful, complicated take on the protective style.
Braids are a constant in the video. This isn't accidental. "She started her career in braids, so that is a throwback, in a way," Kimble said.
Bey's lengthy braids are incredible! Kimble says, "Braids are beautiful and a part of fashion," which explains why the chic singer is rocking them.
Clearly, Bey's loving her braids. She turned a head full of flowing box braids into two statement braids. We're feeling American Horror Story: Coven vibes from this witchy take on New Orleans style.
There's so much amazingness in this still. Bey's braids incorporate layers of of blonde and brown, which really sets the style off against her all-black attire.
What's striking about Bey's hair in this scene is how it provides a direct contrast to the Afros of her dancers. All of these natural styles in varying shades of brown really make Bey's blonde braids stand out.
A low ponytail that's purposefully freeform isn't a usual look for Bey — and is completely different from every other look in the video. Kimble says that's the point. "Every style shows off beautiful texture, from being blown-out to braided," she said.
For this throwback look, in which the film is styled to look like an '80s video-tape shot, Kimble "used water and conditioner, so it didn’t look so defined."
This look is a common one for Bey, celebrating natural styling that's controlled. The twists allow her texture to rest while still emulating natural Black hair texture with a high-style concept.
Even Blue Ivy got in some hair action. Her gorgeous Afro takes center stage in a scene where she's skipping around with two other cute girls.
When Bey sings, "I like my baby hair with baby hair and Afros," she's talking about her glorious 4-year-old. The confidence just radiates off of Blue. We love it.
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