By Chelsea Branch ’25 / Copy Editor
Dani Aseme ’25 and Favour Olagunju ’25 are two members of Love Your Locs.
For many of us, styling our hair is a means of expressing our unique style, but to Choate’s POC community, hair represents something deeper. It is not just a physical feature but rather something that is inherently and historically intertwined with our identity. The styles we choose to wear are a reflection of who we are and how we choose to be perceived by others.
For many students of color, attending boarding school means beginning a new chapter in their hair care journey. Reflecting on how his relationship with his hair has shifted over the past few years, Jeremiah Olubowale ’25 said, “When I was younger, I didn’t really have hair because my parents always cut my hair, so when I got to come to Choate, it was nice to grow with my hair.” Similarly, Favour Olagunju ’25 has explored several new hairdos since her freshman year. “I have experimented with styles. I personally have braided my hair. I’ve tried out different colors — from red to blue to purple … I’ve had a 26-inch length braid before, I’ve had short braids, I’ve experimented and taken risks,” she said. Students explore a different facet of their identity with every new style, regardless of whether it is big and bold or short and chic.
While exploring new hairstyles is certainly amusing, it is also critical to navigating life as a minority student in a predominantly white institution. Dani Aseme ’25 said, “I think as a Black person at Choate, you already are kind of stigmatized into a little group, and I think how you present yourself really does matter.” She added, “I try to take advantage of it as much as possible, but I also think sometimes it can be limiting because I want to do certain styles, and I don’t feel fully comfortable doing them here because of how people may receive it.” This is the reality for many students on campus. Whether it be the challenge of taking care of your natural hair or the hope of avoiding curious fingers poking your ‘fro, campus culture dictates what many students choose to do with their crowns.
Fortunately, there is a club on campus that guides students through all the ups and downs of their hair journeys. Love Your Locs, led by Olagunju and Jeffery Uwukhor-Ikele ’25, creates a supportive environment where students can celebrate and embrace their hair by learning helpful tips and tricks. Olagunju defines the group as a space for “Black women [to] gather to celebrate their unique beauty and the journeys they’ve taken to find peace with their hair, their identity, and their sense of self.” Throughout the year, Love Your Locs hosts several events open to the entire school, with the most notable one being the Make-Your-Own-Hair-Oils event, in which students create their own hair care oils and growth serums. All proceeds from the event are donated to underprivileged communities. Club member Aseme, who appreciates this space, said, “It’s just a really good group of people who are like-minded, and even if we do have different opinions, it’s still really nice to be in a comforting space where everyone’s able to express themselves and say what they want to say and how they feel.”
From waves to cornrows and goddess braids to locs, our hairstyles are the ultimate form of artistic expression. Next time you walk across campus, take note of the variety of hairdos you see. Draw inspiration from the “crown creatives” you pass by. Consider how you can experiment with your own hair. After all, your hair is an extension of yourself. So own it.
