The Justin Guarini 'fro

We’ve been amused over the past few days at the ‘net reaction to some photos posted of Justin from his role in the upcoming movie “Fast Girl” (in which he co-stars with Mircea Monroe and Caroline Rhea). Justin plays a race car driver, and perhaps not surprisingly, the producers decided he needed a sleeker hairstyle. Not much room in those racing helmets, you know. So, they put Justin into a short haired wig. Take a look at the set photos:

Wireimage

Getty Images

Kinda knocked you for a loop, huh? It sure did several other bloggers and message board chatterers. The buzz ramped up, almost immediately.

Justin’s hair has been a subject of conversation ever since America was introduced to him on the first season of American Idol. Our Brief Mentions section on the website documents how often the subject of Justin’s hair comes up, seemingly randomly. Some people love it, some people hate it. Early on, Justin’s fans coined a term for his curls: jinglets. (Yes, Justin’s fans were the first to combine the first letter of their favorite Idol’s name with other words. Many other groups have since adopted the same practice.) There are many of Justin’s fans who adore those jinglets. But there is also a difference of opinion - some prefer a shorter crop, some prefer the wilder ‘fro, and some something between the two. The only style that was almost universally panned was an unfortunate foray into the “faux hawk” a couple of years ago. That one we pretty much blame on his then-girlfriend. We can’t help but chuckle at the fact she’s now playing a suspected murderess on Veronica Mars. Somehow seems fitting. ;)

Anyway you look at it, Justin’s ‘fro is part of who he is. Not as some fashion statement, but really part of who he is.

What is interesting to us is how many people still remain uninformed about the source of Justin’s soft Afro. Justin is biracial; his father is black and his mother is white. He comes by his hair naturally.

Unbelievably, there have been media and other comments about Justin’s hair that refer to it as “permed,” or “frizzy.” Of course, we all know the tired reference to a Simpsons character, which reflects a sad ignorance of the difference between dreads, which that character wears, and naturally curly hair. Curiously, the same comments are not made about various NBA players who have sported an Afro hairstyle in the recent past. Or, about Macy Gray, whose hair has taken on a life of its own as well. But then, they aren’t biracial (as far as we know). Should that make any difference? Halle Berry has talked about how being biracial (with lighter skin tone) poses its own unique challenges in our society.

It really bears no argument that people in this country are still judged on the basis of racial traits. Some of this can be subtle. There has been a lot of discussion about the way that many black women feel the need to conform to cultural expectations about an attractive appearance by straightening their natural hair. A few years ago, ABC's 20/20 did a story about an African-American woman who actually was fired because she refused to straighten her hair. She was told she failed to look “professional.”

Justin has always had a sense of humor about his hair. His most recent name for it (from a blog entry) is “thunder bush.” He has also described it as an "unruly child" sitting atop his head, “planetary,” and “having its own zip code.” No matter what, it is part of what makes Justin so unique, and so many people can’t help but continue to talk about him because of it.

Justin is proud of his heritage and we applaud him for that, even if we might once in a while wish he would get a trim. To quote one of our favorite songstresses, the exceptional Corrine Bailey Rae, “Don’t you let those other boys fool you. Gotta love that Afro hair-do.”

The ‘fro through the years:

Baby 'fro


First Idol Audition


American Idol Finale


Post Idol "groomed" at the Teens' Choice Awards (2003)


Short cropped at Rockers on Broadway (2004)


Current in concert (2006)