The Real Meaning Behind Laura Harrier's BlacKkKlansman Press Tour Hairstyles

Whenever a big press tour happens — whether it be for a movie, TV show, or book — you're bound to get tired of seeing the same celebrity over and over again. Sure, A-listers are fun to look at, but you don't necessarily want to see them on your favorite morning and late night shows, you know?

But actress Laura Harrier, who plays Patrice in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman, never gets boring. Aside from her beauty and her brilliance, she also has the creative genius of hairstylist Lacy Redway behind her. For a string of appearances to promote the film, Redway wanted to create looks with intention. "I knew the movie was taking place in the 1970s and Laura plays an activist. That is where my initial inspiration started," she tells us. "I wanted to use this moment as a teachable one and celebrate both the strong women of that time and strong women in general."

To do that, Redway challenged herself to give her client styles that were trendy, but also steeped in tradition: loose waves, bouncy curls, cornrows, and box braids. "More often than not, young people aren’t aware of where things originated from and how important some things are as far as preserving history within a community," she says. "With social media and lack of education, you can easily have braided hairstyles — identity symbols for tribes in Africa — be dwindled down." So with every post shared, she also included historical context about the looks to make it a learning moment to shine a light on the powerful women who helped to pave the way for them both. See the looks — and get the details — ahead.