Photos from Leonard Imagery

Name: Santiago

Occupation: College Student 12′

Homepage/blog: N/A

Who is your Favorite model?
None

What is your favorite book?
The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes

What is your favorite movie?
Incredible Hulk

Why did you become a model and what is your goal as a model?

I became a model because I just knew that I could do it I always said that I could be an underwear model, I also became a model because as far as many mainstream models with locs there really aren’t any and I wanted to be a catalyst.

How important is your hair as a model? Why do you choose to wear your hair the way you do?

My hair is an extension of who I am a proud black man who is conscience of not only himself but also of his great ancestors who were great warriors and egyptians. I wear my hair this way because it was indicative of the evolution of myself and now moving into a new era in my life at the time. My hair means everything to me I love it my hair is me. 

Photo by Terrian – T Will

What does your hair mean to you? Is it just an accessory that compliments your personality and style or is it deeper than that?

My hair has far deeper meaning than being merely a trend if you read the story of Samson I would say that I am the modern day Samson.

How important is a woman’s hair to you? Does a weave, relaxed hair or a natural head bother you or do you have a preference for either of these styles?

A woman’s hair: A woman’s hair, because I promote individuality, can be as various as the woman I encounter, but I am not too fond of weave. My wife will not be allowed to wear weave. Relaxed hair does not bother me and I love a woman’s who wears her natural hair and styles it according to her liking it really brings forth the beauty of that woman, it is a earthly beauty she encompasses.

Is the texture of a woman’s hair important to you?And length? 

The texture of a woman’s hair does not bother me because like I said I promote the individuality of everyone woman it makes them special and length does not bother me either if you want to rock a fade or have locs down your back as long as you take care of it, I encourage it.

Do you feel that Black Hair is an issue? Why or Why not?

I do think that black hair is an issue because I think somewhere over the years Woman have moved from the days where afros and locs were viewed as unattractive and their styling capabilities are limited, but that is not the case at all. There are many ways your hair can be styled naturally just look at the different ways you can braid a person’s hair. Many black woman are viewing weave as glamorous and because you can buy some long black hair (weave) from a store many black woman go do it because their idea of what is beautiful has been distorted. Some black woman if you ask them why they buy weave they can not really give you an answer as to the reason besides they like long hair. But in actuality it is just a distortion of beauty created by the media and the world. Even in the corporate world they say Men who have locs will have to cut them upon entering as well as Law school and my response is well I guess i’ll just my own boss because I refuse to cut my hair. When you cut your hair it is to a sense losing your identity. That is why in the army, marines, navy, you have to cut your hair because once that is done you lose who you are as an individual. Black males who have locs are discriminated against before even opening their mouths to speak in corporate America. Black hair is an issue because our hair is what at one time made us BLACK AND PROUD then once we moved from that era so did our beautiful hair and practices. Our hair connects us to our roots, it makes us who we are and connects us with one another. If you have natural hair and you see someone else who has natural hair you immediately smile and compliment them our hair is affiliated with our people and the community at large with all of us.