In 2010, pictures of supermodel Naomi Campbell’s heavily receded hairline emerged online. The general reaction was shock, as people wondered how such a beautiful woman could allow excessive weaving to have such an ugly effect on her hair and scalp.
Well, it’s two years later and it seems not much has changed. Recent pictures of the model enjoying time on the beach show her hairline still heavily receded. Every hair style choice has its cost. Natural hair requires a good moisture and detangling regimen, relaxed hair requires regular touch ups, and weaves tend to take a toll on edges and, in some cases, scalp health. Perhaps Naomi Campbell knows the risk of her decision and is simply willing to pay the cost. Ladies, what are your thoughts? Click for one more photo below.
This is a big and stupid price to pay all for a certain look any really sad
Yeah, that is very sad. My edges hurt just looking at those images.
Naomi Campbell is a beautiful woman. I don’t understand how she is able to ignore the damage she’s done to her hairline. Maybe she feels resigned to it being that way since the fashion industry compels models to wear weaves for the most part. I think she could reverse some of the damage with intensive effort if she acted quickly. I’m all for self expression whether it’s a relaxer, natural, wig or weave, but at the cost of your own hair is just too much.
I SO AGREE, JUST GIVE IT UP! Stop letting these camera’s be Microscopes. Why in the world. Someone should get sued .. This is really horrible for her.
Yes! I agree. It looks like the damage is reversible but if she never takes steps to repair it could become permanent. It is possible to wear wigs and preserve the hairline (look at Tyra and Beyonce). Y’all remember Susan Taylor (the former editor of Essence magazine) hairline? She wore those little tight braids so much that it pushed her hairline all the way back to the middle of her head. I believe that her braids were so tight that they were ripping her follicles out so she is probably permanently bald.
Lol@TeE regarding Susan Taylor. I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt that way.
Naomi has somehow convinced herself that her weaves are part of her identity regardless of the cost, and is it surprising? More than 50% of black women, whether they be Americans, British or straight out of Africa have issues with their hair! So don’t point the finger at Naomi, folks. This isn’t a Naomi issue. This denial, self-hatred, whatever you want to call it is deeply ingrained in those with black skin and kinky hair. Naomi is a model, not a psychologist. Why should she be above the madness?
you spoke the truth. and it’s probably more than 50 %, more like 80% i think of black women wherever they are seem to have succumbed to white supremacist thought about our hair. we now pass it on to our daughters and even the mothers who work hard not to are finally beaten by the preferences of men, employers and others in a position to hurt us if we do not conform. what is the solution for the 80%, seriously? the 20% have already made their choices and are living well (more or less) with our decision to embrace our own characteristics.
At this point she should just cut it all off and start over. I’m pretty sure she could pull it off.
exactly what I was thinking! big chop, start a nice treatment & don’t look back. With her bone structure she can carry anything off [even with this disaster, she's looking like a gorgeous Masai warrior princess] :)
@Gigi. Hope you dont mind me correcting you :-) its learning, from one culture to another.. Only Masai men can become warriors, Masai isnt a kingdom so there are no kings or queens, prince or princesses. We are among the many tribes in Kenya and Tanzania.
so i guess the correct term would me “masai beauty” ok I was just itching to say that. Hope you dont think am being rude
thank you, the exotification of African cultures makes me cringe.
Thanks for that knowledge!!
oy… point is she looks great no matter what/ it’s just a shame she’s had so much edge damage over the years… serves me right for being a little clever & purely visual while borrowing from the ‘Xena warrior princess’ title…. ah well, off to the library now, lest somebody else gives me a lesson on global traditions on a nice little HAIR site. :)
…but thanx chica… well done
Agreed, she is gorgeous. I’d love to put her onto a healthy hair journey then use her results to put myself on a healthy get that money journey via an informercial! This grew Naomi’s edges, yo!!! Lol but seriously, I want to send her some castor oil.
Absolutely! She could benefit from Aloe Vera as well. I know both help me when I began to notice my hairline receding. I hope that she will take action sooner than later to restore her hairline.
But at some point, when your follicles are so damaged, closed and shiny, there is no return! So maybe just hiring whoever makes Nicki Minajs wigs might be the best option.
agreed! she is so beautiful. just rock that beautiful bald head!
yes! she has the perfect head for a bald look!
The saddest part about this is that traction alopecia is often permanent. If she stopped weaving today, her hair still might never grow back. She and Serena Williams need to start a support group.
LOL!
I haven’t noticed issues with Serena’s hairline. But going back to the permanence of traction alopecia, that is a good point. It could very well be the case that Naomi does care, but has tried the remedies and nothing has worked. At this point, she might as well keep the weave. Yes, it could make it worse, but the alternative is to wear her alopecia scalp exposed, which MOST people wouldn’t be comfortable with.
My goodness, lawd-a-mercy. I was just thinking the same thing. Well, not about the support group (LOL) but about the fact that her hair loss might just be permanent. It might explain why she continues these hair destroying practices . . . she may just be resigned to wearing wigs and weaves for the rest of her life given the damage her hair has experienced. And we are just talking about her hairline. She may just have other areas of extreme damage elsewhere. *sigh*
Why are you even bringing this up? As you said, these pics are from 2010, and you have no idea what her hairline looks like now or if weave is to blame. I’m so sick of black women trying to tear each other down and divide each other (i.e. TEAM natural, etc.) I’m becoming natural for ME and ME only. If you are really concerned for her, then how about you reach out to her and offer her some direct advice, instead of recirculating old pictures of her that I am sure she’s embarrassed about.
Read this post thoroughly, because these pictures are recent, not 2010. And I don’t see how this is tearing her down. This isn’t belittling her accomplishments. It’s just recognizing an issue and discussing it.
Clearly you did fully read the article. These pictures are recent and not from 2010. Also, the article isn’t an attack. If anything it’s a forewarning for people who wear weaves religiously to watch out for their edges. Please stop trying to be self-righteous and uptight.
The article says that these are recent pictures.
Read it again. These photos are from 2012.
@girl0032, these pics are recent, but 2 years ago were the first shocking pictures of her hairline
These pictures are from early THIS week http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2185897/Naomi-Campbells-shocking-bald-patches-years-relying-hair-extensions.html?ITO=google_news_rss_feed. They are not old. What is being asked in the post is that Naomi seems willing to deal with the impact that weaves have had on her hairline (which is her decision) but are you willing to pay the cost. I think it is a good question. When I realized that relaxers were doing significant damage to my hairline and edges that may be permanent I stopped relaxing. For me it wasn’t worth it. I need to figure out another way and for me I was willing to accept the way my hair looked. I think it is cool that she exposes her hairline without concern. It is jarring for sure but there are many women who may feel more comfortable about their own alopecia or hair loss if someone that is a supermodel suffers from a similar problem. It may lead to other women reconsidering how frequently or how tight they due their weaves if this could be the consequence. It is all about personal decisions.
You need to READ properly before you start jumping to conclusions smh
Girl you must be confused! This picrure was taken earlier today, and since then its been an uproar on all beauty websites… Get your states right!
she mentioned that these are recent pictures!
it’s as if you didn’t read the article. These are recent photos of her. Also no one is looking down on her. All the comments are very friendly and non of them say she “should” join team natural. All they say is that she should start over from a fresh canvas and really get some help, maybe some of those expensive celebrity massages for her head. Anyways also, how do you suppose we “reach out” to a CELEBRITY? Yeah I don’t see that ever happening. Ok maybe we go to a red carpet event and call out to her, Naomi girl you need to shave it all off and start over! Yeah that’s going to go over well. Anyways I’m not trying to be mean, it’s just that you needed to read over the article better.
I think it’s just as important for women who aspire to the “super star” / “super model” hair looks at home to understand that there is a down side. The at home or even salon weaver needs to know – there is a danger that no amount of money maybe able to help.
…and FYI – it says these pics ARE from 2012 and I don’t think this is about tearing her down. It’s about hair health, just like they’ve shown “celebs” with super healthy here.
Please click the link following the year of 2010 and see what she looked like in 2010. The 2nd paragraph goes on to say that things have not changed based on the recent pictures at the beach. I don’t think anyone is trying to put her down, but show examples to what could happen to your hair when you don’t pay attention to the warning signs. I’m natural, my warning sign was home dye… I stop dying b/c it broke my edges. I prefer to have edges and the dye was not that serious for me so I rock the silver. lol
Reading comprehension should still be a requirement in all schools! Good God!
Exactly! This is why I homeschool my child.
hahahah, @girl0032, you feel crunchy yet? lol
Personally I try not to judge other peoples hair as a style issue. You never know what type of health or other issues they have going on. Being female celebrity (especially a black female) is hard enough without having to read negative comments about your hair posted by ppl who don’t know a thing about it. I try to practice the adage if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all.
+1
I can’t help but laugh. If she’s not concerned about getting treatment, that’s her own piece of hair. She has all the money in the world to seek for medical assistance as well as stylists to cater for her needs.
Oh, this makes me sad. She is stunningly beautifully *still*… I would just cut it all off if I were faced with this.
Receding hairline isn’t a good look for anyone. It’s very unfortunate. Many suffer from it. We gotta put a stop to it but learning to really take care of our hair!
I’m “old school” and I must say this issue that some black women have about hair, specifically about having longgggggggg flowing hair [at all costs] is nothing short of pathological. I mean WASSUP!!!
I agree. I can’t believe for one minute that she did not have signs of losing her ages ago so I’m thinking one) she is a diehard never giving up the weave don’t care about her own hair anyway kinda chick or two)she was told it would never grow back so she has to do what she does.
scary to look at really. I hope she was not vain enough to just keep weaving it up because she didn’t like her own hair and would trade off on ever having healthy hair for weaves. Something tells me she is just that vain
I am not really shocked by the picture I see plenty of everyday people walking around with receding hairlines. I will never forget I was getting my hair braided in this shop and I was turned around and I heard this lady talking about how she doesn’t have any edges when the lady turned me around to start braiding the other side I was not ready for what I saw. This lady had NO EDGES AT ALL, I mean no where, she only had hair in the top of her head. But get this she was still getting a weave I’m thinking this lady must don’t realize where the damage is coming from.
I have seen this too. The hairline is receding and the person is still getting a weave on the hair that is left. I know one person who was getting medical treatment (injections) on the area of hair loss and was also advised to DC weaves. It was suggested that she wear a loose wig until they could achieve regrowth. Well, she continued to get weaves and the patch of hair that she was weaving hair onto kept getting smaller and smaller. She said she was attached to the idea of weaving because she did not want her boyfriend to see what her own hair really looked like. . . afraid that he would leave her.
I personally cannot imagine feeling this way about a hair style, but it happens for some people. I find it sad.
This is sad….Naomi is such a beautiful lady. A someone mentioned earlier, this type of damage is likely irreversible. And I don’t know any woman in her right mind, who would want edges like this.
This is a HUGE reminder for women to take care of our hair and not sacrifice hair health for a style or convenience.
Enough with the Naomi Campbell posts and her hairline! What do you want from her? She is entitled to live her life as she pleases. How does it help black women on the whole, to continue to showcase a woman who is known all over the world as one of the top models, who looks just as youthful as her 20-something counterparts in the industry, who continues to advocate for the careers of other black woman models on the catwalk despite racism in the industry, and mock her for the way her hairline looks? This is the same obsession with Gabby Douglas and her hair during the Olympics. Highlight black women who are natural and showcase the beauty of them on the regular. That is all we need to do. By focusing on the positive, you’ve done your job. If you want to have other black women be aware of how delicate the hair line is, do a post on the number of styles that do not stress the hairline. A post showcasing black women with a damaged hairline only spreads the negative.
co-sign
Sometimes we do need to see effects of damage whether it’s a weave or relaxer. Many black women do not know that improper hair care practices are the reason that traction alopecia is higher in our population than amongs’t white women. This includes black women outside the U.S. One of the reasons I don’t use chemicals is because I once attended a medical conference where a doctor showed pictures of women with chemical burns on their scalp. I knew relaxers could cause damage but I never imagined it could be so bad that someone lost all their hair.
It’s one thing to see a list of statistics, it’s another to see an image. As they say a picture speaks a thousand words! I’m not suggesting we gloat or laugh at her predicament but just see and learn from it. I hope she has someone in her camp to help her find a way out of this.
BTW, most styles with the exception of a free afro put some amount of stress on the hairline. You just need to avoid too much tension or tightness and also switch up the styles, don’t wear the same thing 24/7/365.
Co-Sign!
+1
I know you are on her bandwagon but be real here.
this is horrible and I feel sad for her and there is a LOT going on with this picture other than that missing hairline. this IS one of those teaching moments for ALL women because so many STRIVE to get her look and she doesn’t even have that look and for her to achieve that LOOK she did this. LOOK WHAT SHE DID TO HERSELF? My own sister has not wore her natural hair since HIGH SCHOOL. She is thirty. I have never seen her hair but I can tell you what I see of her sides this is about what she is working with. Had she listened to others and worked with her own hair instead of striving so hard to have hair down her back, bone straight maybe she would not feel ashamed today. this IS a teaching moment
+1000
True, but do you really feel badly for her?
Is that why you’ve referred to her as being vain and described those who have supported her as having joined her bandwagon? As you mentioned this is a sad occurrence for any woman, so let’s have a bit more compassion.
My guess is that the damage is irreversible. While she has obviously been a long-time wear/ wig wearer, all it really takes is one bad weave/ relaxer to damage your hair permanently. I have very full hair, but there is a small patch around my edges that has never really grown back 100% following a bad relaxer nearly 12 yrs ago (ended up being one of my last relaxers). It’s almost entirely imperceptible to others, but I know it’s there. It bothers me but I know that after relaxing my hair for 10 years or so as a child/teen, the results could have been SO much worse. Recalling my relaxed days and the damage that I could have potentially done, I consider myself extremely fortunate to be rocking a full head of hair.
There is so much ignorance among women, among stylists about how to care for our hair properly. I think my minor hair loss could have been reversible had I avoided relaxers for some time following the initial incident (which was my intention and common sense reaction). But I went against my better judgment and listened to a stylist who advised me that my hair would never grow back without a relaxer. Ha! I was 16 at the time, so I didn’t know better much better. While Naomi likely has access to the most high profile stylists and image advisers, who know what kind of advice she has been receiving about her hair. I’m sure that during her catwalk days, (she started modeling at the tender age of 14!) her hair also suffered tremendously at the hands of these very professionals.
keep speaking honestly as you have on this post. the damage is irreversible and she is not alone. i see it everyday in atlanta just almong women who certainly do not have the means of ms. campbell. i hear it in the voices of young women who say timidly, i like you hair, i wish… (you fill in the blanks.) when you have killed the hair from the root there is nothing to grow back. any reputable dermatologist will admit this unless he/she wants to keep you delusional to continue taking your money. we show our children and others what we really think by what we do, how we care for ourselves and how we spend our money. frankly, i think this is so much bigger than hair and personal style choices. the money we spend on hair products alone woould solve all of our education problems if so applied! we are holding ourselves back as a people with this continued obsession with hair and skin color, proving everyday to ourselves and others that we are not really ready to take our place among equals, and further demoralizing our children. if they cannot depend upon us for validation, where else will they get it? we simply do not respect ourselves, and love is impossible without respect. otherwise, why do we allow this treatment of ourselves to continue? what in the world has happened to the fighting spirit that kept us alive and achieving in spite of all that was thrown at us as a people? madame cj walker surely never intended this! our beauticians may have started out as our friends, but now they are not. the damage has been done and it cannot be undone except by a new generation of black girls who refuse to be so disrespected and exploited – by anyone. i am hopeful because i am counting on them. i think they have it right, and i remain positive about my sisters because i do know that not all have succumbed to the white supremacist thought pattern. i see them in atlanta, too! recently, i have been watching the reruns of soul train on demand. other than the exhilirating music, performers and dance moves, what i notice consistently is how much healthy looking hair we had and how few of us were very heavy or obese. of course, i realize that the soul train dancers were often handpicked but even so… the range of black looks then was astoundingly attractive sans makeup, sans wigs and weaves compared to the botched hair jobs, the skin bleaching, the nose thinning, the lip cutting, the colored contacts, the nearly monstrous looks we see representing beauty today. i am so sorry but not sad for any adult women living with the consequences of their personal health and beauty choices; i am only sad for the children watching them and seeing only the wig, the weave, not what lies beneath. if true beauty comes from the inside out, too many are indeed missing in action. who feels it, knows it.
No one is mocking nor ridiculing Naomi Campbell… we know she was a top black model, etc.. but that doesn’t take away from the fact that her hairline is jacked up. this pic was posted so we can learn and understand the consequences of weaves & tensions on the hairline. its like reading all day about the warnings of cigarettes; but seeing a picture of a cancer ridden lung will really open our eyes. and this pic is no way in comparison to the Gabby Douglas hair situation.
but what i want to know is…why are some of you taking this so personal??? could it be your edges are similar to hers?
If u think for a SECOND this is anything like the gabby Douglas situation u are clearly delusional… Gabbys hair is healthy,and in good shape. Those idiots were complaining about her style. There is NOTHING healthy about Naomi’s hair! I mean seriously… This blog teaches the pros of living with natural hair as well as the downfalls of the alternatives. Such as this.. They would be doing their readers a huge injustice to not show the dark side effects of mis treating your hair.. Especially if their goal is to promote HEALTHY hair care. C’mon now
People need to see this, unfortunately someone in my family has a hairline like this….and she thinks it’s hereditary (she wears weaves STILL). I had to show her this so she could actually get the picture, but i’m taking care of the situation I got her castor oil, peppermint oil, and a prayer.
Well good for u for trying to help her out. I’m a stylist and I cannot tell u how often clients sit in my chair expressing their concern for their breakage but will tell me it’s hereditary. When I try to explain its their choice of hairstyle they either don’t believe me or for the most part just don’t care. I don’t understand why the majority of us will choose a fly style for the moment over healthy hair. Also I see how some stylist will know that their clients hair is thinning but will continue to slap glue in the hair, in the same spot (which is the problem) and just continue to give them those fly styles. At some point when it’s so bad, it’s just not going to grow back because at this point they have stressed out and damaged the follicles. Theeeeen, when they reach their mid 30′s, 40′s and 50′s they hella regret the decisions they’ve made. Then they spend money at the dermatologist getting shots in their scalp to help it to grow back and at this stage, now the dermatologist is getting paid off them because they know after the damage is so bad it’s not going to grow back. In Naomi’s case it looks like its too late. It will never be back like it was and at that point, especially if the woman is older, they will continue to wear the weave for the rest of their life or eventually go to a wig. I just wish that we would pay more attention to having a healthy scalp as well as healthy hair. Ladies I can go on and on and on…..
Same here! there’s a postal lady around here and about a month ago she was outside delivering mail and it was pretty windy outside. Just imagine my shock when the wind was really blowing and she basically had no hair right across her head, starting from behind her ears, I’m still trying to figure out how she got the hair attached to conceal the missing section of hair – but, back to the pic above can you imagine that water weighing down the wig even more that is attached to her already fragile (hairline)? I guess it just goes to show the level some women would go for that hair, even at the expense of their own god given tresses.
I see many women who suffer from this. Inproper weaves and braids over the years without proper hair care is not worth it.
Saddest image I have seen today! I really do feel sorry for her. It’s even crazier that she continues to wear these weaves! Maybe she needs them for her career but at what is the cost to her self esteem? No one can convince me that it doesn’t hurt to look in the mirror and see the traction alopecia and not feel some pain.
Ms. Sue, in all honesty, yes, it did hurt to look in the mirror sometimes. (Emphasis on “did,” however.) If I spent the rest of my life lamenting about a receding hairline, where would that get me?
@Nyasha, nowhere does my comment suggest spending the “rest of” anyone’s “life” “lamenting about a receding hairline”. I don’t know where you got that idea from.
My comments here only apply to pictures of Naomi Campbell above.
My last statement about it “hurting to look in the mirror” was in regard to the damage on her self confidence and self-esteem. We all put some value on our appearance, everyone does. And yes, I do feel sorry for Naomi: despite the damage, wearing extensions may have been a necessity to keep working in an industry where only a certain kind of beauty is valued.
I think she could’ve gone without the weave and rocked a short do especially since she’s a supermodel and their hair is hardly ever in the same style for long or maybe just doesn’t care and figures she has the money to throw a wig on. Either way, it’s awful.
You know, ladies and gentlemen, I suffer from a similar ailment. As a young black teen (yes, TEENAGER) with “tractional alopecia,” I find it hard to read about this, and even harder to read some of your comments. Being in her shoes, it wasn’t easy to cope with, and still isn’t. But I implore you, try and be a little more sensitive- yes, it’s sad, and yes, I get the urge to “cut it all off” occasionally, but, horrendous as it is, it makes me unique.
And one more thing- I, nor Ms. Campbell, do not need any pity. Pity is neither redeeming nor helpful.
AMEN!!!!!