A mixed-race woman who was branded a “poodle” by bullies for her hair says she is “happy” Mel B is pushing to end black discrimination.
Hannah Beau, from Stockport, said her curls have always been her “biggest insecurity” because she was bullied at school and is “visually white” but “has an afro”.
After 10 years of straightening her hair “to hide the curls,” she was angry and struggling to not “feel ugly” with her heat-damaged hair.
But four years ago, Hannah, now 25, recorded a video diary on TikTok, in which she bravely discussed her insecurities and asked for hair advice, hoping to get some suggestions for good products.
Overnight, she gained the support of hundreds of thousands of people around the world, including celebrities, especially black and brown women, and now 10 million people have viewed the video.
Stockport’s Hannah Beau says she’s glad Spice Girl Mel B is pushing to end black discrimination
Hannah said: ‘The kids saw me as a circus act, calling me “poodle” and asking me to touch my hair. I was treated like an object.
‘When I finally posted on TikTok during lockdown and asked for advice because my hair was so damaged, I was overwhelmed by people’s responses and support.
“I realized that I am not alone and that many other people identify with my story.”
Spice Girls singer Mel B, 49, is urging UK lawmakers to update the Equality Act 2010 to make afro hair a protected characteristic in support of World Afro Day on September 15.
Last week she spoke out to say she was told to straighten her hair for the Wannabe music video because her “big hair didn’t fit the pop star mould”.
Mel says she “stood her ground” and, in a statement posted on her Instagram, said: “I sang and danced as me, with my big hair, my brown skin and I was totally proud of who I was.”
The pop star is teaming up with Labour MP Paulette Hamilton to urge the government to end discrimination against black hair.
Hannah says her curls have always been her “biggest insecurity” because she was bullied at school and is “visually white” but “has an afro.”
Spice Girls singer Mel B, 49, is urging UK lawmakers to update the 2010 Equality Act to make afro hair a protected characteristic.
Hannah said Mel B’s experience was “extremely relatable” and that she “knew exactly where she was coming from.”
She added: “The law would be incredible and progressive and would help against the most institutionalized forms of discrimination against Afro hair.
“It will be a big step in many different areas, especially in schools and hair salons.”
Hannah added: “I’ve become the person I wish I’d been when I was a teenager. If I could go back in time, I’d rip the hair straightener out of my hands.”
“I wasn’t living my authentic self and that caused a lot of damage.”
Hannah is now an online content creator and says she “embraces her hair,” frequently posting tutorials, tips and tricks for curly hair, but says “it wasn’t easy.”
“It’s really been a journey of acceptance and relearning the mindset I was raised with,” she said.
‘I went to school in a white area and noticed that there weren’t many people who looked like me.
Hannah (pictured) said Mel B’s experience was “extremely relatable” and that she “knew exactly where she was coming from”.
Hannah shares hair tips on her TikTok account @hannahbeauc, where she has over 200,000 followers.
‘There were probably a handful of coloured people and the ones who were mixed race were even thinner.
‘When you’re the only person who has light skin and afro hair, it’s really hard to fit in.’
Celebrities including Disney Channel star Skai Jackson and former Love Island star Amber Gill reached out to Hannah in solidarity.
Over the years, Hannah has “learned to love and care for” her hair.
She began visiting black-owned beauty salons to find stylists who did Afro hairstyles and ask them for advice.
Hannah added: “I am who I am. I don’t need to tick a box of all white or all black. I’m in the middle. And even in the middle, we don’t all look the same.
‘It’s taken me two decades, but I’ve learned to love that part of myself, and I say that your most natural self will always be your most beautiful self.’
Hannah shares hair tips on her TikTok account @hannahbeauc, where she has over 200,000 followers.
Hannah began visiting black hair salons to find stylists who did Afro hairstyles and ask them for advice.
More than 100 public figures, including Mel B, Beverley Knight, Patrick Hutchinson, Fleur East, Evelyn Forde and Professor Patrick Vernon, have signed an open letter to the Government supporting the change.
WAD highlighted that while race is already a protected characteristic, schools and workplaces can still unfairly target people of color because of their natural hair.
Labour MP for Birmingham Erdington Paulette Hamilton sponsored the walk-in clinic in Parliament on Tuesday, saying she previously felt she would “never be successful in a career” with her natural hair.
Mel B wrote on Instagram earlier this week: “My hair has always been a personal statement, all my life. I grew up as a mixed race girl in working class Leeds in the 1970s.
Mel B spoke out last week to say she was told to straighten her hair for the Wannabe music video because her “big hair didn’t fit the pop star mould”.
Mel says she “stood her ground” and posted a lengthy statement on Instagram about her experience.
‘The kids at school had no idea what to call me. I was different. And I had curly, wild hair that stood out. It wasn’t neat or tidy.
“It was too long to fit through the hair elastics and I wore it too much. I got called names and pointed fingers at myself, but it was my hair and I wasn’t going to change it for anyone.”
She added: ‘I had no idea the impact that video had on thousands of black and brown girls across the country.
‘To this day, women come up to me and tell me they stopped straightening their hair.
“They let their curls shine on playgrounds everywhere as they finally got a place in a ‘girl band’ on the playground. That makes me so proud. I love my curls. I have three children with curly hair and they all take pride in their hair, their identity and their culture.”
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