Taraji P. Henson Takes Off Her Wig: ‘Underneath That Hair is My Soul’
Taraji P. Henson, shot by Bruce Weber for CR Fashion Book. (Photo: Instagram)
Yesterday on Instagram, Empire star Taraji P. Henson debuted her latest Bruce Weber-shot photoshoot for CR Fashion Book, ditching the weave she usually wears for braided cornrows with her natural hair. “As women we put sooooo much emphasis on our hair!!! As if hair defines beauty?! I am always so grateful for women who are FREE AND BOLD enough to cut it ALL off,” she wrote on Instagram, calling out Lupita Nyong’o, V. Bozeman, Viola Davis, and Solange for inspiring.
“I wear wigs a lot, especially for photo shoots,” Henson told CR Fashion Book. She has a braider named Kendra who helps prepare her hair for all the transformative wigs she wears. She was, in fact, planning to wear a wig, but the silk scarf tied around her head slipped off, revealing her cornrows. “Hey, look at my cornrows, aren’t they beautiful?” she asked Weber, prompting him to ask to shoot Henson without her wig.
Taraji P. Henson and musician Jon Baptiste, shot by Bruce Weber for CR Fashion Book. (Photo: Instagram)
It was a difficult decision for Henson. “[P]art of me was like, No, no, no, NO!,” she said. “This is the hair no one is supposed to see. This is like behind-closed-doors hair. I feel naked. I feel like a plucked chicken…or a wet one.” In another Instagram post, she added, “I wanted to say ‘HELL NO’ but I decided to trust art and the process. I saw the glimmer in his eyes when he asked. As an artist I knew he was inspired. So I decided not to block art and just let it be….free.”
Weber reassured her that it’s not about the hair — it’s about the face. “I am 45 this year, and look at my career,” Henson said. “Maybe I wasn’t here to be hot and young, but I still look hot and young.” She told CR Fashion Book how she didn’t get her big break as an actress until her 40s, and how she called her father out of frustration because she thought her career was going nowhere. Henson is a fantastic example of a woman who has hit her stride in her 40s. In the interview, she was candid and really opened up. “We are vulnerable every time we put our art out there,” Henson said. “Underneath that hair is my soul, and it’s me, it’s mine.”
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