Cape Town - Many women have their natural hair neatly hidden underneath their wigs and it hardly ever sees the light of day. Uzalo actress, Gugu Gumede used to also keep her natural hair hidden under wigs until she decided to redefine what beauty is for her.
"I used to wear wigs because I just didn’t feel beautiful without them," she tells Move!.
When she first decided to grow an afro, it was nothing "deep" she explains, but it bothered her that she was unable to embrace her natural hair as it was.
"I’m fine with my hair in it is natural state but most people would not see it as beautiful," she tells Move!.
The 27-year-old blames social media for the image its created of what beauty actually is.
"Beauty is so subjective. It is definitely a state of mind. Beauty has to be an internal thing; you cannot think beauty is someone’s stamp of approval or validation of who you are," she says.
Gugu, who plays the character of Mamlambo on SABC 1 drama Uzalo says this is a subject she openly addresses.
"Women send me messages and thank me for inspiring them to change how they see themselves especially when in their natural hair," she says.
Gugu in her natural hair:
