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Latin woman braids the hair of a younger companion against the backdrop of a Caribbean beach.

Hairstyles have always been about more than just aesthetics. They’re a symbol of ethnicity, religion, social status, resistance, and more. Through them, ethnic and cultural groups have been able to reclaim their identities in the past and the present. Hair braids are one of those empowering hairstyles that have stood the test of time.

The art of hair braids isn’t specific to one culture or people because it has existed everywhere in many forms, including Ancient America. Mummies hundreds or thousands of years old have been found wearing braids, such as the Pre-Columbian Mummy “Juanita” of Peru.

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