Vogue Slammed Online After Trying to Rename This Classic Black Hairstyle 

Fashion lovers turn to Vogue magazine to get the latest news on what’s hot in fashion and beauty. But the magazine has people talking for a different reason this week, as it finds itself in hot water over a story about Black hairstyles.

The story, which was intended to show off the best haircuts for people with thick hair, started innocently enough. But things quickly went south when describing a photo of actress and beauty entrepreneur Tracee Ellis Ross.

“Defined by hairstylist Tom Smith as a ’rounded haircut with a soft, airy silhouette,’ the cloud bob pays well with wave, curly and coiIy, thick hair that has natural movement and volume,” the article reads.

After gushing over the gorgeous “Black-‘ish” star’s perfectly put-together look, people with eyes immediately began to question where in the world the mag got the name “cloud bob,” knowing good and doggone well that the actress was rocking an Afro.

The term “cloud bob” was especially offensive to many online who understand the history of the Afro, which found popularity in the late 1960s and ’70s and is considered a symbol of Black pride.

“It’s 2026, and we’re going to stop Christopher Columbusing Black people’s hairstyles,” said @shopaif on TikTok. “This is Tracee Ellis Ross, and this is an afro, ok? This will always be an afro. You know why? Because our hair defies gravity. It grows up and out.”

Others in the comments were quick to co-sign.

“What in the colonization is a cloud bob?” wrote someone.

“Why are they gentrifying our hair???? i’m so confused rn,” wrote someone else.

Another commenter issued a stern warning not to try to rename anything else.

“And baby hairs are NOT STICKY BANGS!! ” wrote another person on the platform.

In other corners of the internet, some gave the new name a little grace. On Instagram, @yelitsajeancharles argued that she doesn’t consider the name a form of cultural appropriation but instead called it “a beautiful name for a contemporary version of a classic hairstyle.”

“I do find calling it a cloud bob incredibly endearing and an opportunity to bring something into the mainstream and appreciate it,” she said in a post.

But as you can probably guess, not everyone was ready to embrace the new name or make such an important symbol of Black culture accessible to the mainstream. In fact, one commenter compared the idea to a classic scene in the TV mini-series “Roots.”

“I appreciate your pov. My thought is with black culture, taking the “Afro” out to make it mainstream feels like when they renamed Kunta Toby to enforce obedience to the American chattel slavery system . And obviously, lol I understand that sounds extreme, but colonization happens to be the most extreme exploit this entire world has ever known. So I’d say it’s fitting. BUT I love when people can find that sweet spot of appreciation without appropriation,” someone wrote in the comments.

Judging by the strong reactions, it’s fair to say that the “cloud bob” is one “trend” that Black folks aren’t here for.