What Does The Met Gala’s Black Dandyism Theme Mean For Beauty? Celebrity Hairstylists Weigh In – Essence

This year’s Met Gala theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” is an intentional reflection of Black Dandyism. That said, when it came to selecting the all-Black male Chairs, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams were a no-brainer. 

And, with Black Dandyism as the subject, Black beauty is likely returning to the era of an emancipated 1920s Harlem. While the show is inspired by professor and chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College, Monica Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, how the topic is interpreted in beauty is in the hands of celebrity hair, makeup, and nail artists alike.

“Black Dandyism is more than just fashion,” Fenty Beauty global hairstylist Yusef Williams tells ESSENCE. “It was a time when being well-groomed wasn’t just about vanity. It was about power, pride, and presence.” Tuning into the visibility of a beauty culture often erased, Black Dandyism is a reclamation of our ancestral features, and the grooming rituals that scream from within us. “We weren’t trying to ‘keep up with the Joneses.’ We were the Joneses,” Williams says. 

Below, celebrity experts weigh in on what Black Dandyism means and the beauty trends we’ll likely see at the 2025 Met Gala.

The History Behind Black Dandyism

“The history behind Black Dandyism is this new entrance into an era where the offspring of Black American slaves start to express themselves with a new sense of pride, clout, and dignity,” says PATTERN Hair Ambassador and Tracee Ellis Ross’s hairstylist Chuck Amos. Like in Ryan Coogler’s film Sinners, Black beauty is reclaiming its autonomy and visibility, despite vampiric institutions (like Eurocentric beauty standards) which would much rather silence it. 

While the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in January 1863, the seeds of Black Dandyism were planted in England over 100 years before reaching the Americas. Black people, specifically Black men, adapted aristocratic dress, behaviors, and well-groomed beauty as a form of resistance to the powers which traditionally—and systemically—oppress us. 

“For us, hair has always been political. Always poetic,” says hairstylist Pekela Riley. During the Harlem Renaissance, Black Dandyism was alive in America with figures like Langston Hughes, Josephine Baker, and Zora Neale Hurston representing emancipated beauty. “These looks are rooted in legacy—shaped by our ancestors who had to use their appearance as armor and artistry in the face of colonialism, erasure, and stereotypes.”

What Black Dandyism Means for Beauty

“This goes way deep,” says celebrity hairstylist Jawara Wauchope. “The relationship with Black people and their hair and grooming has a spiritual significance.” In her book, Monica Miller poses Black Dandyism as a tool for “sartorial revenge” and, in beauty, this means taking back control of our relationship with our hair, skin, features, and the rituals often demonized by White oppressors and religion.

“When we talk about beauty in the context of Black Dandyism, we’re talking about a rich legacy of invention, resilience, and bold creativity,” says Williams. “We weren’t just participating in fashion and beauty. We were building it.” From reclaiming African standards of beauty, like neck folds, dark, deep set eyes, and black gums, to wearing sculpted styles showing the unreplicable features of Black texture, this year’s Met Gala theme is well overdue. 

What Beauty Trends Can We Expect at the Met Gala?

From Sinners exposing Dandyism through the Juke Joint 1930s to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour calling out the 1950s Chitlin’ Circuit era, old school references are at a boiling point right now. And, according to Amos, the full encyclopedia of Black beauty from the 18th century ‘till modern day, will be seen on the red carpet. 

For example, the American-born French dandyist Josephine Baker is known for coining the “Eton crop,” a gel-slicked, boyish pixie cut popular during the 1920s flapper era. And, with Topicals founder Olamide Olowe claiming 2025 as the year of the pixie, we can expect celebrities to channel the memory of Baker at the Met Gala. “I think the look is great especially now because culturally, it celebrates our historic style and beauty which is needed in our current state of divisiveness,” says Gabrielle Union and Kerry Washington’s hairstylist Larry Sims. 

“You’re going to see hair as a full-on statement piece—a reclamation, a tribute, and a future-forward art form,” adds Riley. “Expect to see stretched and laid texture, sculpted soft French rolls, cropped pin curls, and styles inspired by the elegance and defiance of Black dandyism.” High glamour meets gum-glued curls, sculpted afros and textures refusing to be ignored.