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Celebrity Sightings In New York - December 12, 2019

Source: MediaPunch/Bauer-Griffin / Getty

The newly crowned Miss Universe made history when she won the prestigious competition wearing her natural coils. Zozibini Tunzi instantly became a beacon of beauty for natural hair Black girls who look like her, but it could’ve gone very different.

The South African pageant queen was advised, by friends and colleagues, to wear a wig during the Miss Universe competition. “It was so strange because even a lot of people I knew, people that were my friends, were like, ‘Sis, we love you, but we’re just saying, maybe you should put on a wig or buy a weave,’” she told Insider.

Zozibini took to social media after her win where she posted an inspiring message to young woman.

“Tonight a door was opened and I could not be more grateful to have been the one to have walked through it. May every little girl who witnessed this moment forever believe in the power of her dreams and may they see their faces reflected in mine,” she wrote.

Zozibini revealed she cut her hair off years ago and decided to go though the competition in her natural state.

“I was like, ‘No, you know what, I’m going to do it the way I am, because I’ve been with my natural hair for the past three years,”‘ she said. “I don’t see why I should change it just because I’m stepping into another platform.”

Zozibini’s bold statement continued to push the natural hair movement forward and put it on the forefront of the beauty lines. She took a chance on herself and it paid off big time.

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Zozibini Tunzi Refused To Wear A Wig During The Miss Universe Competition  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com