braid

"We want the candidates to be natural - whether with braids or straightened hair, it should be their own. Beauty must be raw," Victor Yapobi, president of the Miss Ivory Coast organising committee, told the BBC.

At 22, she is the youngest and arguably the most vocal, energetic and recognizable of the trio, often playing with long pink braids trailing after her.

Despite the long salon visits, braids have always been closely linked to convenience for me.

They entered the stage in a top hat, white sequined leotard, rhinestone heels, sporting a long, thick braid attached to their hair.

That’s when he started using a headband to help keep his braids off his face.