Celebrity hairstylist Lacy Redway is behind many beautiful natural hair looks, including the five new Black hairstyles in the Sims 4 Growing Together Expansion Pack. All too often, gamers are limited when it comes to creating accurate Black characters, finding they must settle for straight or wavy hairstyles that don't come close to the Afro-textured styles they were looking for.
This new expansion pack helps to remedy this with inclusive styles that are incredibly detail-oriented. As Redway said, "I was really specific about parting and baby hairs and how things lay, or how the hair came out of the scalp."
The gameplay trailer features a Black family named the Michaelsons, who can be seen sporting the new hairstyles, which include braids, a top knot with baby hairs and coily cuts.
Inclusive Gaming Hairstyles
Sims 4 Growing Together Features Black Hairstyles by Lacy Redway
Trend Themes
1. Inclusive Gaming - The gaming industry has an opportunity to prioritize inclusivity by developing more diverse characters and providing accurate representation of marginalized communities in their storylines.
2. Natural Haircare - The haircare industry can innovate by producing products and styles that cater to natural and Afro-textured hair, expanding the options for Black gamers and consumers.
3. Collaborative Creativity - The beauty and gaming industries can collaborate to create more authentic and diverse content that reflects the experiences of their shared consumer base.
Industry Implications
1. Gaming - The gaming industry has an opportunity to prioritize inclusivity by developing more diverse characters and providing accurate representation of marginalized communities in their storylines.
2. Haircare - The haircare industry can innovate by producing products and styles that cater to natural and Afro-textured hair, expanding the options for Black gamers and consumers.
3. Beauty - The beauty industry can expand its reach and impact by collaborating with the gaming industry to create more authentic and diverse content that reflects the experiences of their shared consumer base.