The Masculine Twist

First it was the Afro, a frizzy, frazzled look that billowed out as a symbol of black pride and awareness. Later the 'fro became as passe among some avant-garde blacks as the plantation bandanna, giving way to such hairstyles as the puff and the shag. But no successor to the Afro coiffure has caught on more rapidly than the corn-row-tight, Topsy-like plaits that until recently were worn by women. Now a growing number of soul brothers are sporting buckwheat braids in as many variations as there are African nations, where the style is traditional.

In Africa, tribal priestesses once braided their hair as a symbol of their religious powers, and warriors plaited prior to battle. Modern-day American braiders have different motives. "It means black pride to me," says Clarence Dyas, a Los Angeles community relations supervisor. "Cats on the street used to look at a fellow strange if he braided his hair, but now everyone knows what it means." Other male braid buffs adopt the style for convenience. Explains Ray Allen, stylist at Soul Scissors, a Los Angeles black barbershop: "Braids are neater and a guy is more together in his appearance." He can also tuck his curls more easily into a football helmet: Star Split-End Morell George of Detroit's Central High School switched to braids after continuous combing bouts with his crushed Afro. Other blacks who still favor the 'fro find that braids are better than any combs, conditioners or sprays in creating the cotton-candy shape. After a week of being tightly bound, the braids, when freed, fluff out into an attractively puffy bush.

While many braided men-as well as women-cajole friends or family into helping them twine their locks, others visit an expanding coterie of cornrowing specialists. Manhattan Corn-Rower Femi Sarah Heggie has plaited the likes of Aretha Franklin, Melvin Van Peebles, Nina Simone and Dick Williams. Brooklyn Plaiter Christine Harper, on the other hand, concentrates on braiding businessmen in their 20s and 30s. "Rugged he-men types are my best customers," she says. The mahatma of Washington corn-rowers is Nat Mathis, better known to friends and customers as Nat the Bush Doctor. Nat began his career with Afros, later switched to plaiting feathers and other ornaments into the hair of Washington's black entertainers. Recently, Nat began giving plait jobs to fad-conscious white housewives in suburban Reston, Va.

Braided Initials. Some stylists specialize in bizarre-sounding cornrowing variations such as the Ashia from Kenya, the Nzinga from Nigeria, and the Umoja from Egypt. The majority, however, adhere to cornrowing basics -stick-up or tied-down short braids, or Medusa-like strands sliding down the head. Customers often make specific requests for patterns that include their own braided initials. The price rises with the complexity of styling and ranges from $3.50 to $150. Because braids can remain neat and clean for several weeks, however, cornrowing reduces annual coiffure costs for those accustomed to weekly stylings.

A plaited bob has its drawbacks.

Some Washington employers outlaw corn-rowed coiffures in the office: the style seems to them a symbol of black radicalism. Black women complain that braided men look effeminate. "They can get too elaborate and start looking like women," says Los Angeles Family Health Worker Shirley Marsh. Stylist Allen couldn't disagree more. Says he: "Women think it's outasight."

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